Preservation of Existing Affordable Housing:
In Chicago we have many different types of affordable housing for people, but not enough of it! And we are rapidly losing the housing options we do have, due to building owners deciding to change affordable units to market rate units.
Project - Based Section 8 Contract Renewals:
Thousands of Chicago seniors rely on Project-Based Section 8 housing subsidies for an affordable place to live. Project-Based Section 8 housing is created through a contract between a private owner and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide subsidized rent to low-income tenants. These contracts have to be renewed upon expiration or else tenants have to move out. Many of our leaders have organized to ensure the renewal of their contracts for 5, 10, or even 20 years.
Story of the 4910 N. Sheridan Contract Renewal:
For seniors it is very important to live in subsidized homes such as project-based section eight buildings. It is especially helpful if the owner has a contract with HUD for five years or more.
Therefore, the board for the Russian community at 4910 N. Sheridan decided to meet with their owner and persuade him to continue his section eight contract with HUD for five years. Members of our board met with neighbors, called them, went to their apartments, and explained to them how important this action was for all of us.
The Jane Addams Senior Caucus helped us to meet with Alderman Helen Schiller, state representative Greg Harris, and Senator Heather Steans. We got them to support us during our meeting with the owner.
The result:: our owner renewed the contract with HUD for five years!
-Iosif Levkovskiy, Tenant Leader at 4910 N Sheridan
Story of the 171 W. Oak Contract Renewal and Law Suit:
171 W Oak was a 201 unit Section 8 building for seniors and disabled with a forty year HUD contract (1978-2018). In 2005 we discovered that the owner, Moody Bible Institute, had been illegally placing their students in Section 8 apts. as senior tenants moved out or died. By 2005, they had taken over nearly half of the building illegally.
Several meetings with HUD and IHDA (Illinois Housing and Development Administration: the HUD contract administrator) resulted in both agencies sending letters to the owner to comply with their contract. Moody Bible ignored these letters. They got lawyers, we got lawyers (the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law), and we sued for compliance with the HUD contract.
Our attorney found a law from 1937 that had never been used allowing the splitting of a HUD contract between two buildings. The suit was resolved in Dec. 2006 by keeping half the HUD contract at 171 W. Oak and half went to 150 W. Maple, a nearby senior building where the owner wanted a section eight contract. All 201 units were preserved and no seniors or disabled individuals were required to move.
-Liz Brake, Tenant Leader at 150 W Maple and JASC Board Member