The cost of living has significantly risen in the past decade while wages have not kept pace, resulting in a lack of affordable housing options for low-income families. This problem has been further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a shortage of over 293,354 accessible homes in Illinois, as reported by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (Ginger, 2023).
In Chicago, the management of affordable housing falls under the responsibility of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). The CHA recently published its 2023 report, revealing that more than 200,000 families are currently on the waitlist for housing. The waiting time for public housing can vary significantly, ranging from six months to as long as 25 years, (Chatman, 2023). With these extreme wait times, many families in Chicago are forced to live in poor conditions, spending more than half of their income on housing alone, leaving nothing for other expenses. Yanling Chen, a recent immigrant and Chicago resident, emphasizes these concerns stating, “As inflation keeps going up, I'm really stressed out about my family's well-being. It's tough having to spend such a big chunk of my paycheck every month. It leaves me with nothing, and I'm even concerned about being able to afford basic necessities, like food and water.”
While the CHA primarily focuses on operating public housing and housing assistance programs, Chicago’s DOH (Department of Housing) is also pushing for accessible housing by focusing on government-related aspects like policy development and community building. Rima Alsammarae, the Director of Public Affairs at DOH, says “The primary challenge is simply resources—the need for affordable and accessible housing is high, and the US does not fund affordable housing at a level that makes it possible to serve everyone who needs it. ”
In response to the housing crisis, many companies have already started tackling the issue by partnering with other organizations to develop new buildings. For example, Ogden Commons in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood “brought together The Habitat Company, Sinai Health, Cinespace Chicago Film Studio, and the CHA. 80 percent of the 300 rental units are said to be earmarked as affordable housing” (Balta, 2023). While this process may seem slow, CHA and DOH are working towards a brighter future one house at a time.
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