Raise the Roof: CHA's Monthly Newsletter Vol 10

CHA NEWSLETTER | VOLUME 10

CHA'S NEW DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PUTS FAMILIES ON THE PATH TO HOMEOWNSHIP

With CHA's recently announced Down Payment Assistance (DPA) program, residents and qualified low-income applicants can achieve their homeownership dreams. DPA is another way CHA is helping families unlock their economic power and create generational wealth that reinvigorates communities.

The Down Payment Assistance comes in the form of a 10-year, forgivable grant up to $20,000. To qualify, participants must earn no more than 80 percent of the Area Media Income and be first-time homebuyers. Participants in the DPA program graduate from CHA subsidy assistance and move into the agency’s Alumni Network, where they receive ongoing coaching and support.

DPA is CHA’s second homeownership offering. In 2002, CHA launched Choose to Own (CTO), which allows qualified residents to use their CHA subsidy toward a mortgage for up to 15 years. Since its onset, CTO participants have purchased more than 800 homes in the City of Chicago.

Learn more about the program, including how to apply, on our website.

RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT:

SAMANTHA STOKES ACHIEVES HER HOMEOWNERSHIP DREAMS

Former Housing Choice Voucher holder Samantha Stokes grew up one of four children living under the roof of hard-working parents. Ends didn’t always meet, and she remembers being evicted as a child – something she vowed never to experience as an adult.

This month, with the assistance of CHA’s new Down Payment Assistance program, Stokes was the first CHA resident to close on her new home.

Stokes praised the program, saying “I’m a little more than low-income, and there aren’t a lot of resources out there for this group of people. We don’t qualify for certain benefits, but we do need some assistance. That’s where the DPA comes in handy. You just need that little bit of push and assistance that will help you get to where you want to be in life.”

One of the joys so far has been seeing her 14-year-old daughter’s face when she saw her new home for the first time.

“She was excited, running through and opening up all the doors, running in the backyard - she’s never had a backyard before,” Stokes said. “She’s excited about having a washer and dryer in the home instead of going to the laundromat. It’s a bigger space to move around in, three bedrooms instead of two. She’s happy.”

Read Samantha's story in the Chicago Sun-Times or watch the video.

NEW COATS FOR 5,000 CHA YOUTH

GET NEW COATS AT OPERATION WARM

CHA and the national non-profit Operation Warm partnered for the 16th year on Oct. 21 to hand out 5,000 brand new winter coats to kids living in CHA-supported housing.

In addition to receiving a coat, kids were able to choose from 12,000 new books to take home courtesy of the National Book Foundation and HUD’s Book Rich Environments Initiative. There was also a resource fair with 30 organizations offering services and giveaways.

Resident Gwenetta Simmons has attended Operation Warm for several years and is often among the first registrants. After getting her sixth-grader a new coat this year, she said “It helps that I don’t have to go out in the cold in November to get his coat. And he loves the books.”

"CHICAGO FACES A CRITICAL MOMENT IN ITS AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS. IT NEEDS MORE FEDERAL FUNDING." CHICAGO TRIBUNE OP-ED BY CHA CEO TRACEY SCOTT

An Op-Ed by Chicago Housing Authority CEO Tracey Scott appeared in the Chicago Tribune print and online on October 25, 2023. From the piece:

“Amid unprecedented congressional uncertainty and unfinished business regarding a 2024 budget, federal support for affordable housing is urgently needed in Chicago.

While the House narrowly avoided shutting down the federal government last month, members of Congress have yet to seriously address the critical shortage of affordable housing and rapidly rising rental rates in Chicago and other urban areas. Even in less polarized times, the federal housing dollars that support the lowest-income Chicagoans have not been adequate to ensure everyone has a roof over their heads. What’s concerning is that it’s been widely reported that spending limitations may be in place and that housing funding for rental subsidies, public housing and affordable development tools will take a hit when Congress does get around to passing a budget.”

Read the full op-ed here (subscription required).

CHA CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT UPDATES

Throughout the city, CHA and its partners are investing in new subsidized housing while also completing projects that preserve existing public housing for the long-term. Highlights include:

New Construction:

Oakwood Shores Phase 3-1 broke ground in 2022 and is scheduled for completion in early 2024. This 51-apartment development by The Community Builders will include 19 homes for CHA families.

Work is underway at Ogden Commons Phase A1. A partnership between CHA and The Habitat Company, this new development will have 92 apartments, including 37 for CHA families. Construction started in February 2023 and is expected to be complete late 2024.

Preservation Efforts:

At Albany Terrace and Irene McCoy Gaines, westside senior homes are being preserved for the long-term. Albany Terrace has 350 senior apartments. Our partner Michaels Development, recently completed a model unit to help residents visualize their newly rehabbed homes.

At Lorraine Hansberry, CHA replaced a failed existing asphalt parking lot with a new permeable paver system that will manage stormwater and reduce flooding in the surrounding area. New energy efficient LED area lighting was also installed across the new parking lot and in front of the new site sign for illumination.

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