Access to quality affordable housing is a growing problem in cities across the country, and Chicago is no exception. According to a study by DePaul’s Institute of Housing Studies, Chicago recently lost 5.2 percent of its affordable rental units, with North Side neighborhoods losing more affordable housing than anywhere else in the city.

The city is doing its part to support working families, with programs like the Chicago Community Land Trust (CCLT), which provides education and access to mortgage lenders and attorneys to assist them in the process of purchasing affordable housing. Additionally, the Affordable Requirements Ordinance was recently updated to increase the percentage of required affordable housing units in new developments from 10 to 20 percent.

As part of our three-part series to explore the state of affordable housing in Chicago, we spoke with 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett Jr. about the city’s efforts to make affordable housing available to more Chicago families. 

Do you think affordable housing in its current state is really affordable for the people who need it most? 

The people who actually need it most are low-income people who get taken care of with CHA. But janitors and police officers also need affordable housing because housing costs are rising. We need it everywhere, and we’re pushing to give developers the option to build affordable housing for low-income and working-class people inside their properties. 

Is the city doing any outreach to let people know that affordable housing is available? 

The ARO (Affordable Housing Requirement Ordinance) requires developers to build 20 percent affordable housing. And when those developers are marketing their housing, whether it’s rental or condos, they have to market the affordable part too. We also advertise available units through some of our delegate agencies, such as Neighborhood Housing Services. 

Do you think the answer is just building new affordable housing units, or should some resources be used to improve existing structures?

We have a program that allows people to put money into a pot that helps sustain existing affordable housing. We also have programs to build new affordable housing. We don’t have enough units, so we need to continue to do both because price points on everything go up all of the time. 

Is affordable housing enough? Are the developers doing anything to improve schools, business, transportation, and other resources in the surrounding communities?

It’s not enough. We need to take a holistic approach. And most of the time, when we’re encouraging developers to build affordable housing, it appears that a lot of those things are following. Once you start getting the diversity and density of incomes, all of the other amenities will follow. The schools get better, and there will be more access to stores, restaurants, and jobs. Gentrification can be a bad thing, but it’s also a good thing. It brings a higher level of everything to everyone. So if you could mix the incomes in those gentrified areas, everyone would benefit from the improvements. Having all low-income and affordable housing in one area doesn’t help the situation. Everyone is looking for income diversity before they move. 

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