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Affordable housing
Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
3:53pm
Thu Mar 15
2 comments

Study Finds Illinois Lacks Affordable Housing, Advocates Lament Proposed Cuts

More than 50 percent of renters in Illinois don’t have enough money to afford a two-bedroom apartment in the state, a report released Tuesday by Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows.

The housing wage in Illinois is $16.78. That means a family must earn at least that hourly amount for 40 hours a week and 52 weeks per year in order to pay rent and utilities for a safe, modest two-bedroom apartment.

But the average private-housing renter in Illinois earns $13.95, which is $2.82 less than the hourly wage needed to afford a unit, said Bob Palmer, policy director at Housing Action Illinois.
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Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
12:51pm
Tue Feb 21
6 comments

Report Finds Shortage Of Housing For Illinois' Lowest Paid Workers

There simply aren't enough rental homes available to extremely low-income households in Illinois, according to a new report, and housing advocates say that needs to change in order to prevent increased homelessness in the state.

Twenty-eight rental homes are both affordable and available for every 100 renter households that are considered extremely low-income, the report (PDF) from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Housing Action Illinois found.

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PI Original
by Matthew Blake
5:21pm
Tue Feb 7
2 comments

A New Attempt To Deal With Foreclosed, Vacant Properties

Housing

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has announced a new pilot program aimed at assisting homeowners and rehabilitating vacant, foreclosed upon properties in Cook County.

Quick Hit
by Aricka Flowers
9:00am
Thu Jul 7, 2011

Chicago's First People's City Council Meeting Set For Tonight

This evening, 20 of Chicago's 50 aldermen are set to take part in the city's first "People's City Council Meeting." The event is scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. at the UIC Forum, located at 725 W. Roosevelt Road. Doors open for the event at 5:30 p.m.

The event's organizers say the purpose of the People's City Council Meeting is to give all Chicagoans a voice in what is happening in local government. 

"With a new mayor and new City Council in office, community leaders and union members from around Chicago are coming together as the 'People’s City Council,' one that prioritizes good jobs, affordable and stable housing, quality public education, and strong public safety over the desires of billion-dollar corporations," reads a press release announcing the meeting.

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PI Original
by
4:20pm
Wed Jun 15, 2011
1 comment

How Big Banks Displace Families Who Rent

Housing

Banks taking over foreclosed properties are considered the new homeowners, but what happens when the building is home to dozens of families who rent? A local neighborhood group says that should make the banks the landlords too -- at least temporarily.

Quick Hit
by
10:13am
Fri Jun 10, 2011

Number Of The Week: 17,467

That is the number of rental units in foreclosed properties in Chicago. In a report (PDF) issued Thursday by the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, the 17,467 rental units came from 5,904 apartment buildings within Chicago -- which amounts to tens of thousands of Chicagoans who were left homeless in 2010.

The banks involved in the majority of the foreclosure filings are Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, Deutsche Bank, US Bank, and CitiMortgage.
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