Housing Choice

Pursuing Regional Coordination of the Housing Choice Voucher Program

While thousands of people in Illinois sit on Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waiting lists for rental options they can afford, both the regional public housing authorities (PHAs) managing these lists and the households themselves struggle to find good housing opportunities near jobs and transit. Numerous barriers – ranging from community perception to federal regulations – interfere with the housing authorities’ ability to work with local communities to meet this demand. In addition to advocating for needed policy change, MPC and partners have created several pilot efforts to demonstrate that these political and technical barriers can be overcome, and to provide more people with access to quality homes:

The Regional Housing Initiative (RHI) provides operating subsidies to developers and owners of quality rental housing.
The Portability Pilot demonstrated cost-effective improvements to make it easier for PHAs to support tenants moving to locations with access to better jobs, transit and schools.
Stay tuned for the Suburban Cook County Multifamily Preservation Initiative (SCCMPI), which aligns RHI with other housing finance tools.

Please visit the Regional Housing Initiative webpage to download application and background material.

Articles

Tax credits ‘icing on the cake’ for Chicago’s EAH employers

by Jane Hornstein
Mar 10, 2010
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As home sales in Chicago begin to pick up, a range of city employers are offering employer-assisted housing (EAH) programs that support their workers’ homeownership goals, boost the housing market, and benefit the companies in the long run. Through EAH, employers provide assistance to their…

Federal incentives fueling Illinois progress

While social and economic progress never moves as quickly as policy reformers and advocates wish, the State of Illinois’ 2010 Comprehensive Housing Plan underscores how federal incentives can fuel local innovation. Congratulations are in order for the state and its innovative plan, which…

Regional Housing Initiative offers funding to developers and owners of rental housing in Cook, Lake, McHenry and Will counties

A new rolling application process allows developers and owners of affordable housing to submit proposals at any time.

MPC by the numbers, 2009

From jobless rates to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from Illinois’ budget gap to foreclosure trends, news reports in 2009 were awash with gloomy figures. It’s been a challenging year, and the numbers don’t lie. Yet, fortunately, they rarely tell the whole…

EPA, HUD and DOT announce interagency partnership to promote sustainable communities

by Robin Snyderman
Oct 7, 2009

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson have announced a new partnership to help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment.

Multimedia

Map: Interjurisdictional Collaborations

Map
October 30, 2009

As of Oct. 30, 2009, MPC and its partners are actively building several interjurisdictional partnerships throughout northeastern Illinois. Partnerships listed as 'potential' reflect initial conversations with local decision-makers.

Back to the Drawing Board? Revisiting local housing strategies during the market meltdown

Audio
September 10, 2008

Following the dramatic downturn in the housing market, local advocates and policymakers gathered to re-assess the primary housing policy initiatives they relied upon for many years. Suburban workforce housing, the Chicago Housing Authority Plan for Transformation, and employer-assisted housing were…

Housing 1-2-3: A Workbook for Local Officials

Publication
(13 MB)
February 1, 2008

Housing 1-2-3 is a step-by-step guidebook designed to make the complex issues of planning, developing, preserving, and managing housing more understandable for municipalities and real estate professionals. The housing market expands and contracts, but the need for a diverse housing stock remains…

Welcome Home: Housing Our Community

Publication
(976 KB)
September 22, 2005

Welcome Home: Housing Our Community brings together mayors, developers, residents, and business people to talk about local solutions to housing - a growing crisis in our towns, in our region, and in our state. This video is intended to help your town begin a constructive dialogue about how best…

Public Housing in the Public Interest: Examining the Chicago Housing Authority's Redevelopment Strategy

Publication
(437 KB)
November 14, 2002

The fourth in MPC's series of Fact Sheets examining the Chicago Housing Authority Plan for Transformation.

Links

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities conducts research and analysis to help shape public debates over proposed budget and tax policies. CBPP’s voucher advocacy on Capital Hill advances many of MPC’s key goals about promoting regional coordination in metropolitan Chicago. More info »
Housing Choice Partners of Illinois, Inc.: HCP’s role in the Portability Pilot was to serve as the third-party nonprofit supporting mobility across public housing authority jurisdictions. HCP provides expanded housing choice to low-income families historically living in segregated communities lacking good jobs and good schools. More info »
Illinois Housing Development Authority’s RHI page: Developers competing for federal low-income housing tax credits through the Illinois Housing Development Authority may be competitive for extra points if they first secure vouchers through RHI. More info »
Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Housing Action Agenda: The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is a caucus of metropolitan Chicago’s 272 mayors working together to address shared economic development and affordable housing issues and more. Through the Housing Action Agenda, the Mayors Caucus is working to create safe, decent and affordable housing opportunities for all people in every community in the region. More info »
Regional Housing Initiative: Funded by a simple conversion of tenant-based housing choice vouchers to project-based funding, the Regional Housing Initiative provides operating subsidies to developers and owners of quality rental housing and is advancing local efforts to integrate housing, job and transportation investments. More info »