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In 1999, we began to push for the state of Illinois to become a player in the national affordable housing crisis. Over the years, we’ve worked with other housing advocates to increase Illinois funding for homeless prevention, from zero to the current $11 m in annual funding, in order to stop homelessness before it happens. We’ve joined others to increase state Supportive Housing funds to $14.25 m, funding that was critically needed to help end homelessness for people who were chronically homeless. Together, we worked for the Safe Homes Act to increase housing protections for victims of domestic abuse. Most of all, we have built relationships with our elected officials and our county’s employers, giving a voice to those with housing problems, low and moderate income workers, families, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Here’s just a sample of some of the major legislative successes over the past few years. Some of them address the need for proactive planning, some create new resources and affordable housing supply, and some work to reduce barriers.
NATIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND (2007)
We are closer than ever to a National Housing Trust Fund--it has passed the House, after 7 years of advocacy by many thousands of advocates and organizations across the county—if it passes the Senate, it will result in the first national new housing production for people on very low incomes since 1990.
THE ILLINOIS RENTAL HOUSING SUPPORT PROGRAM (2005)
The Rental Housing Support Program created a state-funded rental assistance program that provides subsidies directly to participating landlords who agree to charge affordable rents to low-income tenants at or below 30% of area median income (around $19,000 for a family of four in Illinois).
COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING PLANNING ACT (2006)
This law requires the State of Illinois to develop an annual Comprehensive Housing Plan that coordinates and streamlines the allocation of available housing funds. Under the law, the state is required to work to coordinate spending on economic development, transportation and human services in order to better address affordable housing goals.
THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLANNING AND APPEAL ACT (2003)
The Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act is an effort to address the barriers that prevent the market from creating an adequate supply of affordable housing, especially in job-rich areas. The law requires all municipalities across the state with less than 10 percent affordable housing to develop and implement plans to ensure that at least 10 percent of their housing is affordable. It also creates a State Housing Appeals Board that may review local government decisions either to deny proposals to build affordable housing, or to approve affordable housing proposals only with restrictive conditions attached. The appeals process will be available to developers who propose plans with at least 20% affordable housing.
THE RESIDENTIAL TENANTS' RIGHT TO REPAIR ACT (2004)
This statute allows tenants to make the repairs and deduct the cost from their rent if a landlord refuses to make a repair that is required by code. Tenants must give a landlord written notice of a repair need. The landlord then has 14 days to make the repair. The tenant may then take action to make the necessary repairs.
THE FEDERALLY ASSISTED HOUSING PRESERVATION ACT (2004)
This law requires owners of subsidized housing to give twelve months notice of intent to sell the property (the law previously required six months notice) and would permit tenants to form an association that, with a non-profit corporation or private developer, could purchase the building and preserve it as affordable.
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
We know that we have a long way to go to make housing affordable to our workforce, to low income families, to our seniors and to people with disabilities.
The current crisis in the subprime market is a measure of how important housing is to our overall economy. But we know that the negative effects are playing out in neighborhoods across our county, as well as across our country.
Over the last ten years, more and more of our neighborhoods in Wheaton and DuPage are transforming, as smaller homes are being demolished, and huge homes taking their place, depleting the affordable housing stock—the traditional starter homes. Rising real estate taxes are driving seniors out of their communities. Employers are struggling to fill their workforce needs, as so many applicants can’t afford to live in the community in which they work.
DHAC is working closely with the DuPage Homeownership Center, and a network of developers, lenders, government officials, business and social service leaders in an effort known as: Affordable Homeownership: Benchmark for a Vital Community. There have been several high level symposia and multiple task forces created to recognize barriers, identify solutions, promote community awareness, and produce community change.
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