A new effort is underway to help people facing the challenges of applying for affordable housing. Many individuals find it difficult to secure housing because the waiting lists are long, and the process can be exhausting. To tackle this, city leaders and advocates believe it’s time for a significant change in how affordable housing is managed.
The Need for Change in the Affordable Housing System
City officials and advocates are pushing for changes to make the system easier for people to access affordable housing. Currently, many people wait for years to find affordable homes, with some even passing away while still on the waiting list. Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez emphasized the importance of fixing this system, pointing out that the city has a shortage of 120,000 affordable housing units. He stressed that the current system needs improvement to help people find shelter more quickly.
Introducing the Accountable Housing Act
The new plan called the Accountable Housing and Anti-Discrimination Waitlist Act, was introduced recently at the Chicago City Council meeting. It has strong support from several council members, including Aldermen Gilbert Villegas and Maria Hadden. Villegas highlighted that many offices are flooded with people searching for affordable housing, but the city lacks a proper database to manage all these requests. This has led to extremely long waiting periods, and the council members agree that things must change.
Chicago City Council Looks to Improve Affordable Housing Waitlist – Video
Centralized Online Waitlist
The ordinance proposes creating a central online portal that lists all affordable housing units in one place. This change will simplify the application process for residents and help the city manage it more effectively. The city will monitor the waitlist to place people in available housing units more efficiently. Villegas explained that when developers build new units and seek incentives, they must allocate a percentage of those units to affordable housing and add them to the database.
Fighting Discrimination in Housing
Another key part of the plan is to address discrimination in affordable housing. The Committee on Housing and Real Estate is currently reviewing the ordinance. Villegas and Hadden remain optimistic that the committee will approve it soon and expect to fully implement it by early 2025. The goal is to ensure that no one is unfairly denied housing because of their income. Emily Coffey from the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights added that this requirement would help make the system more transparent and fair.
Timeline and Future Plans
The Committee on Housing and Real Estate is currently reviewing the ordinance. Villegas and Hadden remain optimistic that the committee will approve it soon and expect to fully implement it by early 2025. In the meantime, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) has expressed its support for the proposal. The CHA plans to launch a new website this fall to make the waitlist process easier for families, offering information on wait times and available properties to help them make better decisions when applying.
By simplifying the system and addressing discrimination, this ordinance aims to make affordable housing more accessible for Chicago’s residents, giving them a fair chance to secure a home.
