I have no idea what to do about this. I have an anchor elderly mother so I'm here as long as she is (and based on family history she's probably got another 20 years in her). I rent, so I don't have to worry about unloading property.
I fantasize about moving out of Chicago all the time but I'm not really sure what fits my wishlist and has a decent COL (public transport-friendly, blue state, no cold winters).
Like Inaya, the lack of social services really worries me. My previous Chicago neighborhood had a lot of crime and drug issues because it was a hub for social services for the very mentally ill. All that got shut down, along with the shelters and supportive housing, and these folks all ended up on the streets, literally - we have tent cities under our viaducts. Where else were they supposed to go?
I'm not sure I see it getting better. I'm volunteering with Alderman Pawar's gubernatorial campaign and he has some ideas for raising revenue (legal weed, progressive income tax so that the uber-wealthy pay their fair share - yes, I know that is probably not a popular idea on this board!), but I am honestly not certain whether one person can turn it around, even if he does manage to get elected despite being a progressive who isn't white or wealthy. I worry that we're just too far in the hole.