In operation since 1972, with over 40 congregations and 20 civic organizations as members, Interfaith is rooted in the civil rights movement of the 1960s when a group of local women organized the North Shore Summer Project to protest housing discrimination. The group culminated its activities with a rally on the Winnetka Village Green in 1965, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to a crowd of 10,000, his first civil rights rally in an all-white suburb. The organization was formally launched following a conference organized by religious leaders with the assistance of the Community Renewal Society to create a vehicle for the expression of religious concern for more inclusive communities. Interfaith's service area comprises the northern Cook and southern Lake County municipalities of Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka.

Interfaith is dedicated to housing justice by advancing open, inclusive, and diverse communities throughout Chicagos northern suburbs. As the areas premier voice for fair and affordable housing, Interfaith educates, advocates, and organizes to uphold these values.

Interfaith provides direct service to persons with housing needs through fair housing investigation, foreclosure prevention counseling, landlord/tenant advice, and the facilitation of Homesharing matches (averaging 40 matches per year more than 1,500 matches since the programs inception in 1985); and acts as the primary north suburban community organizer and advocate for programs, policies, and bricks-and-mortar developments that create housing for low- and moderate-income households. No other housing agency in the country combines direct service with advocacy like Interfaith.