Logan Square leader fights to put affordable housing in state’s next Capital Budget
On July 29, a diverse group of Chicago community leaders and 14 state legislators stood together to call for the inclusion of $500 million for the construction or rehab of affordable housing in Illinois’ next capital budget.
The press conference was convened by United Power for Action and Justice, an organization of churches, synagogues, mosques and community, labor and health organizations from across Cook County. The event included Latino leaders from the Logan Square, Pilsen and Little Village.
The civic leaders and elected officials said that including housing in the upcoming capital plan – along with roads, bridges and other infrastructure – would stimulate the economy by creating construction jobs, helping to alleviate the mortgage foreclosure crisis, and generating new tax revenues for both local governments and state government.
While other states have included housing in their capital plans, Illinois never has.
“It is our job as elected officials to put forward viable solutions that will help to ease the suffering of working families and those in need and to stimulate the economy during this difficult time,” said State Senator Iris Martinez. “Including affordable housing in the capital budget represents one viable and practical solution to the problems that face our state.”
One of the speakers at the July 29 press conference was José Skerrett, a leader with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association who has served on the Local School Councils of two local schools, Funston and Ames. After the press conference, Skerrett spoke personally with Governor Rod Blagojevich about the issue. Skerrett’s speech, reproduced here, offers an example of how capital funds could make a difference in one Latino neighborhood:
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I’ve lived in Logan Square since 1948. In fact, my family was the first Latino family to live in the neighborhood around Kimball and Dickens.
Including housing in the Capital Budget could make a dream come true in my community.
A block from my house, at the corner St. Louis and Armitage, there is huge empty lot that has been vacant for 25 years. It’s an eyesore. It makes people think the worst of my community.
There are many other vacant lots along Armitage. They’re owned by real estate speculators who hold onto them – sometimes as long as 20 years – waiting for the big score.
While these lots sit empty, there is an affordable housing crisis in Logan Square: Families are being displaced by condo conversions. Children have to move from one school to the next, disrupting their education. That undermines 15 years of hard work by parents like me, teachers and principals to make our schools better.
Three years ago, we realized we could use these vacant lots to stabilize our community and our schools. We partnered with Bickerdike Redevelopment, a non-profit developer. Together, we came up with an idea called “School-to-School Housing.” The goal is to build 75 affordable family apartments – above storefronts – on several vacant lots along Armitage Avenue. These buildings would:
• Help families stay in the neighborhood and keep their kids stay in the same school
• Create jobs for local construction workers
• Create economic development by stitching the Armitage business district back together.
My neighbors and I went to work. We walked door to door, collecting signatures of supporters. We convinced two Aldermen and the City to support us. We got a commitment of TIF funding so that Bickerdike could buy the lots. We assembled the financing for the project from a variety of sources, including federal Housing Tax Credits. Bickerdike’s architect designed several buildings with community input. We decided on a name for the project—the Zapata Apartments.
But then the recession hit. Tax Credits lost 10 percent of their value and the ground-breaking we had planned for this spring was put on hold. (Many other affordable housing developments have also been delayed.)
While Bickerdike works to find more resources to cover the decrease in the value of tax credits, local school children, families needing affordable housing, and our local business climate all continue to suffer.
Including housing in the state’s Capital Budget could put projects like School to School Housing back on track. A small infusion of capital dollars would leverage the federal, city and private funds that have already been committed to the project.
Every affordable home has a positive impact on our society that no road or bridge can ever have: If you have an affordable home, you can quit your 2nd or 3rd job and have time to get involved in your child’s school. You are more likely to start a business and invest time in your community, as I have been able to do.
Housing is at the heart of the crisis that is harming our families, our communities, and our economy. Now, we need to put housing at the center of our solutions.
Current view of lot where proposed Zapata Apartments will be constructed.
Artist's rendering of proposed Zapata Apartments