THE FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND

Largely overshadowed by interest in CHA’s mixed income communities, CHA’s rehabilitation of thousands of public housing units in “traditional” 100% public housing developments demands equal attention.  Under current plans these traditional developments will comprise 5,325 units – over 20% of what is to be CHA’s total portfolio of 25,000 units, and close to 35% of its family public housing.  The developments range in size from Altgeld Gardens (1998 units) to Bridgeport Homes (111 units), and in building type from rowhouses (Wentworth Gardens) to concentrated midrises (Dearborn Homes). 

             

At the end of 2007, CHA had completed rehabilitation of 2,291 traditional units, some 43% of the planned total.  In some developments vacancy levels are high; CHA has had trouble finding residents willing to move into the rehabbed units.  Anecdotal reports and interviews with resident leaders suggest that the rehabilitation has received a mixed response from residents, and varies in quality from development to development. 

Perhaps even more important than questions about construction and occupancy levels are issues related to life opportunities for families who live there.  Based on interviews with residents and resident leaders, as well as reports from service providers working in some developments, families living in many of these developments face a variety of serious challenges that simply providing better shelter will not address.  For example:

• Safety and security:  The level of violence and criminal activity in some developments is extremely high.  (Perpetrators may be from outside as well as inside the development.)  Concerns about safety seriously affect residents’ ability to work, attend school, play, shop, and access services.
• Isolation:  A number of the developments are physically isolated and/or have poor access to public transportation, creating barriers to work, after school activities, shopping, and access to social services not onsite.  Combined with security issues, residents can be left both isolated and vulnerable.  Some residents also report lack of information from CHA about plans for their developments, leaving them feeling removed from decision-making and uninformed about their future.
• Health issues:  Because the Transformation Plan has provided opportunities for many residents to move to private housing with Housing Choice Vouchers or into mixed income developments, residents remaining in the traditional developments are increasingly those who cannot (or choose not to) live elsewhere.  Among this population is a high proportion of families who have serious physical or mental health problems.
• Lack of youth programming:  CHA’s social service system is focused heavily on assisting residents to work; programming and services for youth are not a priority.  Yet given the isolation of many of these communities, underperforming schools and high levels of gang activity, access to safe, appropriate activities for youth may be crucial to improving life opportunities.

Later this year, CHA plans to begin phasing in a 20 hour per week work requirement for all non-exempt adult public housing residents.  It has also revamped its services program, now called Family Works, to focus on helping residents become employed and move into their final Plan for Transformation housing.  The extent to which these new programs will improve life circumstances for families in the traditional 100% public housing developments remains to be seen.