may be used only while seated and the user must refrain
from interfering with the viewer hearing of other
individuals individuals or groups failing to adhere to
these rules will be asked to see such disruptive conduct
and failure to comply will result in there being subject to
removal from the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms.
the Evans and when I look at attendance in the NHL most
teams do amazingly
I can see basketball doing well in most places, but not
hockey so much Timmy Evans by Evans 221 OB.
That's his best stat Timmy Evans more people go to FL
Panther games than Marlon's games.
rules of conduct for public meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant
to the Chicago city council Rules of Order and procedure
rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms sets forth the following
rules of conduct to be followed during the public comment
period and the duration of all committee and City Council
meetings profane vulgar threatening abusive or disruptive
language is not permitted demeaning discriminatory or
harassing behavior and speech directed towards others is
not permitted disruptive behavior, including disruptive or
disrespectful content during others presentations is not
permitted banners flyers or signage are not permitted
backpacks large bags and sharp objects are not permitted
clear bags not tinted in color that do not exceed 12 by 12
by 6 in will be permitted in our subject to search food and
beverages including in metal canisters are not permitted
cell phones must be placed.
Based on silent prior to entering the meeting room
individuals must remain seated public comment speakers are
permitted to stand only when providing public comment small
handheld devices may be used only while seated and the user
must refrain from interfering with the viewer hearing of
other individuals individuals or groups failing to adhere
to these rules will be asked to see such disruptive convict
and failure to comply will result in there being subject to
removal from the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms
sets forth the following rules of conduct to be followed
during the public comment period and the duration of all
committee and City Council meetings profane vulgar
threatening abusive or disruptive language is not permitted
the meaning discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech
directed towards others is not permitted disruptive
behavior, including disruptive or disrespectful conduct
hearing others presentations is not permitted banners
flyers or signage are not permitted backpacks large bags
and sharp objects are not permitted clear bags not tinted
in color that do not exceed 12 by 12 by 6 in will be
permitted in
are subject to search food and beverages including in metal
canisters are not permitted cell phones must be placed on
silent prior to entering the meeting room individuals must
remain seated public comment speakers are permitted to
stand only when providing public comment small handheld
devices may be used only while seated and the user must
refrain from interfering with the view or hearing of other
individuals individuals or groups failing to adhere to
these rules will be asked to see such disruptive conduct
and failure to comply will result in their being subject to
removal from the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms
sets forth the following rules of conduct to be followed
during the public comment period and the duration of all
committee and City Council meetings profane vulgar
threatening abusive or disruptive language is not permitted
demeaning discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech
directed towards others is not permitted disruptive
behavior, including disruptive or disrespectful conducting
others presentations is not permitted banners climb.
Or signage are not permitted backpacks large bags and sharp
objects are not permitted clear bags not tinted in color
that do not exceed 12x 12x, 6 in will be permitted in our
subject to search food and beverages including in metal
canisters are not permitted cell phones must be placed on
silent prior to entering the meeting room individuals must
remain seated public comment speakers are permitted to
stand only when providing public comment small handheld
devices may be used only while seated and the user must
refrain from interfering with the view or hearing of other
individuals individuals or groups failing to adhere to
these rules will be asked to see such disruptive conduct
and failure to comply will result in there being subject to
removal from the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49 the sergeant death.
arm sets forth the following rules of conduct to be followed
during the public comment period and the duration of all
committee and City Council meetings profane vulgar
threatening abusive or disruptive language is not permitted
demeaning discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech
directed towards others is not permitted disruptive
behavior, including disruptive or disrespectful hearing
others presentations is not permitted banners highers or
signage are not permitted backpacks large bags and sharp
objects are not permitted clear bags not tinted in color
that do not exceed 12 by 12 by 6 in will be permitted in
our subject to search food and beverages including in metal
canisters are not permitted cell phones must be placed on
silent prior to entering the meeting room individuals must
remain seated public comment speakers are permitted to
stand only when providing public comment small handheld
devices may be used only when
while seated and the user must refrain from interfering
with the viewer hearing of other individuals individuals or
groups failing to adhere to these rules will be asked to
see such disruptive conduct and failure to comply will
result in there being subject to removal from the meeting
by the sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms
sets forth the following rules of conduct to be followed
during the public comment period and the duration of all
committee and City Council meetings profane vulgar
threatening abusive or disruptive language is not permitted
demeaning discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech
directed towards others is not permitted disruptive
behavior, including disruptive or disrespectful conducting
others presentations is not permitted banners flyers or
signage are not permitted backpacks large bags and sharp
objects are not permitted clear bags not tinted in color
that do not exceed 12 by 12 by 6 in will be permitted in
our subject to search food and beverages including in metal
canisters are not permitted.
Cell phones must be placed on silent prior to entering the
meeting room individuals must remain seated public comment
speakers are permitted to stand only when providing public
comment small handheld devices may be used only while
seated and the user must refrain from interfering with the
view or hearing of other individuals individuals or groups
failing to adhere to these rules will be asked to see such
disruptive conduct and failure to comply will result in
there being subject to removal from the meeting by the
sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms
sets forth the following rules of conduct to be followed
during the public comment period and the duration of all
committee and City Council meetings profane vulgar
threatening abusive or disruptive language is not permitted
demeaning discriminatory harassing behavior and speech
directed towards others is not permitted disruptive
behavior, including disruptive or disrespectful conducting
others presentations is not permitted banners buyers or
signage are not permitted backpacks large bags and sharp
objects are not permitted clear bags not tinted in color
that do not exceed 12 by 12 by 6 inch
Is will be permitted in our subject to search food and
beverages including in mental canisters are not permitted
cell phones must be placed on silent prior to entering the
meeting room individuals must remain seated public comment
speakers are permitted to stand only when providing public
comment small handheld devices may be used only while
seated and the user must refrain from interfering with the
view or hearing of other individuals individuals or groups
failing to adhere to these rules will be asked to see such
disruptive convict and failure to comply will result in
there being subject to removal from the meeting by the
sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms
sets forth the following.
Following rules of conduct to be followed during the public
comment period and the duration of all committee and City
Council meetings profane vulgar threatening abusive or
disruptive language is not permitted demeaning
discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech directed
towards others is not permitted disruptive behavior,
including disruptive or disrespectful condo tearing others
presentations is not permitted banners buyers or signage
are not permitted backpacks large backs and sharp objects
are not permitted clear bags not tinted in color that do
not exceed 12 by 12 by 6 in will be permitted in our
subject to search food and beverages including in metal
canisters are not permitted cell phones must be placed on
silent prior to entering the meeting room individuals must
remain seated public comments speakers are permitted to
stand only when providing public comment small handheld
devices may be used only while seated and the user
Must refrain from interfering with the viewer hearing of
other individuals individuals or groups failing to adhere
to these rules will be asked to see such disruptive conduct
and failure to comply will result in their being subject to
removal from the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms.
I want to welcome everyone to the meeting of Comm, um
housing a real set of the city of Chicago.
I I will be very clear we will be will be starting on time
charging of arms. Anybody who does not want us? Let us
start the meeting. Please let my intend the order the
meeting has a starter.
This is the last call sergeant of arms is we cannot start
the meeting allows people who do not want to start a
meeting to be removed for the chambers.
consider that the last warning
we will be starting the meeting.
On the committee on housing real estate of the CH of the
Chicago city council is called to order. Unfortunately. We
had a few minutes delay because it was another meeting
conducted at the same time. So I ask again sergeant of
arms, please. This is the last call anybody who will
continue to disrupt will be removed from the chambers. We
have a very tight agenda today. We have uh, the subject
matter hearing on cha that will not be disruptions. Anybody
disrupting from this time on will be removed.
Today we have 1 item on the agenda.
or first 2024 by an annual Chicago Housing Authority cha
hearing
we're going to start with the roll call so that we
establish Quorum Vice chair Mitchum.
Mr. Mitchell present alderman
all the women Dow
all the present all the Harris all the present all the man
Quinn.
No present all the women.
All the women is no present all the all the person Fuentes.
all the person cuentas present all the women Rodriguez
Sanchez
all the women Rodriguez Sanchez present alderman viegas
Alderman Villegas present all the women play
all the women clay present with a beautiful guest today.
What's your name?
Saint Sage beautiful Sage we added to the Roll Call
um, all the women might not happen with all the women will
not happen with present all the women had in all the women
had in present that gives us
11 me Members including myself. So we have Quorum. Um, we
have also a rule 59 requests from uh, the 41, um, the
following all the persons other men more other man Elder
woman tailor and all the member Bernett who are joining, uh
be a remote means and Alderman Scott.
And all the women's God, thank you. Uh, so move over all
the women all the women Dao all those in favor. Say I
all those opposing name in the opinion of the chairs the
eyes have it. Thank you chairman.
Thank you. All those all the persons have been added to the
Quorum now we start with um public comment. I will be
clear. We had 30 people signed up for public comment
including 1 person that signed up in advance Ria remote
means, uh, there would be people who came in at 11:00 a.m.
Today, especially cha residents. This is a subject matter
hearing for cha, and thus cha residents or people in the
waiting lists are making sure that they are giving priority
given the high number of people sergeant of arms again.
All right, Sergio arms next next disruption. I'll ask
people to be removed from the chamber.
And that is exactly what we done as I said, there will be
cha residents who been here since 11:00 a.m. So we'll be
Sergeant of arms, please remove anybody who does not allow
the meeting to continue.
Uh another chamber, but anybody who is disrupting.
Anybody who is being disruptive will be removed from the
chamber sergeant of arms have clear orders. Anybody who is
disrupting. The meeting will be removed Sergeant. Please
remove anybody who does not let us insert a meeting.
So again, we have almost 30 people who have been signed on
because we the time is limited to 30 minutes, uh courtesy
to the other committees who have the same rule with 1
consists. We have decided to have 15 people and 2 minutes
each so that we allow to maximum participation again, very
clearly. The guideline is those cha residents people in the
waiting list or people on house who have been signed in
early a given priority. Those are the few people in the
being selected all those people who do not
allow participation to continue will be removed from the
chambers and being very clear and specific.
All right, faulty language will also be considered there
will be removed.
All right.
Starting of arms. We got another keeper continue talking.
I will not this was the last warning you'll be removed.
The first Speaker sign up through remote means in advance
is Mr. Peter. So Nika the um, the person is going to speak
via.
via Zoom
we have my name is yes. I'm here. My name is Peter Nika of
the 45th Ward. I would like to start out by recognizing the
members of the current version of the folk 29.
Wiped up this pisado 16 first the 10 members of the pisado
16 who signed the letter and then voted on 5124 Cardona
Conway Lopez Napolitano Quinn Riley Silverstein Spa Tabares
viegas.
And joined by 6 more Alders who voted on 5124.
Deal Chico Scott waguespack Lawson Gardner the 45th Ward as
part of the entire Northwest side serves as some of the
city employees or what city employees like to view as a
Haven from affordable housing from housing equality from
vibrant economically diverse and racially diverse
communities.
If we are not all safe, none of us are safe.
We fought
for and
the affordable housing development at 5150 North Northwest
Highway
we still see a development with 69 affordable units at the
old Irving Park Road people's gas site bottled up in
committee and then we go to
We've opposed multiple Alders who actively work to damage
affordable housing being built on the northwest side like
at 8535 West Higgins.
Housing is a human, right?
Housing first is the best strategy going forward.
I'd like to end by again recognizing the members of the
spaz 16 Cardona Conway Lopez. Napala Tano Quinn Riley.
Silverstein's spazo, Scott waguespack.
And Gardner. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Peter. Next we have Tanisha
Williams.
Tanisha Williams
Good afternoon. My name is Miss Tanisha Williams. Um with
the Lugia burn Hope Center.
Um historically known as the Ida B Wells which currently
has many unused acres of land.
I am currently we have such a huge housing issue where
there's such a need for housing.
Why is there so much negligence under your Administration
surrounding a promise of a thousand units that should be
public housing sitting on those unused Acres right now, uh
the community all of us are just looking around and waiting
and wondering what what's taking so long and what's the
issue of building up that promise that you all promised to
the people? That should be returning there now. Thank you.
Um, next speaker is Lesley Nish.
Cher uh chairperson siko Lopez members of the committee. My
name is Lesley kniskern. I live kitty corner and across the
alley from the cha scattered site at 2956 North Oak Park
Avenue.
Many of you may recall the raccoon Wars from 21 to 23 when
our neighborhood was infested as a result of Cha's neglect.
I first brought this problem to Cha's board meeting in July
of 2021 and again in March 2022. It took 2 years of
neighborhood. Advocacy newspaper articles and public outcry
to get the Cha's attention and finally seemingly take care
of the property following a meeting with the chah in June
of 2023.
I'm not here because of raccoons.
I'm here because in 2011 the cha entered into a declaration
of trust project number Ile 0023102 financed with Grant
assistance by Hud for this property, which has sat vacant
for over 13 years with a do not enter sign since 2017.
It appears the cha has withheld affordable housing that our
city desperately needs and has provided by this HUD Grant.
The council should continue to demand answers of the cha
specifically what has happened to these HUD Grant funds.
We've been told the cha is conducting an analysis of all
scattered sites in preparation for rehab or selling.
We've been told that for over 2 years now.
I've also been told that due to years of neglect. This
property is no longer salvageable and will need to be torn
down.
How has this been an effective or responsible use of the
HUD funds?
Sitting on it for 13 years until it's unusable.
I hope the actions of this committee will spur the cha to
resolve the scattered site issues. We face this city.
lincy
Lancie Graves
Okay.
Good afternoon, council members and chairman Lopez. I'm
here as the president of Vivian Carter Apartments. I'm here
to talk about an extremely grave situation. Not only am I
building but systemwide in cha under the senior, um of Miss
Tracy Scott, we have suffered I have had people who have
died from elevators not working.
Farmer not getting there in time.
We drink Brown water because the galvanized piping has not
been changed since 1970. It expired almost 20 years ago.
Okay, no elevators and more importantly. I don't like the
tactics just recently. We had a hood inspection for a whole
year my building suffered without any washing machines and
then a day before.
day before
Tracy Scott cha put washing machines in and 3 of them are
still not working because I Plumbing is a horrendous. I
want to touch on another subject here though because I
would say it's time for a change at the head of the c c of
CHA. We need something much better than this because
they've moved loose cigarettes and dope into senior housing
and the security are non-existent. They're there to look at
their telephones and get paid but I want to touch on
another subject the gentleman and other people have spoken
before you're talking about housing. I say what I see I was
elected at large against the slated members for the Obama
Library. I was silenced after 2 meetings after I saw what I
said this saw you have tons of vacant Lots in this city
that are unproductive tax-wise or rental wise, I propose
that you have an excise tax of a a amount of money that can
raise billions of dollars in order to afford housing for
the people that need housing in this building.
So in closing and we're at a time for you're going to make
the decision Which Way Chicago is going to go I also say
ultimate's prerogative need to go because it result has
been Chicago's 1 of the most segregated cities in the
United States still today.
Thank you.
Next we have a Taiwan Sims Taiwan.
Um, good afternoon committee.
Um
Let's just say september 24th, 2015. I graduated Pacific
Garden Mission. I was homeless then.
Um, August 6 2021 at Safe Haven. I was homeless then.
My hmis number is 3550061.
My CA number is G 0154234.
I was recently at Cornerstone Community while I was kicked
out yet another attempt to sabotage my name I suppose a
call or make me seem disruptive.
But that's for the neglect of the system the housing system
CA and this hmis.
And still we see all these individuals behind us with the
same argument.
And then I once sat in this, um sanctum and asked are these
discriminatory practices that we we experiencing?
are
they because right now I'm realizing that this is a system
against a people.
It's got to be there's black Americans in this room more.
Why why?
How and so many what so we had the Hornets come down the
Dearborn a host of different projects, but nothing was
replaced nothing.
Y'all planned on pushing us out and y'all still trying to
push us out with our new arrivals in the immigrants.
But y'all going to build shelters y'all do everything.
I want my just do because I have 2 boys I went into these
systems.
Expecting to be helped expecting to be housed only to be
pushed down and kicked around.
Enough is enough.
Enough is enough no more. Y'all say CH house. I need new
leadership. I say the whole thing need to be tore down and
revised.
I'm I'm 43. I started this Venture when I was 20-something
for housing how
how how
thank you Mr. Sims.
next week have v a little
via little
good afternoon. Thank you so much for allowing me to share.
Um, my name is Vanna little um, I am a nonprofit executive
at Fresh Start home Community Development Corporation. Uh,
Target population is housing Choice voucher participants.
My family have been a housing Choice voucher, um holder
when my mom now transitioned for 47 years. I would like to
be able to share my story. Um, my mom was diagnosed with a
terminal illness in 2022. Miss Co there was no appropriate
nursing homes to be able to send her into um, as a trait
patient to um be taking care of I stopped dropped
everything. I was doing to move in as her caregiver and
medical assistant. Um, there was no home assistant programs
that was able to assist us I think and believe that if we
are able to use these um, scattered sites for senior
holistic Wellness homes, where
um families can move in with their seniors and with their
you know, far as loved ones to take care of them that that
would eliminate a lot of the affordable housing challenges
just being able to remove funds from the private sector in
these nursing homes. That's not equipped and sanitized and
a lot of them are public health issues to be able
To take care of our own families and to also address the
budget which I believe would also um be a win-win for
everyone to be able to move funds from the private sector
into the public sector where we can move in as a family
with our loved ones and take care of our seniors and use
these voucher programs to become homeowners versus um,
long-term renters and imminent renters with no ends to any
long-term generational wealth. Thank you for allowing me to
share.
Thank you very much. And I know you came in really early
today. So thank you for waiting. Um next we have Brenda
Moore.
Brenda Moore
Hello, my name is Brenda Moore.
And I'm a resident of the Dearborn homes.
I'm a senior with mobile issues. It is very difficult that
every week 2 or 3 times a week. The elevators are always
broken down.
I am at the point that I'm very frustrated the rats lack of
security No 1 to help clean the apartments. Sometimes I
have to stay home for days and weeks at a time missing
appointments. I would like to know why under your
Administration is this acceptable?
Thank you very much.
Um next week have Jessica Jackson.
My name is Jessica Jackson, and I want to address the issue
of committee on housing and real estate and I want to talk
about the real estate investigator for public
administration. Her name is Tina.
Lro, lro, you spell her last name? L o u s t r o p o
s and you need to talk to her.
because apparently you you're like real passionate about
housing and I've been coming here for almost a year telling
this whole, uh city council about how they're stealing Cook
County and the circuit courts are still in black people's
property.
Now it's all good to talk about.
Subsidized housing in low-income housing and those issues
for sure need to be addressed.
But the issue is you cannot pass that down as generational
wealth.
You can pass down 2 flats and 3 flats and single family
homes this generational wealth, but we can't do that
because the public administration through Tina. Lusus.
However, you say her name.
Still Splat people's property.
And I keep telling you I keep telling the mayor. I keep
telling the Law Department. I'm telling the Building
Commissioner and everybody Glenn Angel. That's another 1
they all work together and are still in black people's
property why the Democratic party is dangling Free Housing
like a carrot in front of black people when in fact every
last 1 of these crooked judges and crooked public
administrators are Democrats every last 1 of these judges
that's doing this. It's a democratic judge not a republican
judge. These are Democrats that's doing this and you
sitting here watching them do it. Get your girl Tina and
tell her to stay away from my property. It doesn't belong
to her it belongs to me.
Thank you.
Next we have uh Demetrius boner.
Demetrius
Yeah.
Or maybe buildings. Maybe it's buildings.
Oh there. Yeah, Joyce Burns.
Next would be joins Burns, so you prepare.
Hello, testing 1 2 you're good, uh, good day. My name is
Demetrius Bonner. Uh, hello, uh Alderman dial and the rest
of the committee.
Uh, I'm here to.
Ask you this committee.
Why isn't there tangible oversight for the protections of
all of the housing in the city of Chicago?
The coldest day of the year people were evicted out of 79 in
College Grove because the boiler went bad what happened to
the inspectors?
Why did the building get to that kind of condition?
Regarding public how see the whole problem is tangible
oversight that needs to be we as Citizens need to form a
committee oversight board.
Because the people who are we vote and we elect to put in
place. You've seen the change in our city. You've seen them
take our neighborhoods. You've seen them gentrify our
neighborhood and nobody else's neighborhood is gentrified.
So public housing is where I was born and raised and my
grandfather put the first locks on those doors. It's more
than just a place to stay for me. It's my Heritage and the
right for me to be there, you know, you came up with all of
these laws and protections, but what good are they if
there's no enforcement of these laws and protection and how
do we expect the crooks to to check the crooks? You know
what I mean? How can we expect a villain to hold a villain
accountable your villains? I call you villains because you
violate their own laws that you make in our own protection,
you're the problem and not the citizens of this city. I
commit the people that we elect. They look how the face of
the city council has changed.
Look at this city council has changed nobody. I mean you go
there saying that you represent us and you stand for the
people of CHA or the city and general but that's just the
falsehood because you're selling it out to developers. You
can see down the State Street Corridor developers are
taking over you. These These are laws. I'm I helped put
together some civil monetary penalties and look even if you
win a civil monetary penalties the victims don't get it to
go back to the the budget.
Thank you.
Next we have a joist Burns Joyce.
Joyce Burns
Yes. Thank you.
And next we'll have a Nicholas Alvarez. So maybe you can be
ready after that.
Good afternoon.
My name is Joyce Barnes and I live in a cha senior
building.
And for the last 3 years we have had broken down elevators.
We have 2 elevators in our senior building 1 doesn't work
at all which has been a part being looking for for the last
3 years and they haven't found it. The other other elevator
stays in constant repair. It always needs fixing.
Just yesterday. I had to walk down 7 flights of stairs.
There's 8 floors in my building.
And I had to walk down 7 flights of stairs to go get my
mail and 7 flights back up to get in my house and I'm 74
years old.
and I'm here today for all the seniors that live in senior
buildings that I have to go through what I went through
with yesterday. And my question is why can't you all
replace our broken down elevators?
Thank you.
Thank you, Miss. Joyce next week have Nicolas Alvarez.
I'm shaking and I'm about to pass out after recently
getting hit by a car. I should be in the emergency room.
I have a documented disability. I paid rent on time for 15
years before Commonwealth Edison broke my apartment and
refused to fix it to which the landlords in the city and
your laws were completely ignored to which now I'm
homeless, I'm homeless because of calmed and landlords and
the city, okay.
I am now a multiple voucher recipient have already been in
subsidized housing. It's a nightmare roaches. No security
abuse gaslighting.
I was called a faker. I was called an actor and most
recently during my in office cha appointment. I was called
a wet back.
Okay.
All right.
My medical accommodations have been ignored multiple times.
I was never relocated.
Your call center is a joke. You don't even follow your own
guide books.
You're in appointment.
Uh, you're you're in office appointments with me face to
face your cowards when I ask you. Why don't you just give
me a small 1-bedroom 1 story house so I can get all my
stuff back together after getting screwed over by your
systems.
And then all of you in those office appointments face to
face with me, you're coward ghosts. You don't answer.
Pathetic, there's an alarm to make sure that I'm on time
because damn it I'm on time.
You don't deserve my benefits you don't.
I'd rather be homeless.
Give me a good immunity spot to put my tent. I'm using
shower up anybody a lawyer want to handle my case to bring
charges of ethnic discrimination and housing discrimination
on a medical level against cha, I'm all ears. Come find me.
I'd like to bring charges against them.
All right. You don't deserve my benefits.
I'm soaking. I'm about to pass out.
Thank you, Mr. Alvarez. Next we have Marcel Williams
followed by Juanita.
Juanita um fit
Marcel Williams
Fight. All right.
Fight and after Marcel Williams, thank you. Hi y'all doing
My name is Marcel Williams and I'm a 10 at the mercy house
and major Parker Jen. Oh, excuse me, Jenkins over half of
the tenants in my building are cha property size base on
October the 7th 4 of our neighbors were nearly shot to
death outside in front of the door because of Mercy house
and refused to give us keys after the shooting. All we
asked was for the mercy have and give us Keys. It's been
over 6 months since the shooting took place and nothing
changed in Mercy Housing or major Jenkins. We met with
Mercy Where Mercy house and January and told us that it was
giving us keys and the safety concern. We are expected to
believe that giving rent paying attendance keys to their
front door is unsafe and then letting us and then letting
us in front of our own homes.
Sorry about that.
And our own means we are told that Mercy house does not
give us any tenants of the keys at the front door. But when
we call and I'll be able to we are found and only tenants
that don't give us keys to our tenants and quote unquote
special needs in the building tenants who live in a mental
physical health and diagnose the double standard and
discrimination. There's no doubt about it on top of that.
No providing us at the keys in the front the constitutes
illegal lockout under the rlto and a charity on top of it.
All Mercy Housing onsite management has targeted me and
other tenants leaders at the major Jenkins our
neighborhoods building at the day of my with evictions and
punishments as a result of organizing. I am here to icha.
Are you comfortable with supporting that organization that
puts the tenants lives in danger and gazes and illegal
discrimination and lockouts and Target is ten a leader if
you are are what are you doing? What are you going to do
about it? We are the major Jake attendance units, and we
need help and we need keys now. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Next we have uh, Miss Wanita fighting.
I apologize for butchering your name.
Good afternoon. Um, my name is Juanita fight. I am
currently a resident of the Dearborn homes.
Now since I moved here, uh, I moved in Dearborn 2013.
I wanted to live there. It was such a beautiful piece of
property that every time I passed there on the bus, that's
the place for me. That's where I wanted to live. It was
beautiful and pristine and clean once I got into the
apartments there was nothing that I could call and ask to
get done or fixed that wasn't done either that day or the
very next day.
now until these different, um
management companies that was chosen
These were the most awful companies that you could have
ever gotten we feel like they're destroying our property.
They can't get anything fixed because cha doesn't give them
enough money to buy supplies. At least that's what the
workers and the management. I believe are saying they have
to be because they're not giving us anything. Nothing.
Nothing. Nothing is repaired elevators go down on a
constant 1 building buildings, uh elevator had gone down
and it was down for almost a whole month.
There are so many senior citizens scattered in these
buildings, you know, the elevators don't work. What are
they to do?
We also don't have um a lot of
Grocery stores in our area and we had been asking and
trying to get a grocery store put across the street 2711
South State Street, which would service the whole Dearborn
homes, but I also need to remind you that the reason why
that we pick.
all of these uh companies to
Talk to is because it's necessary. We need you to get
better management if you had better Management in cha and
maybe a new president we could get something done. Thank
you. Thank you very much. Um and as we have Deborah tips
followed by H, Houston
Deborah tips
Sorry for the on writing.
All right. My name is Deborah tip c ha waiting list and
former Cabrini Green residents.
As a longtime Chicago resident I have been on cha waiting
list for 9 years. I was upset that cha lease 25 acres of
public housing land to a billionaire.
I am even more disgusted that cha 19,000 units under the
maximum number units. It can provide based on the Faircloth
Amendment.
Which why plus the 1 under this Administration the cha
waiting list is so stagnant and placing people in housing.
and 2 why is it c ha building more public housing units to
accommodate the dire need of affordable housing in Chicago.
I once appreciated this house this city.
I don't think so. Not so much.
Thank you.
next H Houston followed by bernardette Williams
okay, I'm
She said Bernard Williams.
What names did you say? Well right now it's h Houston H.
Houston is first.
followed by
Miss Williams. Yep. So I think it's after that Miss
Williams right now is a Houston.
okay, my name is Hale Lima Houston a resident of CHA and um
I just you know what I want to speak for every resident of
Chicago Housing Authority and say that we are not human
waste.
So why are we treated like it? Um?
like you put it's it's kind of like jail when you just put
a resident within 4 Walls and then you don't look after
their well-being about the counseling that they need if
there's a a problem with substance abuse to address that
and get them some help so that they can become the
productive citizens that they have the potential to be but
you need to be assisting them with that what happened to
the family Works office that was on Lawrence and Broadway.
uh to support
um, those those of us who need assistance like that and
You hired?
a a management company for re uh for for um
That was supposed to upgrade the property where I live but
instead in Midstream of the renovation
You change the management company and this was directly
after there was a demolition of the back porch to the place
where I live.
They nailed the back the back door shut which meant there
was only 1 way in and 1 way out, which was the fire hazard.
Okay, so how can this be Improvement?
and what happened to project managers because I know and
and project manager is supposed to come by and check on how
you know, if it's going well or not. Right and so that
could and then it took them 3 months to reveal the porch.
I've lived there long enough to see how long it takes to
rebuild a porch. They should have done that within 2 weeks.
There was nobody to come by nobody to come by to see that
this was being mismanaged. Nobody.
And we get lots and lots and lots of complaints from um
residents who live around us because there should be and I
understand the language is curve appeal. It should be the
same and it's not the
uh lamination and all of this the front is coming off as if
it was hit by lightning.
So you should do something. Thank you. Thank you, Miss
Houston next, uh, Miss bernardette Williams.
All right. Next next time you know, we're gonna
Yeah, we're gonna extend we're gonna have maybe at least
another person. We're trying to accommodate as much people
as we can, right.
All right. We try Okay s. Okay Miss Mr. Blakemore. I mean
if you're if you're not if you're not going to cooperate.
We're not switching anything.
sergeant
Sergeant all right, we we don't have to remove you.
I mean people seems not am here, and we're trying to honor.
When they tell me to go.
Hello, everyone.
My name is Bernie de Williams. I'm the elected president of
ogale Gardens of ogale Murray homes, and I'm here on behalf
to speak on the removal of Tracy Scott. Miss. Scott is not
a hands on person. She doesn't meet regularly like she
should do with the leadership or the residents and the
problems that the residents are talking about here about uh
ordering. Um,
Material for units that's occupied. It's not happening.
So I understand what they're saying. I'm standing on what I
say Tracy Miss Scott.
We don't need you anymore.
Yes.
Yeah, Francine, Washington.
Next we got Miss Mary baguette.
Yeah, and my team.
yeah, I thought I
Hello, how y'all doing? I'm um Mary baggage.
I'm from ABBA homes.
And the people that had a concern about the billionaire
project, that's me.
Uh, we've been under.
Poor housing for 26 years haven't been developed.
So yeah, we rented our land so that we can get our homes
fixed up not by cha, but by the fire.
So if everybody got a problem with that, so be it but at
the end of the day Tracy Scott.
You don't have no respect for leadership. You don't meet
with us the way you need to you. Don't speak to the
residents. You don't come out you don't let your face be
seen these residents are living in poor conditions. They're
living in Rat infested units. They're living in MO units
and they're tired. You got a lot of land out here that
y'all can build on to build houses all up and down the
street. I see you on the news. I see.
You cutting ribbons, but I don't see no leadership of the
area that you're in there. That's disrespectful. I'm not
that leadership that's going to allow you to be
disrespectful viruses or Lopez knows it. I don't play this
is not that you have to respect leadership in order to get
respect.
You can't just go build on land without talking to the
leadership. It's 14 presidents.
and they all deserve respect in every area that they are in
Dearborn Ariel Gardens Abba Wentworth you got
North Dearborn all these properties deserve respect all the
leaderships deserve respect. If you want respect you have
to give it you got to get out of show your face. Don't be
scared of the projects. That's who we are.
Thank you. Miss baggage.
Next we have Miss, Francine, Washington.
Miss Francine, Washington
followed by Kesha Smith
from singing Washington followed by Kesha Smith
My name is Francine, Washington. I'm a Chicago Authority
rather than
am here to talk about Tracy Scott i c o c h a
Tracy Scott you seem to have forgotten that you was a guest
here at Cha.
You have outstayed your welcome. It's time for you to go.
Miss Tracy Scott may be smart, but she have contempt for
the res. She uses. No common sense this meeting today. She
has let us know about it today. She does nothing for a
traditional housing. Yes, the last couple of weeks she been
going out going to meetings because she knew she was coming
to as a matter of fact, she called a group of res. She has
a programs going on. She going to probably show you a lot
of slide a lot of press announcements this stuff. I knew
she didn't create anything. He said about to send you Gala.
I started that with C test continue on she talking about
the cold Drive. I started that there's over 200 read that
CJ can tell you that she has that. She's been over 5 years
anytime near the throat of 3 years. You should have came
with your own initiative. Nothing's happened. She is no
good for us. Whether it's her Chiefs can't even talk to us.
We call them all. I help people in place to talk to you.
What's the path understand? They could come out they could
talk cuz they could look and see now she micromanages miss
Scott.
I'm not gonna give you know grass there and I'm not gonna
talk behind your back. I'm talking to your face you outlive
the usefulness. You need to go you just a guest.
And sometimes guess you have been here too long.
And it's not personal it's business.
She don't do nothing for a traditional public housing.
Nothing we suffer. We need a door knob. Oh, we got to put
it in a beard on door knob it take a 2 3 weeks and months
to get anything when it come to developers. Oh, they no
problem.
And then you got develops a if your North Side you can pay
2 3 400,000 to build a unit on the South Side. You better
not go over 180,000. Why is the difference a lot of talent
in this scope? We have a lot of clutch concerns we gonna
talk about it yet. We never talked about the rest of
issues. Now we talk it's preacher agenda what she want Miss
Scott everybody complaining that they tell me what they
need the bottom line. She have to go.
You got to go. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Miss Francine. Next we have uh, Katherine sharpa followed
by Nicole Moore. Okay. So did you call Kesha which is
kaisha am I here or not? I'm sorry go Kesha first and then
did a call so it's not Keisha. It's kaisha kaisha. All
right kisha's meet followed by Katherine sharpa and Nicole
more after that. Okay. Good evening. I mean, good morning.
Good afternoon, everybody. I'm here, um on behalf of 10th
District Council, um, and we have questions and concerns
regarding, um, the re-entry contracts or contacts. So we
have individuals, who are
fresh out of jail or who have been on the wait list for
5 plus years and we don't have the direct contact. We keep
getting it. It keeps getting switched. So we need to know
who we need to contact on their behalf. Um, who who is the
scatter sites contact? So we have individuals who are also
on the wait list for scatter sites who have been on the
wait list for scatter starts for 3 plus years. Um, and
there's no contact. We've been to the uh, 60 West Van Buren
locations, and we need to know who we should be contacting.
Um, who is the uh collaboration contact so who can we
contact if we want to collaborate to assist with um,
getting people who have the hmis number is who's had them
for over 5 years and still no housing no assistance. Um,
and who does the disputes and complaints actually go to for
someone who's already on the program? So we have section 8
clients we
We have scatter site clients. We have individuals who are
already on the program and their complaints are being
ignored even when I send them so I'm including various
individuals from Hood from cha and getting no responses.
Thank you. Yeah.
Thank you next Katherine Moore. Uh, sorry Katherine Serpa,
but I followed by Nicole Moore.
Hi, good morning, or good afternoon. My name is Katherine
Surfer local advisory council president for North Central
scatter sites Northwest and I'm also a resident for 17
years.
So the way I look at this is the biggest goal for cha for
scatter sites is the economy of getting those vacant units
up.
And not worrying about the residents that currently live
there. Our units are in deplorable conditions. We cannot
get any type of supplies. I don't care if you have lows
Granger Home Depot. It's not working at the end of the day.
We have folks that have been in their 20 10 20 years plus
and still on a paintless cycle. But yet we've been through
5 different management companies in the last 8 years that
I've been on this Council.
So at the end of the day, I'm here to represent those
residents. We need their units completed before you decide
to go into these vacant units and make them available or
pull people off these weight lists because these people
counts residents count first before you decide to take
people and put them in these vacant units, but that seems
to be Cha's goal. They want to make face for hood hood. We
made this quota know you didn't make this quote or because
you're not fixing the units that need to be happening.
Now you use manage Chicago and you put them in there as the
fifth company that we have and they had 215 vacant units
when they started in North Central and Northwest. Well,
actually the slum Lord Hispanic housing got Northwest, but
I managed Chicago 215 they're down to 58 units. But what
about the residents that are already there?
We don't get anything. No paint jobs. No new windows. No
new cabinets. They literally have to be hanging off.
Off off the off the ridge before you get something. Thank
you. Miss. Katherine next. We got Zoe Lee and we're going
to finish with Nicole more.
Nick so because Roy Lee and we're gonna finish with Nicole
more
Hey, I've been here since 9 oclock. You see me here all the
time and I donated to your little campaign last summer. So
don't you ever disrespect me and put me last when I did
number 2. That's number 1 number 6 you Tracy Scott you
shell Burns, Carrie Steinbeck all y'all Executives. Y'all
all need to get out of office, whatever. Whatever you are
you a terrible you f*** you messed up Minneapolis. You came
to Chicago and messed up here.
boy for the cha residents, especially our seniors if you
all have any bed bugs City of Chicago has a a ordinance
that they post to come in there and and and and and you
know, do all the fumigate whatever if they if they do not
do that. They get spine $200 a day if it's not happening.
You can sue and you don't need a lawyer and that's the only
thing that c ha it understands. I'm currently suing c ha on
behalf of my mother because the janitors went in there took
her identity.
police knocked her door down
said it was a dead body in there cuz somebody was supposed
to be banned from there. That's that that that still goes
that's many represent and they taking the EPS away for a
reasonable accommodations, which is a federal law Pros say
you don't need to go through no lawyers. Sue the they owe
you and that's just what it is that keep wanting you to
vote boo. They make sure they put them poles in their in in
in public housing. So y'all can vote Democrat and they keep
giving you nothing.
This our country we built this make sure these
motherfukers.
All right. Well be careful faulty language. We'll finish
with me call more Nicole more.
And unfortunately, we're gonna have to we're gonna first we
we will make sure that we will have someone collecting
every petition. I know that we have people who have not
been able to sign up we have accommodated as many people as
we can Nicole more is the last speaker.
My name is Nicole Moore. I'm attending from Washington Park
Homes the conditions that Washington Park Homes and across
the cha scatter sites buildings are not suitable for
occupancy. We are being poisoned by mold and Sewer rich and
a lack of proper, uh Plumbing maintenance.
East Lake management have unlicensed maintenance Personnel
doing regular maintenance.
And everyone on the property is suffering from sickness and
water damage in that unit the um whole property have
issues.
Um, I currently have water coming from my selling and a
pest infestation including roaches my unit. Wait a minute
me. Wait a minute my unit me and my children have a quiet
over 24 different allergies from living at Washington Park
Homes. We have never had allergies in our life. My son
acquired a G2. Uh, so did the little girl that lives from
us? They just uh stopped eating.
the property is filled with fungus and pests from
flooding cha allowed slum Lords like East Lake to the great
the property to such a state that tenants cannot live there
and need to be torn down this wait a minute.
We have been fighting to get repairs and relocation only to
face harassment and intimidation retaliation from East Lake
management. I have found a complaint with the Department of
Human Rights and the same day Eastlake management. Marcia
brunt was interviewed by the investigator. She gave me a
30-day notice for a money order that was here in another
tenants Ledger.
We hit the news and everyone that participated had sewage
coming up in their units.
repair issues ignore
to cause harm to them from complaining East Lake is not
categorizing.
the transfers as emergency transfers and our intimidating
tenants from organizing they give everyone a mandatory
transfer even during emergencies East Lake is not caring.
No, carrying out cha policy and uh is harassing and
intimidating tennis for speaking up for themselves. I have
asked for a reasonable accommodation since March of 2023
and Acts 2 times since then and still have yet to receive
the reasonable accommodation for my family. We all have
allergies but have been exposed to the sewage at Washington
Park Homes. Thank you. Thank you, then. I'll remind before
the last speaker. We're going to have a member of the
housing Committee in the back Sandra. If you can raise your
right in the back whoever didn't have enough, uh time to
get in on public comment. We'll make sure that you get your
comment in writing and address. Uh, we're going to close
with Mr. Blakemore. Unfortunately, CEO is Scott has a
commitment at 5 PM in the 27th world and we have done
double the public speaking given the number of
participants. We've done everything we can Mr. Bloomer stay
on topic and let's finish up with the last comment. Listen
listen here.
Racism nepotism corruption and with you black people here.
Your elected officials are making a damn fool out of you
when they give millions of dollars to illegal immigrants.
Millions
millions
racism
Right here.
You have no black leadership.
fell out house in Tambo
Is something wrong here America hate us?
We was the only people in America that was enslaved in
America.
only 1
still on this damn Plantation when you see another person
come and
Illegal, and they give them things that you up here begging
now you give me how to change the stop it.
the government hate you
the United States government hate black people
And then Hispanics illegals, come on and wait across the
Rio Grande and get think.
It's something wrong here. And with your SLE Angel Mama
back the so-called leadership.
The medicine are taking over the illegals are taking over.
They're moving you out. They hate us.
the United States government hate us
you they may not call you in but they treat you like what?
They treat you like what?
Yeah, thank you. So that's right.
That's right. It's something evil here.
And it's it's something on America. It's America hates
black people. Thank you, Mr. Blakemore. This concludes your
public comment.
The committee has also received 10 written comments, but
Mr.
Lemore
All right.
The committee has also received 10 written comments.
Which have been distributed committee members via email and
can be found in your pockets. We again for anybody who did
not get an opportunity to get the record. We'll make sure
to get your public comment in the back so that we will you
will get a response from the housing committee or
apologies. We are short in time.
Or first over to business is the rule 45 report. Um
Uh from April 10th 2024, which was email and handed out to
committee members. Can I get a motion to recommend approval
of this report?
To move by all the person Fuentes all those in favor. Say I
those against the name in the opinion of the the chair the
eyes have it?
Um, I would like to also recognize Alderman, uh, Leon
Robinson, uh to add to the Roll Call.
Can I get a motion to add Alderman? Um Rob Leon Robinson?
See, yep, you see there.
He's not there yet.
But he's not there yet. No, I think he he may have us so
we'll come back to it. Um now we will move on with the
subject matter hearing, um, given the context of the
subject matter hearing and the mention of the sides
resolution, um from um chairman bagasse
And and the chair of the committee, uh, we'll introduce CEO
choices Scott and her team every Garden Garrett as well of
the CEO CEO as well as Daniel Crews the chief of staff in
the Box. We also have Ellen Harris The General Counsel
Jenny Coyle Deputy Chief of Staff and Rachel Miguel senior
director government and external Affairs. Um,
We are we're going to start then with.
With Co Scott and then Alderman Bas will have the first uh
opportunity to to start a meeting and then we open up to um
the rest of the members of the housing committee.
So all the uh, thank you. Uh, Co Scott Co Scott will have a
short presentation and then we'll follow again, uh with the
committee members questions, uh starting with almond Beezy.
Thank you. So Scott,
Okay. Thanks.
Good afternoon, chairman suchel Lopez Vice chair Mitchell.
He was here. Um, The Honorable housing and real estate
committee members members of the public.
Thank you for inviting me here today. My name is Tracy
Scott, and I've been CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority
since May 2020.
I've served in leadership roles at housing authorities in
Minneapolis and Atlanta.
I also sit on National affordable housing industry boards
such as the Council of large public housing authorities the
mtw collaborative and the corporation for Supportive
Housing.
I'm here today to discuss the work force. Cha.
We share your commitment to affordable housing and meeting
the current affordable Baha affordability crisis in our
city.
Since I was last before this body in 2023 cha has continued
to progress and house more people.
I've also met with many of you.
And as we visited public housing sites under renovation
celebrated ribbon cutting.
For new buildings co-hosted meetings with residents and had
discussions about your Visions for your wards.
I'm also here today to demonstrate to you that I have heard
you.
Under my leadership. Cha is addressing its historical
challenges and I say historical challenges. I've also
deployed sorry SEO Scott. Uh, I will ask please in the
chambers.
Uh to listen respectfully we had opportunity for public
comment. Let's be respectful. Listen to the presentation.
And will you follow by questions? We do not want to have to
Get anybody out of the chamber. Please ask people to remain
quiet so that the presentation can continue last 1. Thank
you. Thank you. So, thank you.
Can you yeah, can you maybe get a little closer to the mic
or and maybe the audio?
Thank you.
As I was saying we have been addressing historical
challenges. I've deployed strategies and management
practices to create more housing and serve more families
and we have much to celebrate but there is much more work
to do.
Well, we will discuss cha today. I'd also like to recognize
that how affordable housing is woefully underfunded
underfunded issue nationally HUD recognizes that housing
supplies are low and the rapid rise of rent since Co has
highlighted the need for access to more affordable housing
and despite this great need HUD our major funder and
regulator federally.
Only funds housing assistance for about 1 in 4 eligible
households.
In my conversations with you much has been asked about our
development plans resident programs and services and how
we're addressing the scattered site portfolio. I will go
over these briefly in my presentation and then take your
questions.
The chairman and Alderman viegas have also asked me to
cover Cha's restore home plan a plan that I'm very excited
to talk about because this is a plan to invest up to 50
million dollars over the next 18 months in vacant small and
medium buildings commonly called scattered sites our board
approved funding for this plan last December and we've been
hard at work.
Even before today when I arrived at Cha the agency knew
that they can scattered site buildings where a challenge
that had to be addressed.
in many cases previous administrations May decisions not to
lease or invest in these buildings and as a result
conditions continue to deteriorate in the intervening
years.
When I dug more into this issue, I discovered that the
agency did not have good organized data on the actual needs
of these scattered site buildings in a form that would
enable us to build a plan.
Physical assessments were needed to tell us exactly where
these buildings were in their life cycle.
While we announced restore home in December of 2023 we've
been planning for this as far back as 2022 in July 22, uh,
Cha's board approved new contracts for third-party. Uh, uh
advisors to do physical needs assessments and shortly
thereafter. We began to evaluate what we would need to do
and the updates that would be needed not just for replacing
these but also things such as Energy Efficiency.
We learned that the kinds of work that are required to
being bring bring these properties back into service.
All restore homes, as of today have been assessed and given
us the data that we need now to determine the Investments
and the strategies that we're now deploying.
In just a few months cha has made significant progress on
the restore home initiative fully restoring and leasing
several multi-family apartment buildings and single family
homes that were previously vacant. I look forward to
sharing more of that progress with you today.
As you know housing is at a critical juncture in our city
and across the country and Cha is deploying all the tools
at our disposal to meet the moment. These are the
challenges before us and I welcome you to join us in
providing quality living environments in strong communities
that help families move forward. We're responding with both
Urgency and using all the tools we have and I'd like to
share more about what those efforts look like.
next slide
please
So housing is in our name, but Community strong communities
are critical creating and sustaining strong communities
where seniors can Thrive and everyone cannot unlock their
economic power. That is our mission next slide.
cha continues to serve more families
as of today 1 and 20 Chicagoans received some form of
support from cha and we have grown this over the the last 4
years that I've been here.
By the Numbers, we are the largest single owner of rental
housing in the city. We're not the largest owner and we're
not the owner of the largest amount of rental housing, but
we are the largest single owner. We are the third largest
in the country and we are the primary Municipal agency
that's responsible for providing housing assistance to
low-income families and individuals in the city of Chicago.
You can see the other statistics which we will mention I I
would be remiss if I didn't mention the nearly 600
dedicated staff and employees who helped provide these
services.
Who we serve our residents we've heard from some of them
here today.
83% of our households earn 30% of area median income or
below 83% We are serving. We are the housing of Last Resort
as you can see up there 14,500 is the average income of
family served by cha, and so we take this responsibility
greatly.
cha waiting lists
I included this because um, there is I want to make sure
that the members of the committee as well as the public
understand that we do not have just a single waiting list,
but we have 247 opportunities for families to be connected
with housing.
Right. Now we have about 120,000 Unique Individuals on the
waiting list for public housing and project-based vouchers.
And then on the housing Choice voucher program that waiting
list has been closed since 2014.
um coming up in this year in 2 in 2024 1 of the things we
are doing is launching a new website that will have greater
capabilities and make it more accessible for families to
sign up for the waiting list and check their their status.
The waiting list estimates will also be updated. We often
hear 25 years. It's not the same with 247 as we open new
properties as things change anyone who is on the waiting
list can choose to go to a shorter waiting list for
property or an area and they can check that on the website.
And then we are improving our phone access by creating a
call center and improving, uh, the ways that families can
get in touch with us. We've included the link here.
Our core housing programs for Chicago Housing families. We
talked much about public housing and also the voucher
program or what used to be called Section 8, but we have 3
other areas that I that will be highlighted project-based
vouchers allow us to build more housing and we work with
Partners in that area mixed income developments are where
we have rebuilt.
Mixed income communities on the sites where we previously
had concentrated public housing the the towers along State
Street in Cabrini as examples.
And then unknown what some people do not know about us is
that we have a robust home ownership program and I'll talk
more about that later. We have nearly a thousand homeowners
that we have helped buy homes in their communities.
Housing Choice vouchers is the largest program. We have so
out of the 65,000 households that we serve 43,000 of those
households are using a voucher in the private Market where
we help supplement their rent. So of our 1.2 billion dollar
budget 605 million is just for vouchers and to help
families and help them with their rent.
Thanks.
Cha also supports homelessness now. I'm very clear that we
provide stable housing and strong communities and we work
as a in a whole of government approach with the city and
the city's Continuum of Care to support homelessness
through special voucher programs as well as funding that we
provide uh to the city's Continuum of Care and you see some
examples up here where we've uh We've provided that funding
but what I would say is that we also have a homeless
preference on our waiting list. And so we work closely with
the Continuum of Care as folks names come up with through
hmis and other other mechanisms through referrals, then
making sure that we are connecting families and individuals
with housing
since 2020 under my Administration
we have completed and made sure that there were new units
2,900 new units in the city of Chicago. This is a mix of
affordable housing as well as some market rate, but in a
mix of housing throughout the city of Chicago, which is a
1.4 billion dollar investment in the city, um, that also
has created opportunities for for residents.
in 2023
a a 1026 of these units were completed and put in service.
They are being least uh and and uh and used by families and
here's a detailed list which uh, the committee has in front
of them.
We have about a thousand units that are in uh construction
right now. And so I just to highlight here Cabrini Green
where we've already completed over 3500 units up until now
on the former Cabrini Green land. We also have a a a a
meeting tonight to kick off our Cabrini now Community
planning effort to talk with the community and residents,
uh, cha residents and others in the community about what
next on uh in the Cabrini Green community in total to
inform what we do with the vacant land that we still have
left in Cabrini Green.
In lrip, I mentioned this because this has been a long time
coming. Um, it took 10 years for the first phase to be
done.
Under my Administration. It took 2 years for the next phase
1B to be completed and less than 2 years later our board
just approved in March to move forward onto the third phase
and so we are moving faster and and I point this out to the
committee when we talk about what's possible and and you'll
see other details, uh, Roosevelt Square 3B, which will be
completed today, uh completed this year and Park Boulevard,
which we just had a ribbon cutting a few weeks ago.
In the project-based voucher program I um, these slides are
here because this is such an important tool for Chicago.
This allows us to go faster and to build more housing by
partnering with other developers and Cha provides some
funding that they can leverage to build more affordable
housing in the city pictured here is in Cointreau Square,
which is a perfect example of how strong this tool is
because it allows um, this is a development in Logan Square
at the end of the 606 Trail which will be available to
families, uh, in uh, in a vast gentrifying if not
gentrified community and we're providing affordable housing
and 3 and 4 bedroom units for families in that community.
We also do Supportive Housing which I mentioned earlier.
This is housing plus Services Lawson house is a 400 unit
development that just opened a few months ago. And hope
Manor is specific and I'm sorry Lawson house is
specifically for for individuals coming out of
homelessness.
Hope manners specifically for veterans and we're providing
supports for that 40 out of the 50, uh units there and then
also coven house which is focused on formerly, uh, uh folks
who are experiencing homelessness.
as I mentioned home ownership we have had since 2002 a home
ownership program called choose to own where families can
use the voucher to pay part of their mortgage rather than
just paying part of their rent. Um, and so they are
Building Wealth with cha Support over the long term last
year. We piloted, um down payment assistance. This is an
innovation that we're bringing to Chicago where families
that don't need the long-term assistance, but just need
that first step up, um that we can help support, um
building generational wealth, we heard the community that
this this was something that was desired by many folks. And
also we've made it available to all first-time low-income
buyers who may be in the market. So you do not have to re
be on Cha's programs right now to take advantage of this.
I mentioned just a few activities and uh supports for
seniors. What we know is really important is for seniors to
thrive that we need to continue socialization and we need
to support the healthy eating like with the golden diners
program and uh the coat drive, uh, which this year. We did
a coat drive. We've done coat drives for children this
year. We did coat drives for seniors and you see some
pictures here.
On the youth side there are quite a few programs and that I
could spend all day talking about it because this is really
such an important part of the work that we do in supporting
families. Um, I will mention that last summer we had over
2,300 youth that were employed through and paid by Cha's
funds as well as giving away 32,000 books and uh and level
up which is our family self-sufficiency program where we
supported families in their goals many of them going to
school buying homes and and um and moving up in their jobs
and eventually potentially off, uh, the Cha's assistant.
I would be remiss if I did not talk about preservation and I
think we've heard some of the comments today. We can talk
about building new all day long. It's expensive to build
new any ask any contractor developer anybody in the
community. Uh, if you look at your own, uh own homes,
right? It's expensive to do that. And so what we have made
as a priority, uh working with the Board of Commissioners
is to make sure that we are providing money for preserving
the housing that we have now as well as investing for the
future in new construction. These are 2 examples Albany
Terrace and ire McCoy gains, which will be finished by the
end of this year early next year. Those are 2 buildings on
the West Side almost 500, uh senior units and their um,
their expanding the services there and so on and then Edith
Spurlock Sampson, which are which is on the North side, uh
in Lincoln Park, um, that also is uh is almost complete
Uh, so just a few more slides.
No es.
And then the other area that I wanted to highlight and this
because we recognize that not only is it about building new
or about preserving where you're doing major Renovations,
but also these Capital repairs that affect the quality of
life. We have over the last 3 years been um completing
elevate.
Modernization program in all of our senior buildings. We
have also um, uh started contracts with new laundry
services facilities and you see examples here before and
after so not only are we replacing the machines new
contracts for maintenance, but also, um upgrading the
laundry rooms and giving them a facelift. So it it it is a
place that people want to go and there there are working
machines and then um, lastly I will mention that we
completed in 2023 15 Roofing projects both on senior
buildings as well as obla Brooks homes.
So a few slides here on restore home. We announced this in
December 2023, uh as part of our 2024 budget proposal to
the Board of Commissioners. They did approve it and we're
grateful for that. As I mentioned. We started planning for
this a long time ago because we needed to get it in order
to put the plan together the board approved this where we
are taking 80 vacant buildings why they can buildings
Because buildings. It's sort of the broken window syndrome
buildings in communities are need to show that we care
about being in community. And so we're starting with the
vacant buildings that we have in our scattered site
portfolio to make sure that 1 we are providing more housing
for a public housing residents Andor those off of our
public housing and waiting list and then taking the single
family homes. And this is a this is a notion right now that
we want to to make those affordable homeownership. I will
tell you that that is still a process, um, because there
are details to work out in terms of how we convert those
but we we have made we've started with the plan and started
the research to see how we can make those affordable home
ownership.
We have also challenged ourselves just as we've moved
quickly on new construction. We have challenged ourselves
that in the next 12 to 18 months that we will complete this
project. That is our goal. We are doing everything we can
and I'm pleased to report that 4 months into this. We have
completed 5 small apartment buildings and 3 single family
homes have been renovated and are almost fully occupied by
families.
8 buildings are in design stage which we have to do
architectural drawings and so on because of the condition
of those buildings and the size and then 13 will be
starting construction this month. Um all toll we are we use
this as an example of what's possible when we believe and
we are intentional about moving fast moving quickly and
being very focused in our work.
And I look forward to talking more about that as as you
like Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I just 1 1 last slide. I just wanted to just
highlight sort of what we're focused on in 2024.
Uh, we have 3 major goals that everyone works at Cha's
focused on house more people increase participation in
programs and services that support families and seniors and
individuals and improve customer service house more people
includes not only new construction, but the restore home
initiative where we get families occupying those as soon as
possible and numb and increasing participation in Services
where we are expanding our uh, Financial, uh, family
self-sufficiency service and things such as the golden
diners program and then number 3 improving our customer
service. We will be launching a new website which will make
it easier for for uh residents to get in touch with us as
well as applicants that will link to our applicant portal.
Uh, we
Are also for the first time in many many years and I hear
decades. We are launching a cha.
customer call center so that the phone will be picked up
and we are working now on how the calls are handled and all
of that but we expect that that we will be improving the
customer service. So residents applicants and other members
of the public can get in touch with us. Um, and so um and
then 1 last and the website the website we
the web
let's finish the presentation the website. We see that as a
major hub for all activities and information, um from cha,
and so with that I will end my remarks, uh, Mr. Chair and
see the mic.
Thank you CEO. We now start with the Rando questions from
the housing committee members. I like to recognize number,
uh other person on the colleague to the Royal group. Uh,
now we start with all the members. I follow what I will
I'll the person Jesse Fuentes and anybody else who wants to
be uh call other person dowel. Uh, laspada Mitchell all the
women clay and all the and all their person Rosanna.
Thank thank you Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank my
colleagues from the housing committee for passing this
resolution to allow for this subject matter hearing quite
frankly is long overdue. Um, why did I request this hearing
and I'll tell you it's personal to me. I lived in cha
housing in lrop homes for 8 years as a child.
That allowed my family to regroup and for us to get back on
our feet before finding market rate home.
However, I now worried that others aren't getting that same
opportunity.
This past November block Club Chicago and Illinois answers
found that nearly 500 of the cha scattered site properties
are vacant.
While there are currently more than 200,000 people on Cha's
waiting list for housing assistance. This is
unconscionable.
200,000 people and families on a waiting list 200 families
and people that are waiting for the same opportunity. Our
family was afforded.
It's incumbent on us as a council to ask these questions as
to what cha is doing in order to accommodate the shortage
of affordable housing.
Our constituents are demanding answers.
As is their right and we have to hold leadership
accountable.
The status quo is not working and change has to happen.
When 311 and 911 calls are racking up.
For years going unanswered I struggle to see how anyone can
say the current system is working.
And this isn't just a housing issue. It's a public safety
issue.
Vacant properties have become crime dens of drug dealing
and violent shootings putting everyday Chicagoans at risk
this cannot stand.
Chicagoans have been asking for accountability and
transparency for years the current Administration campaign
on holding managing companies accountable and enforcing
building codes at Cha scatter sites, but little to no
action has been taken since
we can do better we have to do better.
This hearing is a step in the right direction. I urge cha
leadership to hear these concerns.
Take them seriously and move forward with practical
challenges.
For the good of the city and our residents and Mr.
Chairman, I have some questions that I'm going to ask to
get through the chair as a response because they are I want
some facts. I don't want I don't I don't want I think so.
We want facts absolutely go. Okay. Okay. So I've heard from
the development community that in recent projects where the
cha is involved. It has sought to get a share of a
developer fee.
Traditionally the developer fee has been in place
incentivized private developers to build affordable
housing. Remember this is an incentive to build affordable
housing.
Is this true is the cha seeking to Shared in the
development fee a projects question 1 question 2. What is
the policy regarding the sharing and development fee? Which
projects do you pick to get a portion of the fee? And which
do not
does it depend on the project the developer or some other
factors do other housing authorities and the state have a
similar policy does the Illinois Housing Authority or
Chicago Department of Housing have a policy to share and a
fee paid to developers are these agencies aware that the
cha shares in the fees in these projects were Ida and do
are involved is the money generated from the share in the
developer fee unrestricted money back to Cha in other words
does it have the same restrictions that money allocated cha
from the federal government?
So the cha uses restricted funds to invest in developments
generates revenue from share in the developer fee and then
uses the money for what?
I'd like a copy of Cha's policy on developers fee sharing
arrangements and I like a list of all the projects where
CHA has participated since the beginning of the
implementation of this new policy. Please include projects
where the fee was sought not sought and why and how the
unrestricted money generated was spent. The reason why I
get to that is because there are restrictions on federally
funded.
Projects however with a developer fee that funding is not
federally funded and I want to know what the funding is
being what that money is being used since its unrestricted
and I wait for again 3 to do the chair. I want to thank the
residents that came down today. I really do. Um
And I'm it's it's it's heartbreaking to hear that seniors
have to decline 7 steps 7 floors rather, uh back and front
because because cha has not a good job good has done a good
job and deferred maintenance.
And I often say within government a lot of times. We're
okay in building things. We just suck at at maintaining
them. And so what we see here is another government entity
that is building things. Nice shiny things but doesn't have
a plan really for the Deferred for the Deferred maintenance
issue, whether it's elevators painting cabinets. I mean,
these are things that affect people's quality of life and
these are human beings and being someone who lived in cha
I'm pissed that people are living in these conditions. And
so it's incumbent that cha stand up and do the right thing
here and answer those questions through the chair and my
colleagues. I I I I want you to I want you to take a look
at these responses because this is important because we're
we're we're we're we're giving funding from the city
receiving funds from the from the federal government and
there's developer fees are being received by cha, and I
want to know what the hell they're doing with this money.
So
Thank you again for for hosting this and uh looking forward
to those responses. Um from cha, thank you. Thank you.
Thank you Alderman and rest assured. We'll make sure that
all those questions are answered through the chair. Um, she
is called do you want to respond or do you would prefer?
Yeah, oh you okay for the okay. Thank you. Thank you
Alderman. Um
you have a
Oh body clean information. Uh, the element has Point. Okay.
Your mic is on. I know that we're waiting for information
to the chair, but I do think um, I would like to hear uh
director Scott's response to those 2 issues just to give us
some grounding some grounding. Thank you.
Cheers Scott, right? Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee
members, uh in terms of and we will provide uh, more
detailed response to the committee, uh after this and and
we would if the alderman has those questions actually, uh
written that would be very helpful. Yeah, there have been
submitted to the chair. Okay, thank you. Um, so I I will
just talk very briefly about development fees and
development. It is standard practice not only cha, but
other housing authorities and for partners in development
deal that they are sharing in the development fee. Um, and
it it is it's a standard practice. It's not unknown to do
that.
When we share in the development fee part of that is because
it's on our land we're sharing in the development fee on
properties that are built are developments that are built
on cha land where we're doing it where we're providing a
ground lease that ground lease the value of that is
included in the deal and and so on and so we're
contributing to that as well as capital.
When it comes to development fees from a HUD regulation
standpoint those development fees go in our what is called
program income and program income can be used for the
further development of other uh, housing and other Mission,
uh mission mission of the agency and so it is not
completely unrestricted funds, um when we share in those
fees, but it is a a way to bring that money back into the
cycle for developing new housing and for other housing
purposes.
We'll we'll get the rest of the answers. Yes through the
chair. Uh next we have all the person Fuentes followed by
all the person Haden.
Thank you chair. Uh, I just want to articulate that I share
similar frustrations as my colleague Alderman viegas. I
represent the 26 Ward. Um, it makes up Humble Park sliver
of Logan Square most of the parts of West Town.
And I hear the most heartbreaking stories. Um, in fact, I I
want to pay tribute to Katherine Serpa here who often
advocates for our cha residents.
Um, I had a mother come in a couple months ago her son lost
his hearing.
And he lost his hearing because roaches laid eggs in his
ear.
And this was an infestation. She had put multiple work
orders in for um that the management company just refused
right to address, uh in a timely manner.
when we think about the living conditions that our
residents live in it's not only a nuisance right to have
like rats in your house and roaches in your house, but it
impacts your mental health your ability to live comfortably
to live in a home where you're not fearing of of future
health issues. And then it makes it really difficult for
our folks who depend on public housing as a tool to get
themselves to a place where they can survive and thrive
economically. It's hard for them to get there when now they
have to worry about their mental health and their living
conditions.
and so I say that to say in a city like Chicago there are
public goods that we just have to get right right public
transportation is 1 of them and public housing is second
right people in the city of Chicago need to be able to have
quality housing, even when it's public that living in
poverty shouldn't mean that they live in lesser conditions.
When we build housing when we maintain housing everyone
should live in a household that doesn't have mold. It has
good Plumbing that's heated and cooled. Um, zip codes and
income should not determine 1's ability to live in good
housing. Um, and so we have a moral obligation right to
address somebody's concerns. I don't hear anger. I hear
frustration exhaustion, um, like other pain from
individuals that are tired of living in these conditions. I
do have some questions, uh, if we do not have answers now,
I will make sure that we submit these questions to the
chair so that we could get proper documented responses. My
first question is, uh the plan for transformation.
destroyed 43,000 units
and failed to even build all 25,000 units of public housing
it promised to build post plan for transformation which
created uh, a huge shortage of public housing in the city
of Chicago.
Given that Chicago's public housing footprint has a minimum
of 130 Acres of vacant land. Um,
and the city has currently seen cha, uh giveaway land
through depositions like abla for a soccer facility, uh,
what other land dispositions can we expect to to be given
away? What can we understand? What's in queue right now?
Sorry, did you want to ask other questions you were going
to answer her now? Yeah, we could if you have answers now
and if if you want to move forward through the chair, I can
ask the next question. Well, we certainly we certainly can
provide, uh more background if necessary after this
meeting. Um, I do want to address the HUD disposition
process. So when we develop land or develop a new community
on cha Land There is a process a HUD distrib disposition
process that's necessary. And so you will hear this even
when we announced, uh, the Lear up the next phase of Lear
up our board approved us to apply for the HUD disposition
to do that. A ground lease is a a disposition. It doesn't
mean that we're getting rid of it. It just is so
Process that we have to go through with HUD and we could go
into a lot more wonky detail about HUD regulations, but
it's required, uh that we fulfill that process now in terms
of Our intention. Um, we had an opportunity, uh with the
Chicago Fire deal. Um, it was a rare opportunity and it's
opportunity that has actually benefited directly residents
where we for the first time we are getting a million
dollars a year in ground lease fees from land that had been
sitting fellow for 20 years vacant. Nothing getting done
that million dollars. We are directly putting into um, a
rehabbing obla Brooks homes right now. We have started that
process with the roofs and we continue with all of the
units in obl Brooks homes, which sits right across from um
that land
um, we also got commitments of 8 million dollars upfront
from the Chicago Fire for other resident resources and
benefits and and amenities which are needed in that
Community including the community center and other other,
uh, Green Space as well. So we took advantage of that
opportunity because that landed was not doing anything but
we're we're directly putting that into work as we speak.
That was a rare opportunity. We do not have plans to do
Mass HUD dispositions of other land for those purposes at
this point in our pipeline. We have housing as the
Primary focus but housing is also it's when we talk about
housing. It's also mixed use mixed income on that land. And
so there may be other other things that are mixed in that
is the model that tends that we tend to have where you have
sort of ground floor retail and and housing above and so
those models will continue to use but understand that we do
not have plans right now to do any dispositions for
a soccer training facility
thank you, uh this audit predates you uh, but I I think
that you would be well aware of of maybe with the plan is
moving forward in 2015, the Chicago Housing Initiative and
the center for tax and budget accountability did a forensic
audits of the cha budget and discovered cha was sitting on
about 440 million dollars in funding that should have been
used on maintenance services and creation of housing given
the Cha's history of sort of holding on to these funds. Um,
can we have an understanding of how much money uh, cha has
in its Reserve funds currently and how are you intending on
utilizing and spending it down?
Thank you for that question Alderman because I I want to
clear something up in 2015.
Cha did have a lot of money.
Those monies were spent prior to my Administration. Um, we
recognize some of the efforts that those monies were spent
on including the combination of libraries and housing at 4
different sites around the city as well as issuing more
vouchers. We no longer have that. Um, if you look at our
budget, we have a very limited amount of reserves less than
1 month actually. Um, so if the at last year when you saw
the the the threats of the federal government shutting down
if they had shut down we would have had about a month of of
monies without changing a bunch of things or pulling back
vouchers to operate the agency and make sure that
especially our 43,000 voucher families, uh had uh, rent uh
supplements. So we are not we are no longer sitting on
that. Um, and there is uh general practice that you should
that we can have up to 4.
Months of reserves, uh, but we are not in that position
right now.
Appreciate it. I have uh, some shorter questions related to
maintenance response of um concerns from constituents. How
often are cha units inspected.
How often are cha units inspected? Yes.
So, um, so I I had actually like to pass the mic to my
chief operating officer who uh directs all of the property
operations. So if you could handle that Eric, I will
Thank you for that question again, um cha units are
actually inspected and different many different ways. Um,
they're quarterly inspections that actually has to be done
through property through the property management companies
that are actually on site. There are extermination
inspections that is that are actually done because the
extermination is actually done once a month. So there's a
there's a visual inspection by the maintenance person that
that attends the site with that with the uh, and with the
uh, exterminator and then there is an annual inspection
which we which now we call, uh, Inspire inspection or uh
used to be react inspections or used to be be on the upcs
inspections. So we have a third-party vendor, uh, who we
actually outsourced to who actually comes in annually and
inspects all of our occupied units that are occupied in 1
Calendar day of the year of from there. Then there's
there's a Inspire inspection that hood does they come in
and they
Actually, they do a sampling of units which they then give
us a list of what units they're going to go into and they
actually complete the inspection that they wear as well. So
the units are actually um,
they go undergo multiple inspections during a during an
annual year.
lease
Please let's thank you chair.
Oh, please if we can do allow the other person to continue
with her line of questioning all the person for
Uh, and we'll stay with with you on this line of
questioning that I believe it's under your purview. Um,
when a tenant has a problem, what is the response time
between the complaint and the reaction time? I think 1 of
the greatest concerns and and we're hearing it even from
folks expressing frustration to the line of questioning is
when there is a complaint elevated through work orders,
which I understand that to be the system that cha utilizes
what is supposed to be the typical timeline from that
complaint to the management company responding and reacting
to the complaint. Right? Right. That's a again. Uh, thank
you for that question. Um, the proper protocol is that
residents actually submitted
Work order, uh, once they submit a work order they should
get a work order number that work order number actually
tracks and starts the process from there. If you're looking
at in senior buildings, there are different timelines under
the singing buildings. We actually we actually have 5 days
to actually cover, uh to complete the work order within 5
days in that unit or complete or bait. Let me just start by
saying that it's either completed or baited if there's if
there's a long-term items that have to be ordered then they
they they go in and they baited and then they ordered and
then they may replace it and the family property. There is
10 day. Uh, so these are cads are cha standards the the
hood standard on on those same repairs up to 30 days.
However, we do not utilize the seat the the hood standard
repairs for utilize Cha's Implement those and those are
what the property managers are actually responsible for.
Thank you. Uh
all right, if you all could I I know where frustrated but
if I could just
this would be my last question that I asked vocally and I
have a document of questions. I will submit through the
chair because I want to allow my colleagues to also ask
their questions. Um
Can you walk me through what is quality control on repairs?
And do we have a system for quality control? Let me just
tell you a little bit about why.
I had a tenant who came into my office and in tears and she
developed asthma and a lot of health conditions because of
mold and and actually Tracy thank you for the visit you
paid for my to my office because then you also walked down
the block to see it yourself, right? And and that's we need
that right for folks to see it themselves.
When there is mold in someone's unit. You don't paint over
it. You got to tear the whole damn wall out.
And so I want to understand when management companies are
going in and I know they're they're through contracts.
Right and we give them a contract and then we see how they
perform but there has to be some sort of oversight here
because this woman had her wall painted several times
before this management company understood the mold lives on
beyond the paint. We got to remove it. So who is overseeing
the repairs of these management companies to ensure that
our families could stay healthy?
So so let me the the the quick and easy to that is that the
property management companies are responsible for the
day-to-day management and oversight of those units. Well
when we talk about mode and when we talk about the the
issue of mode is when it's reported to us. We actually sent
out a specialist. There's a there's a specialist that come
out to actually do an individualized individualized
assessment of that unit. And from that he actually
generates exactly what needs to be done in that unit.
Uh do apologize if some people don't understand that
sometimes that if the remedy of removing mold may be
painted because it may be surface mode. It depends on what
the actual type of mode it is. And it's only there's only
can been identified through the inspections. So, um, I'm
not sure if that answers your question.
but but
it answers the process. I think that maybe we need to
re-evaluate who's going in as Specialists and doing the
inspections because what we've seen um is not quality care
for some of these issues, right? Um, and I I think that
maybe we should be looking at the management companies and
whether or not they're even properly responding to that
report. I understand they may be receiving that report but
are they doing what the report tells them to do or they
doing just for quick and easy and cheap? Right? And so that
what I'm saying is that there needs to be a level of
oversight there because we're depending on the contractor
the vendor to do their
Their own oversight. Um, and it's it's there's definitely an
issue here that we have to we have to put to an end. I want
to appreciate you coming out. Look these hearings aren't
going to be easy and I think we all knew that walking in.
Um, but the fact that we can have the conversation is get
some answers. Hopefully, we'll produce solutions that we
can all be proud of at the end of this. I'll submit the
rest of this document through the check. Thank you. Thank
you all the person for this. Uh, all the women hadn't
followed by all the women d
Thank you chair.
um
Thank you, uh Tracy and team for being here and um, I
appreciate the presentation. Uh, you answered a few of my
questions, uh through that. Um, I've got a couple pointed
questions. I'll try and stick to new topics. Um, so that we
can uh build upon our body of answers here and before going
into that. I do want to pick up maybe a little bit on where
my colleague left off and and this does get into where a
lot of public commenters have spoken to and it's around the
kind of Maintenance. Um, so I do appreciate um, kind of in
the preservation piece. I know we do push you guys a lot on
the creation of new housing. Um, but I do appreciate you
speaking to the maintenance, uh, in 49, right the grand
majority of CHA properties are scattered site and in my
short time there, um, we've been through a couple different
management companies.
um, you guys have come out right you've done tours with me,
um, Daniel you and the team and I know I I've appreciated
that but I will say that. Um, I think uh, I think I've
already got my chief of staff working on. It's all my to-do
list of another follow-up with you all because things that
we did in our site visit right where you came out and you
supported making sure that you know manage Chicago was
going to take care of things still not taking care of
and I that I bring this up to highlight 1 all the stories
and and firsthand accounts that people have made in public
comment 2 what I felt was a completely unsatisfactory
answer to alter person Fuentes has question around the mold
piece. Um, and that is the distance that cha operations has
from the lived experience of your your residents. Um,
I know it's a huge portfolio. And I know you've got
difficult structural process decisions to make on how you
manage that. Um, I would really like to dig into a little
bit how that's working. So you've I I appreciate it that
you guys actually switched management companies, um and
went through a process to review what was going on there.
I feel like you recognize the problem and you made a change,
um to to try to address that problem, but it didn't right.
We're seeing the same problem. So I don't know if this
company is qualified.
Right. I don't see regular schedules. And so I think it
gets to that piece and and maybe tell a person what does
this question of what type of oversight? Um, are you having
and now structurally, of course when we get into your
hiring management companies because frankly you don't have
the capacity and how to manage all these properties. So now
what I'm talking about
having managers to manage or management companies that gets
to a whole other levels of bureaucracy, which then bring me
around to this evaluation of um, why aren't you just
managing these properties yourself? So I'm not looking for
an answer there, but I would like a more in-depth
conversation and like maybe if you guys have done like some
analysis right or some piece of that. I know that hiring
more people yourself in house to do the work also won't
necessarily solve the problem. I recognize that but I would
like to see maybe that's a through the chair, um kind of
response on what kind of evaluation you've done on it
because it is a lot of work if you're trusting somebody a
company that you've hired to do it you're trusting them to
do it, but we can tell you they're not doing it.
And then we I feel like we go through these cycles of having
to gather enough complaints right tenants, of course are
always feeling at threat of retaliation. Like they're
always feeling that threat of retaliation like if I speak
up or too too many times or too frequently. I have I I had
a constituent's mom who was visiting her spot.
Who who saw me on the street and was like, hey.
Uh, you're Maria, right? You know what my daughter's
dealing with this thing in her unit and blah blah blah. Can
she and I was like, absolutely here's my number right? Like
I'd love to help.
2 days later she saw me and she was like hey.
Don't call them. My daughter said that she didn't want any
trouble.
And so she you know, I spoke out of turn. She doesn't she
she's fine. She said she can deal with it and she doesn't
want any more problems and and the issue was she needed a
faucet replaced.
Um and what and her bathroom and this is a woman with a
disabled child and a special Ada unit. And when the
management company came out to replace her kitchen faucet,
they replaced the hardware in her kitchen sink. Actually.
It wasn't a bathroom. It's the kitchen sink. They put
bathroom hardware on her kitchen sink and she's making do
and it technically works right but it was a little thing
but she was so, um, she was so anxious.
About what a complaint would be and now who's going to come
and fix it and are they going to make it worse than it was
before and like that that kind of thing. That's not the
level of service. We should be providing. I know you guys
want to do better. So I would love to have that more in
depth conversation with you on that. Um, and then I do just
have a couple straightforward questions.
And uh chairwoman D. I keep dancing around your head. By
the way, you're so tall. You're so tall. I'm like
Um on the choose to own program. Um, I I would love uh, uh,
maybe uh to see that data at a yearly level. So, uh, I
think in the presentation you mentioned 80011, um, kind of
you know, residents or families have been helped but like
since 2002, um, so my understanding is you know, that the
program's been existence at least since then 811 out of you
know, we're talking about 135 residents a year over 20
years. It seems like a really small number. So if you'd
love to if you could speak to that now, but also I'd love
to see a breakdown of that.
Um, thank you. Um Alderman had
before I talk about that, I thank you for sharing, uh, your
frustrations and and Alderman fentes as well because I I I
hear that and and and it it breaks my heart sometimes to
hear when someone says that they feel like they feel that
they cannot speak up and and that is something that we will
do more of and better to make sure that every resident can
feel heard and and and and we can address their concerns.
Uh, so I would like to make sure that our staff my staff
gets with you, uh, any specific ones as we have done in the
past, but that we continue to have that uh direct
communication so we can address those issues.
um in terms of choose to own last year, uh, 43 families
bought houses under the choose to own program in the past 3
years, uh, including during the pandemic we had on average
and we can get you the specific numbers around 50 families
a year. So just in the last 4 years, we've had almost 200
families that have purchased homes which used to own. Um,
the reason we also started the down payment assistance
program is that there were families that did not need that
long-term assistance. So since the program has started of
the 800 plus families that have bought through choose to
own 300 of those families have completely graduated from
Cha's assistance and own their own homes and uh, no longer
receive any
assistance from cha
Thank you for that. And uh, yeah, it'll be helpful to see
and um also I think it'll be
You know as you look to improve or grow that program, I
think it is striking that.
of 811 your averaging about 200 of those families are
probably in the last 4 years which demonstrates that there
was not a lot happening with that program and kind of the
prior year. So look forward to seeing that. Um, uh,
this was actually in response to 1 of your questions. You
mentioned that cha is sitting at kind of less than 1 month
of preserves. I'm wondering what is your goal? Um for how
many months reserves because I think about and you brought
up the situation.
We're always in a place of instability now. It seems like
with the federal government. And of course that's
concerning. So what's your goal to get to um for kind of
this budgetary year and maybe next year on months of
Reserve, right?
well best practice would say we'd have 4 to 6 months
reserves, uh by Statute, uh, the cha can have 4 months of
reserves. Um before HUD starts to get a little bit nervous.
Um, and that's a that's an ongoing discussion right now
because we have to build up some level of Reserve when we
talk about development. We get about 50 million dollars a
year in capital money from HUD and that's included in our
budget each year. Um,
We have 4 years to spend that 2 years to essentially
obligate it to a project. Um that Capital those Capital
funds. That's all the money we get for development and
other other Capital related issues. And so when we when
we're doing our long-term planning then we want to look at.
Okay, do we use that this year do we start to build that
into? Uh, so that we can have it for the project in 3 years
from now and so it's a it's a conversation that we're
having with HUD and with Congress, uh, in an an environment
where they are really underfunding us anyway, um, but
ideally from an operation standpoint. I wouldn't want any
less than 4 months of reserves, uh to assure that families
are always being served no matter what's going on
nationally.
Then as a follow-up do you think and pardon me? Are you on
a calendar or like a a July June fiscal year? What's your
fiscal? We are on calendar year calendar year. Do you think
you'll get close to that this year?
Uh 4 months, uh, we are not trying to build up our
reserves. Um, our our budget this year includes about 168
million dollars in just Capital both contributed to new
construction the bulk of that almost a hundred of that is
for repairs and and Renovations and rehabs. So we're very
committed to using that Capital Money, uh that we have as
much as possible.
Okay, so you're at less than 1 month reserves. Yeah, ideally
you would get to 4 months Reserve. Yes. I'm missing and
pardon me if I'm being like well, I don't I don't feel like
we're in danger and we're we're very fiscally sound highly
rated, um, both our bond rating and so on. So yeah, we're
comfortable with with where we are, but that's what's
allowed. Okay, um, uh another question I have um,
This gets to I think an issue we both heard public
commenters speak to um, but I think an issue a lot of
buildings face. Um, you mentioned the elevator
modernization work in the capital repairs. So, you know
anecdotally, um outside of our scattered outside housing
you guys know, we have Caroline hedger, right the largest
kind of single building in the 49th Ward, um with almost
500 right like residents and I think they have 3 elevators
and elevators of course are crucial in that building with
many stories. Um, I know that elevator maintenance is
expensive elevator maintenance is timely and um, we've
struggled with elevator maintenance and other public
buildings like 1 of our Park District facilities, um,
because depending on the age of the building so like at
Loyola Park, we were without an elevator for a couple of
years because the elevator broke down, but the company that
service that particular elevator was out of business. So I
I know there are particular challenges, but knowing uh 1 how
fickle they are. Um and how finicky I'm wondering. Uh, is
this elevator modernization program? Is it something kind
of proactive and forward-looking? So thinking about those
situations that we get where there's a part you're waiting
for. It's taking multiple months only 1 person can make it.
Um,
I would hope that maybe in solving 1 problem. You're
getting some 2 2 like versions of that part that you need.
So I'm wondering can you tell me more about that elevator
modernization program? Thank you for asking me a very
detailed question about maintenance of elevators, which I
am going to pass along very quickly, too. I know it's
really specific but it's such an important quality of life
issue.
Yeah, yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that
question. Uh, so our elevator and organization program, uh,
as you know as we've been going through for over the Last 5
Years, uh, it's not moving as fast as we want to but we
moving with a lot of urgency. Uh, we had 108 elevators in
our modernization program out at 100 out of 108 elevators.
75 of those elevators is already been uh, extensively
completed signed off turned over by the incident inspectors
and went through all of that All Phases. We have elevators
that are currently right now, uh under my continue to be
under monetization. We have another within the next 30 days
about another 12 elevators being turned over uh, and we
will
Continue to close out their program. Uh, uh hope this year.
It that would it would be great. I guess through the chair
to maybe get a report on that and to the second part of my
question though, um of maybe postmodernizm
of warranty work, so they don't really need the the
maintenance and warranty on that is about 2 years. And so
once the once those elevators come out of that warranty
work that the contract is completed the then we actually
we're putting them now in this group where we putting all
those elevators under modernization. So we will be doing we
normally had our ppms do that. We would be doing cha we'll
be doing a solicitation to actually put out all of
modernization program and we'll manage that in-house. Okay.
Thank you. Thank you for that info and certainly once that
RFP is ready. If you share it. I'm sure we can boost that
if I could uh, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to follow up on on
our
conversation about PPM since you mentioned and there those
are the private property, uh, professional property
managers that we hire. Um, we um, we do want to we hold
them to a high standard and we continue to and we but and
we've have many lessons learned over the last uh few
contracts those those contracts, uh were a bit Out 3 years
ago. We have 1 company
Up this this year. And so we're holding them to even higher
Standard 1 of the things that we want to do with that is to
create smaller areas right now on average. They have 2 3
4000 units, uh for a single company and for some some
companies that's as much as they might have had in their
whole portfolio and we're asking them to manage that many
units and so we're looking at those smaller packages where
we can find property managers who are in community who are
connected to their residents that they that they know them
by name by sight and that there really is a more of a
personal touch so that they can address their issues in a
compassionate and caring way. Um, and we expect better
service, uh with that type of model but we will be uh,
soliciting for uh property managers as per our contracts
will end this year. Okay? Thank you, and then I've got my
last question. Um,
this goes to um
the the issue of vacancy ha buildings. Um, so I know in the
report we got information of like progress, uh made on that
and your goals, um, but wondering if you could tell us, you
know, currently how many vacant uh, cha buildings exist and
within that that 1 metric of buildings, uh, how many units
do those buildings represent.
And I'm thinking vacant because of um, they're not
habitable.
So I'm going to I'm going to just start for a moment and
then I'm going to pass it over to Eric for some of the
details. So, um currently right now we are at around 93
over 93% occupancy of leasable units under the HUD
standards. Uh, and that's something that's available
publicly on Hud's website that shows what our what our
occupancy is. Um within that there is an there is an
allowance for units that are offline. So when you look at
the numbers, um, we have a significant number almost 700
units that are at leri and at Cabrini Green and those have
been long-term. They're part of a Redevelopment. Uh, that's
that's expected. But they are they still they show up in
some of the numbers and then we have regular business
operations where um, we have units that are in turnover.
And so I'll let Eric speak to that briefly.
Thank you CEO. So from there, um, just to pick you continue
from where the CEO left off at is that uh across our
portfolio, uh on an annual basis. We normally look at about
10% term and when I say turn is that we anticipate and we
have been on schedule to every year we lose about 1500
units for people moving in and moving out.
Our property management companies are responsible for making
sure that those units are turned back on service and and
and and folks are housed back in it. Hence making sure that
we continue to move people in move move people move out as
people move out people move in.
when we talk about the portfolio itself, and and I know we
talked about scatter sites, uh, when you talk about just
scatter sites and I want to give you a breakdown on that
because a lot of this was was talked about scandic sites
and they got they brought up this 500 unit number.
As of today that that number has dropped so the number is
about 453 now.
But out of that 453 172 of those are actually already being
worked on or in queue through our restore home program.
of that
Uh, we have 15 of those which are like a non-dwelling which
will never come back online. These are where management
offices are or where computer lives are are amenities for
our residents are so those will never come back online. So
that that that's taken but that's also but it still shows
up as a vacant.
Up from from that point we have about 92 of those units that
are actually ready for Leasing and are actively being
leased. So we have people that are actually being futured
in some of those units and actually waiting waiting to move
into those units. So Property Management has uh, identified
folks to go into those units. So those units are again,
they are ready. So they're not waiting for renovation, but
they're they're ready for folks to move into them and they
are actively moving into those units.
From there. There's a um, a 59 of those units are currently
right now ppms are actually in the unit is working in them.
So they continue to doing those are units that they're in
day-to-day. So those are those are not occupied vacant
units in in vacant buildings. These are vacant units and
occupied buildings where there may be 6 units in the
building but only 1 of them is is vacant. So those are
buildings like that that they're currently working on.
And the the 115 units that remain in out of that 450 out of
that 453 are actually been assessed right now. So as we
talk about turnover that's part of turn that's part of
normal unit turnover. So they actually assessing those
units seeing what what's needed in the agenda to actually
get those units back online as well.
So if I can just add to that so 1 of the things that um, we
faced with this the age of our portfolio.
and also the tenure of many of the residents in the units is
is that um when um, a resident moves out who has been there
for 10 or 15 years.
Um, as we heard earlier in some of the comments residents
have been in for a 15 years in the same unit. There's more
than just normal wear and tear we can't just go in and
clean it and paint um often we're replacing kitchens and
bathrooms and so it is a renovation that so what we would
call a hard turn, um, because of the need for replacing
fixtures and and uh and kitchens and so on and so um, so
that does take uh some planning and so we do see that in
our turnover numbers, but as long as we try to stay ahead
and management is anticipating that then we can keep ahead
of those numbers.
um
This is a not a hard through the chair ask but maybe a
suggestion. Um, so I I
I know how I felt about some of the kind of answers to
these types of questions under previous, uh times when
you've been kind of before and of course, I know from
previous reports, right and kind of community
investigations into cha, like, you know, you know, we don't
we can name the elephant in the room, like people have been
very unhappy with cha historically and Cha has gone through
a long period of time of just really not meeting the needs,
um, you know,
so from the report from some of your answers here, um, my
initial inclination seems to be you guys are making some
big improvements on some core areas that people have been
asking cha to make improvements, but I don't just want to
go on kind of my gut and my answer so a suggestion of maybe
as we look at these numbers, even if you want to shape
something to show us like, you know on the vacancies on
kind of the progress you've made over the last couple of
years and how that compares to the prior year. So some of
the answers you've given are already indicate to me that
there is significant Improvement and a lot of areas, but it
would be good to see kind of the numbers in a comparison.
So just a suggestion and then I lied about the last
question, but this could be through the chair. Um,
We haven't talked about this yet. Um, but the wait list.
So you talked about like the fact that there are 247 weight
lists. Again. This is from from an older person's
perspective where we're working with constituents to help
them to navigate these systems. We can't navigate the
system. So I know you guys can't navigate this systems. You
can't navigate 247 weight lists. Um, maybe you can speak to
it here if you'd like, but maybe through the chair. I would
love to hear. What is the plan for streamlining those and
what are the limitations around what you can do there. I
know that we have had different Community calls and
proposed legislation around unified weight lists. I know
the website updates are coming so
Help people. Um, but that just feels like such a such a
You know black hole that so many people fall into and they
just don't know how to navigate and we don't have very good
tools for them as well. Alright, thank you very much for
those questions. I I I do want to address a very briefly in
terms of the information. Um, we are uh right now in draft
stage of resuming our quarterly reports, which will show
vacancies and occupancy, uh for our portfolio. Um, we're
presenting that draft to our board and and then we will be
starting to release that and so you will have more
information and and detailed information, uh, in terms of
the weight list, um, the 247 list and and I I hear you on
navigation and so um, um, as I'm as we're talking with our
our uh designers for the website and our portals, we will
take into account and certainly would be happy to get any
more feedback from you. Um, but those 247 there, so if you
see on this slide public housing,
And Project based vouchers. Um, um any Resident actually
anyone anyone in this room those lists are open right now
and you could go sign up, um for both of those lists.
Within that you get to choose the site that you is your
preference and you can change that at any point. And so we
encourage uh, uh individuals who might need housing or
think they need housing to go ahead and get on the list
because it's time and date stamped. So when we open for
instance a new development, then they can switch from 1
lists to the next and that's where the 247 comes but it's
all through our portal. It's a central area and uh,
certainly if we can do better on the navigation and the
instructions to make sure that that's clear. Um, we will
see some improvements with our website in terms of
descriptions of our properties and so on. Um, but but it's
all in that 1 place when it comes to the special vouchers
that is through the referrals, uh from the Continuum of
Care and other providers like the Veterans Administration
that those lists uh come about but but on the public
housing and project-based vouchers any 1 of us right now in
In this room could go sign up for those lists of and sign
up for both of them.
And thank you for that. I do understand that. I I think
I understand why it exists that way and also
when people don't have the full perspective it their
options and their choices are different so somebody might
sign up and they they say they really want to be in this
space or this area, but they might make a different choice
right or prioritization depending on their needs and I feel
like maybe that's, you know, hopefully something in the
website that that's where that piece comes in where well,
this is what I want but I don't really know what it means
for me to choose that like, that's why I want to live but
if I chose this I could be housed more quickly and I think
that's what's really opaque from the outside like for that
person seeking housing. That's all in in addition to that.
So so I do yeah, I I hear you in terms of the descriptions
and how we help uh individuals navigate that so that they
understand what their choices and and the areas and so on
and we have some of that information on our website right
now, but we are streamlining that so it will be very
obvious the second part of that is that um,
I lost oh, yes, um 1 of the things that we're doing is and
our Our IT team and others are working on the very
complicated algorithm. It takes to put estimated wait times
against each of those lists, uh right now and you if you go
on right now, you'll see things like 25 years because that
that's just sort of aggregating and so we're looking at how
we can get smarter, um and sharper with some of those
estimates to help folks with decision-making.
Thank you. Thank you chair. Thank you. We will going to
stand on a 5 minute recess. Um, and then we'll come back
for the rest of the questions. Uh, we'll take a 5 minute
recess we stand in recess and we'll be back in 5 minutes.
Thank you.
So we'll resume them. Uh, the committee on housing real
estate will now uh have all the women down, uh within
another questioning. Thank you all the women.
And thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh first I want to thank you
for uh having this hearing and I want to thank Tracy Scott
and her team for being here this afternoon. Um, you know,
these hearings are always sort of frustrating to me because
I would like them to happen more often, right? Uh,
So, uh, I wish we could have these meetings on a on a
quarterly basis. Um, but I would uh, like to make a formal
recommendation, uh, Mr. Chairman that um, we create the
space that we can hear from cha residents or the Sha, uh,
or the central advisory committee on a more frequent basis
so we can get a sense of what's going on across the entire
city in the cha system.
um
Uh director Scott 3 weeks ago. I met with you and your team
about Dearborn homes and at that meeting we talked about,
uh, some of the issues that I was seeing their many that
were raised by some of the people who came down today from
Dearborn homes to testify the security, uh, rodent and ba
rodent abatement, um, the back order of Hardware, uh
security I mentioned and uh supplies and these are some of
the same things
I'm hearing from other developments that testified they have
those similar concerns. So I'm wondering if you could speak
to what and uh, you've already addressed the elevator
portion of it. But what is going on with supplies and back
orders that um is keeping us from addressing some of these
issues over time.
Well, this is very very much related to property
management. And so I am going to ask Eric to address that
issue.
Um, thank you Alderman, um for that first of all, uh a less
I
Know some exacts and and because we can only I can only
tell you what our processes are.
Uh, there is no way and let me just say for the record.
There's no way that no way. No how that any property
manager should be telling any residents that they don't
have supplies, but they don't have access to supplies.
We have multiple contracts with vendors Home Depot Lowe's
and Granger.
Uh, there is a process in place where they actually can
order any supplies. They need most supplies, uh comes
within the 24 to 48 hours no later than 72 hours on
delivery.
Uh, so
Unless I know exactly what item was ordered and what the
delay was in that order or whether it was the ordered too
many, uh, for example, uh, and that's what that's the hold
up but I can't answer the question. Um in that manner I can
only tell you the processes that there we have all of these
different mechanism in place for them to to fulfill any
type of order to to Prevail any work order on our
properties. What about the back order on uh equipment and
things like Doors door Replacements and things like that.
So door replacement is a little bit different and uh, and I
I'll use door Replacements as an example. So the door
replacement is is not a 24-hour item. Uh, most of our doors
are custom made of to fit that door and some of the most
doors are backordered about 6 to 8 8 6 to 8 weeks on back
order. So it takes you if I place an order today, I
wouldn't get that door for another 6 to 8 weeks our doors.
Have to be fire rated. Uh, there's a special fire rating on
those on each and every 1 of those doors. And so they they
have to be in in compliance with that, uh with that spec.
All right. Well, I would like to um, I haven't heard back
in the since we've met and so I'd like to get feedback on
what's going on in Dearborn have things improved. What's
the schedule for? Um making these repairs? Um,
and I'll move on 1 of the things that um, really great on
My nerve is when um, I'm asked to put in um Tif dollars for
uh, the
Mixed income locations to help with that. Um, I really
don't have a problem. Um doing that. I understand the
importance of using Tif dialysis to supplement. Um, what
cha is doing in order to make sure that we have affordable
housing opportunities, but I wondered the extent to which
you all look at deferred maintenance on mixed income sites
that have already been developed, um where we're being
asked to put new money into new construction, but we still
have issues with deferred maintenance and some of the old
units that um were done by uh these mixing at these mix
income sites. Um, and I don't want to throw any particular
site out.
Out there, but when we have non-working cameras, um air
ducts that haven't been cleaned over time or rodent
abatement issues. Um,
I hesitate on wanting to put more money into the new stuff
when the old stuff is not being uh taken care of. Can you
speak to that?
So Mr. Chair, um and alderwoman doll. Um, thank you for
bringing that up. Um, I we do I would like us to have a
deeper conversation, um about what kinds of requests you're
getting. Um, the old the the mixed income developments are
run owned and run by those developers that developed it and
so, um, we absolutely should hold them to a higher high
standard in making sure that they're maintaining those
properties. Um not I'm not familiar with the requests that
you may be getting for for for monies for those but the Tif
dollars are critical, um, and hopefully the new Bond
dollars as well for new construction because because we are
especially on cha sites which historically were not put in
in great areas, uh, there's a lot of remediation and other
uh, infrastructure related issues that we have to address
and so those Tif dollars are critical for the new
construction, but if
You're getting a request for the old uh, or the the the
newer developments that were developed 20 years ago that
that's a different conversation. Yeah. These aren't 20
years ago developments. Um, um, and I agree with you. I
understand the need to use tip dollars, but I would like to
see the cha hold those developers feet more to the fire to
take care of the Deferred maintenance that I see on some of
the existing existing sites. Um,
wanted to ask you I've been hearing some things in the
streets about the possibility of CHA moving away from the a
third or third or third formula is can you speak to that is
that just uh Rumor Mill or is that something that you're
thinking about?
I I I can't speak to what you're hearing certainly. But um,
oh I'm hearing that the third or third or third formula
that we currently use for the cha mixing income sites is
being um, you're reconsidering. There's going to be a
shifting in the percentages. Is that accurate? I I yeah
again cannot speak to what you might be hearing about that.
Every time we uh do a phase on a on a real estate, uh
transaction. Um, we're we're considering what the optimal
mix of of units are. So in some cases we have more
affordable housing than we have market rate and some cases
there's
There's a there's a different balance. And so uh, so that
there it's not a it's not a set formula a third a third a
third that is that is something that we have done before
it's been sort of a a guidance a guidance that we have
followed. But every phase we look at what that mix what the
optimal mix is to make that happen.
I want to look at uh, the housing Choice Voucher Program.
You mentioned I think on the slide that there was about
22,000 people on the list. Um, can you tell me how many
housing Choice vouchers are given out annually and how we
chip away at that 22,000 if you look at that 22,000 and
call through that list and discard people who might not be
living anymore or moved or um, that's a lot of people
right? Um that that is a that is a great question and we
would like to help more people, uh, the 1 thing I will say
and I think it was on 1 of the slides is that um, we have
not received, uh, but for a few hundred vouchers a new
allocation of regular what we would call regular housing
Choice vouchers. So these are the ones that are not
specifically say for veterans or other other groups, um in
years decades, um,
this is just not something that HUD has expanded that
program and so we are at about 98% of those vouchers are in
use and when we give out a new voucher, it's because
somebody is not using it. Um, and so there's an exchange
going on. There's no new vouchers that come out annually
know I I would love for us to have Universal vouchers. So
anybody who needed 1 could have 1 but HUD has not uh moved
forward nor has Congress moved forward in that way. So what
accounts for the increase in the the steady increase in the
household number that I see on that last card? Yes. Uh,
well that's an largely the new construction. So, um, so
we're putting in a variety of of of of financing to build
those new units with with partners. And so we're seeing
that as we have sped up our production in the last 4 years
or so that we're seeing that affect.
um
We used to get security reports about what was going on at
the each of our developments. Um, I don't think we get them
any more. Can you look into what happened to those reports
and if we'll be getting them I thought they were really
helpful because they used to tell us, uh, you know, how
many incidents happened and how that compared to a previous
month or
In how it compares to other developments in our community.
Across the city. Yeah, I I I will look into it. I'm not
familiar with that on a monthly basis by development. You
say yeah. Does anyone else remember what reason was that?
Nobody's here.
Uh
Yeah, if you could just look into that we'll we'll look
into it. But certainly are happy to have that discussion
with you.
regularly, um
This is just something I see. I'm very close to my senior
population and I don't know since the pandemic and uh
It seems like I'm seeing more substance abuse.
in uh
some of the buildings
how is this something that's on your radar? And how are you
helping these folks?
It it is on our radar. Uh, and it's it's it's very
unfortunate. Um, we're seeing um, we're seeing both sides.
So we are seeing the Predators who are you know, pushing
those those drugs, uh in seniors and so we're trying to
address that as much as we can from the security side to
make sure that that we're not providing the opportunity, um
for them to pray on seniors and then we are seeing the drug
use and abuse and many of our senior buildings, um 1 of the
things
We we have uh staff now, um that deal deals with trauma and
also provides counseling and referrals. Um, we have
expanded that recently. We used to have it just for public
housing and now we also have an additional counselor that
we've brought on staff and social worker who um for the
voucher population as well. And so we have really tried to
that they along with our resident service coordinators at
each of our senior buildings. We have resident service
coordinators, um 1 of the other things that we're doing is
trauma-informed care training for all of those staff so
that they can identify and make sure they're making proper
referrals. Um, and you know, we do the best we can and and
helping people get connected with services to help them.
Yeah, sometimes I feel those resonance service coordinators
are overwhelmed sometimes and some buildings because
there are many seniors many that need that assistance and
it's good to know that you've uh, hired some staff
additional staff people to work on this.
um
wanted to get through the chair a list of the scattered
side vacant housing by Ward and the timeline for
completion.
of those uh scattered site
Developments the name of the construction companies
assigned to do the work.
Like to get that through the chair.
Yes, if I can add we have 1 of the construction companies
right here, uh in our audience.
uh verification Biro
Yeah, and the we can you go closer to the mic. I'm going to
ask that request the management company that is either
responsible or will be responsible for managing the
properties.
right
so our management companies won't change right now for the
public housing until we go to our new contracts and there
may be some changes, um, but the in terms of the
construction, um on the vacant buildings as part of restore
home. Uh, I I think that's what you're asking about right?
Yes. Yes. I am restore home.
I I I was surprised to hear about the the the progress looks
looks like you're really making progress and that program
sent you, uh got it approved in December. It's uh
Lots in design and lots of surprise you
lots of design and lots and construction. Um, okay. Um, I
just want to say that uh, I would, you know like to see my
residents at Dearborn and Wentworth.
happier because they um
feel that there's deferred maintenance on their development
and they need uh to be able to live in a
You know is that uh 1 of my constituents was talking about
what it was like in 2013. It is different and I like to get
back to 2013.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Uh, we have Alderman Moore and followed by by
Sher Mitchell.
I'll do more.
Thank you.
Can you hear me chairman? Yeah, we can hear you. Okay,
thank you. Uh
First of all, I again like everyone else stated. I want to
thank Co Scott and her team for um,
for being here today, um
As I as I listened to everyone and there were some good
comments. I I have to say this and it's uh sort of what I
think Miss Francine Washington said in her statement, uh,
Co Scott is a I think it's very
Square qualified and a small person to um run the
authority, uh However unfortunately part of the problem is
uh, there is a bit of um for lack of a better word whether
you want to call it politics or partnership, um, that's
involved, um in this and this is this unfortunately from a
historical, um standpoint that as much as sometimes we may
want to get away from in Chicago is very different. And so
unfortunately for the CTO CEO, uh, which is no further for
on uh, as as it happened to others, uh, sometimes when the
new Administration comes in, um, there are changes whether
that change.
Uh went from um, Terry Peterson who served many many years
to Lewis Jordan who was in my opinion a total joke. Um, um,
and I I forgot who was after him and then to um, Jane Scott
who you know, I believe did a fine job and was doing a fine
job at Cha, um, and then transitions just happened, uh, but
within all of that what has to happen and I can't stress
this enough. Um, there has to be a partnership with the
central advisory Council, um that that
They represent, um, many of those residents that are there.
I know we want to try to get away or many people have
talked about, you know, we don't have um lac's anymore, but
you got a central advisory Council, um, because those
residents from when the buildings, um came down, um still
rely on those people even when they're in other communities
and that was whether that was through failure, uh, um, um,
um cha to properly do things. I'm I'm not 100% sure. Um,
but uh, we have to make sure that that's partnership with
those with the CAC members and from the um comments that I
heard today. Uh, I I I just I feel like um that partnership
isn't there and it has to be there not only has to be there
with the CAC. It has to be there with our property
managers. We cannot be
Uh in a adversarial mode, uh with our property managers. It
has to be a partnership if it seemed like it's adversarial
then versus being partners, then that's what causes many of
the problems. Um, from what I'm understanding and what I'm
seeing it from my conversations, um at Cha, so, uh, we have
to remove um person who issues and we have to get back to a
partnership between cha CAC and the property manager and if
that is not happening, um, um, our residents are going to
lose all 3 of those have to work in Tandem and let me tell
you all 3 of them have worked in tandem before because I
was a part of it and when they work in tandem, then we are
best able to serve our um, um,
Best able to serve our constituents. So my first question
is, um, based on my not only Francine Washington comments,
but others but also any relationships that you have with
your property managers, how do you feel that? Those
relationships are going? Um, Madam CEO
I'm sorry Alderman. Can you clarify the question how the
relationship is going with the the property managers? Is
that is that what you're asking property managers and um
the CAC?
Well, I have to say before today. I didn't think that that
was an issue with the CAC. But um, I certainly will rethink
that um in terms of the uh, the property managers. Um, I do
think that we are um, we are holding them to a high
standard and as you said change happens and sometimes when
change is happening and you have different expectations
those relationships, um, you know, it's important to sort
of reset what the expectations are, um equally and we've
been trying to do that with these newer contracts, um,
where we we, um, we have the performance measures we were
very upfront about what we expected and so we are holding
them accountable to those performance measures. Um, so it
is a partnership. The other thing though is that we have
asked for many of our vendors. Um, if you want to call them
that um, uh about how they um are relating.
To Residents. So with our security firms when we went out
for our contracts there 1 of the things that we expected
was that they were they were in relationship with the
residents in the communities that they were working in and
there was some consistency
Um in terms of residents overall, though, um, uh, there are
quite a few resident meetings and and I'm holding many
Resident meetings attending resident meetings the regular
ones as well as scheduling, uh, special ones going out to
properties and uh many pop in visits, uh to talk to
Residents about what they're experiencing. So, um, so we're
we're having those conversations those are, you know, less
easy to sort of document as a structured process, but I
understand your and appreciate your comments about
partnership because it it should be a partnership and I and
and we we hope that we've been fostering that as much as
possible.
And have these meetings been taking place with the
leadership because I'm concerned the fact and I'm not
disagreeing with you. I'm just concerned the fact that
you're saying before today. You thought the relationships
with the uh, the leadership the CAC leadership was they are
but you're just finding out today that it isn't so these
meetings that you've been having have they been alongside
with the CAC.
So I've met with the CAC and I've also met with many of the
Lac leaders and meet with them fairly regularly. Um, so I
as as I I was making perhaps a little joke here, um,
because it was quite um, there were a lot of emotions being
expressed and so I I'm taking account of that but um, but
in terms of uh relation,
Relationships being out with residents. Um, uh hearing what
what's on their minds as as well as the leadership, uh, uh
with the CAC there are quite a few interactions there that
are happening.
okay, if you can and I because I can't remember um, when
wcdc the properties that they had who ended up with a lot
of the wcdc properties.
Yes, um.
Yeah, it's it's so um, certainly this pre that predates me,
but I'm I'm hearing you want to answer. Yeah. Um, thanks
for the question on the more. Um,
The East Lake Properties were normally uh, actually the
properties that were on the south side.
So the Southside properties, uh after the exit of East Lake
and I'm sorry of wcdc and the
uh solicitation from the from the 33 years ago, uh, kind of
broke up that that area just for wcdc. So, uh, some of that
property, uh is currently being managed currently by East
Lake management company. Uh, some of that property is
actually being managed by uh managed Chicago and and some
of that property is being managed by uh Hispanic house. I
mean, sorry, uh, I habitat the habitat company.
Okay, can you can you provide to the chair what percentage
went to these? Um
property management companies
You can just provide that through the chair like, you know,
I know you said some some I need I would like to have to
see that breakdown. Um when I when I'm concerned about is
if there's 1 particular property management company that's
getting some of the most challenging properties. Whereas
other property management companies are getting some of the
not so challenging properties and that includes, um, that
includes scatter cider or anything like that. I don't want
want property manager just have all the most challenging
stuff. Um, um, and uh others look good by having some of
the good properties and so I'm I'm somewhat um concerned
about that. And so I just want to I want to just provide
through the chair to break down to those properties that
these property managers have, okay.
Um, not not a problem Alderman, uh, just wanted to make
sure that uh for the record want to make sure that it's
reflected that the properties that these property
management companies actually manage, uh are actually
properties that they actually responded to in the RFP. Uh,
so those packages are broken down again by geographic area,
uh some sometime sometimes buy a property type and they
actually submit their responses to their RFP on managing
that uh each
Property management company or any company has the the
right to actually submit uh a response on every package or
on certain packages that they want to manage.
Okay. Now let me get to the elevator, um issue and I and
I've heard a lot but I'm somewhat concerned, uh, dear going
home, which is as iggies is near dear to my heart as I the
property manager on Dearborn and I remember um, if I have
my dates, right, um, the completion somewhere around 20
between 27 and 2007 and 2010 on Dearborn and I was there
front and center when these new um, elevators were being
installed total total gut rehab total gut rehab total new
elevators. And then when I'm hearing someone say that
they're having elevator problems, I'm hearing the
modernization, but can someone tell me what the maintenance
process was. Um, or what was supposed to be happening
because even though it's been about maybe
15 16 years since completion of the the buildings. What was
the process for maintaining them? Because coming up in
Robert Taylor. I knew we had um problems, um with our
elevators for many years, but that was after uh, you know,
just poor maintenance and that's why I think it was my
colleague. Maria hadn't brought up the question or I
believe it was Maria had or had about cha doing their own
property management. And the reason why they got out of it
because cha was not good managers and we ended up in a
situation that we is so we need the experts, um doing this
but my question is at Dearborn specifically, uh, what was
the process of maintaining it and keeping those elevators
going because to me we shouldn't be having problems at
Dearborn at the level in West this young lady spoke about
All right. So, um
Dearborn homes, uh and elevators at Dearborn homes. Yes,
what is what
can we even say when we look at Dearborn homes? I want to
tell everyone that Deborah Holmes. You have 16 buildings at
Deer homes.
uh, 9 stories and 7 stories
of dip on homes that there's 1 elevator in every building
So when we actually designed demo homes, we did we didn't
actually design demo homes in the way that it was actually
should have been done. It should have had 2 other layers,
but it didn't it was designed with 1 elevator in place.
If if an elevator is down, it has to go on repairs. There
is no running elevator.
And and we know that elevators do go down.
But the maintenance on that and I don't want to make sure
that folks understand. There are there's comprehensive
maintenance on elevators monthly maintenance annual
inspections. All of that spin tests. All that's done on the
elevators.
In the event that it what we don't don't plan for and no 1
plans for No, 1 plans for a fire in a building No, 1 plans
for water or water damage to an elevator and you know what,
it does to electronical equipment and there is sometime
there's not a quick term on electronic equipment on the
elevator parts.
Um, they're not manufactured here. They're not built here.
And so those are some of the concerns and some of the
issues that we run into.
But I will say that uh, how do we address it? Right? How do
we address it? And how are we addressing it is is that we
sat down uh with our CEO
uh, and when it came up with a fire capital
plan
and in that fire your Capital plan, it actually talks about
adding additional elevators to their 1 home so that we can
actually now really talk about maintaining their own homes
elevators.
Uh putting 2 elevators in there will be that means that you
can we can guarantee that 1 elevator is definitely running
in the building but that but adding elevators to already
structured building. We is we already have about a 45
million dollar plan for that. That's 45 million dollars
just for the L of 16 elevators to go into those buildings.
No, that's that's good. Uh.
Eric and I truly appreciate that and somehow um, and I
couldn't I couldn't recall that that is a issue and I don't
know why that wasn't caught.
and uh previously during the um Peterson Administration
when we were uh dealing with that and um,
yeah, you're right. I I just realized that in terms of just
1 elevator at Dearborn unlike when it what we were in
Robert Taylor and some other places. So thank you for that.
Um answer I appreciate that and I'm and I'm glad you're
looking at it from a holistic standpoint to get at the uh,
The cause of it and not just so we can't so we want to just
continue to do Band-Aid approach. I appreciate that. Uh, my
my my other question, um has to do with uh, it's it's
Heartland Alliance them still around because somehow I got
a a a a disconnect. I used to have a good 1. I think they
were when they were in the Stuart building.
On um 76 Street and I think they handled the South or
southwest region and that's who we had a good partnership
with when we had any issues regarding, um, um Section 8
tenants. Um, and I'm trying to see are they still in place
because I want to thank you Eric and I want to thank Rachel
Mogul for trying to help me with this situation in my ward,
uh, where we have a resident that uh is uh family that's
causing issues. Um, and it it's not an issue where um,
they're saying well, you don't have a police report on it.
I know you're aware of it, but I just want to State it
publicly but it's 1 where they go out and do dirt and then
they run back home and then somebody come shoot up their
house and we got
Innocent people whose cars getting shut out shut out and
stuff like that. But because we don't have a police report
on them specifically. There's no uh real movement. I think
some action is trying to be taken down, but it's hardly an
alliance in these. Um, social agencies still, uh
responsible for having these conversations and and with
these residents
Alderman just is that is that a recent incident you're
saying that um Eric and and Rachel it's been it's been
ongoing but they can they've been they've been helping me
with it. But I but I just but my real question is do is
Heartland Alliance. Are they still in place? Are these or
are these
um
organizations or these agencies still in place
right
I I don't want to speak.
but my understanding is
Is it Heartland online is that agency is is going through
some struggles. If not.
So do we have so so say for?
Just whatever reason I don't care if it's Bronzeville, I
don't care if it's um Englewood region or have a I don't
know but it's it's split up by South Southwest if I recall
right if if if they're going to struggles who's there now?
Do we have anybody there now?
I'm I'm sorry Altman. I'm I I think it might be best if we
can uh talk with you offline because I'm not we're not
quite understanding what the question is, but we want to
make sure that we are being responsive anal you we can
there's specific things in the world like we can definitely
but that's not no that's not that's not the incident is
more specific but the agency isn't for a specific they used
to be
agencies north south east and west
Eric if I'm misstating something help me out. I'm sorry.
So, I'm sorry if Alderman let me just make sure that I
understand your question. So you're you're talking about
the actual agencies that are managing our our Section 8
programs that had uh satellite offices on the website the
Southside and all all of those. Is that correct? That is
correct. So
so so yes, we still have a agencies that manages. Uh, we
have satellites office on the Southside 1 is actually
located on the State Street on 35th 30333 around the 35th
Street in the State. Uh, we have uh offices located on the
North side on the west side, which is uh at um at the old
Pope School
Um, we and we uh, and we have offices located uh, and and
and essentially which is in our 60s van buen, uh office as
well.
Okay, so I need to know who the agency is that's
responsible for my area if it's more than 1 uh, I would or
I may I think my some of my colleagues would like to know
so, um, I I think we just need to provide that through the
chair because I think I don't want to just be saying for
the 17th Ward area. I think my colleagues would like to
like to know that so if you can provide that to the chair
so I know who these these agency contacts are because I
used to have 1 when I first got in office.
Somehow it dropped off and I just need for me. I need to
know and I'm sure my colleagues. We want to know who's
responsible in that areas. So if you can provide that
through the chair, that would be very helpful. Yeah. Um so
Alderman I do want to just clarify. So we do have 2 vendors
that are uh, that contractors who provide uh, uh, uh
services for our housing Choice Voucher Program. Um 1 of
them is Nan McKay and Associates and the other 1 is CBR and
Associates. Um, we work with them, uh on everything with
the housing Choice voucher program, including uh, landlord
relationships as well as uh, participant relationships. So
if those are if that's who you're referring to we
definitely can get back to you. Um, we um to figure out the
best way. Yeah, but unless something changed and that's
what I want to know. What's the change because when you
saying you got 2 different ones and McKay and what's the
other 1 CV CV, so that's to me that's the old combined.
Combined c h a C8 The Shack right? You just separated it
out, correct?
Yes, I I'm I'm sorry Alderman. I think I think it would be
probably be best if we could talk with you because I I
think we're I I just want to make sure we're being clear
that we clearly understand what you're seeking uh and so on
so I don't want to uh, give more answers that maybe
misleading to the public as well. So we will follow up with
you. Okay? All right. Thank you and my last statement was
Be uh, uh to uh, Eric Garrett who I am happy. That is he's
there someone that is very responsive always who has
working knowledge and historical knowledge. Um, just want
to ask do you have all the tools that you need to work with
or is there some tools that you need that are not that are
missing in order for that? We could this city council body
can help you get do you feel you have all the tools that
you need to work with?
Uh, thank you for that Alderman. Um again as I would say to
each and every 1 of you and all of our con constituents out
here is that uh, currently we we have tools but the tools
that more tools that we need is we actually need uh more
funding we need more Capital funding. Um, that is we're
talking about over the next 5 years over a billion dollars
in investments into our properties and over 60% of that is
in preservation. That means that how do we make sure that
we continue to maintain the housing that we have? So as we
as we talk about those funding sources if if we can urge
our Hood, uh, Partners, uh funders and and to to to kind of
obligate that for us that would be definitely uh, very
helpful and definitely a tool that's needed for our agency.
All right. Thank you. Thank you so much, um chairman and
thank you so much CEO Scott and your entire team
appreciate. Um you all coming before us
Thank you Alderman Moore. We have Vice chair Mitchell
followed by all the person Mana happen that we try to put
it, you know, because I know that we are running a little
late. We got about 15 minutes, probably 10 to ya maybe 15
minutes at the most. So maybe we have, you know, 5 minutes
each and then I have a few questions that I was left by
some other other persons. So I want to allow the
To have a response. So by Cher make sure followed by other
person man to happen with. Okay. Thank you chair. Um
That that's right on time because we've already talked
about getting together at another time to talk about the
very Ward specific issues that I'm experiencing, um couple
of things that I want to I do want to want to talk about
first of all, I want to say I work my experience in working
when my problems have been a good 1 Daniel has always been
responsive to me and and always been there and I appreciate
him for that and um on a more recent problem Linda Langston
has been there and we we worked out a lot of things and it
was it was absolute pleasure to work with him. He's very
professional and we actually fixed the problem, but the
problem is and the situation is what I want to kind of put
out there today.
The I have a scatter site housing. It's a scat scatter site
as scatter housing site in my War. The addresses are 7,400
74 7,400 Southshore Dr. 74 2 South Dr. 744 Southshore, Dr.
2679 East 71st Street. 26770 East 71st Street. It is a
little mini little complex. I didn't even know it was a
scattered side house. I think I mentioned that to you. Um,
I think the year of the last year or the year before last,
uh, I was contacted by uh couple of the tenants.
all all all single women 1 senior, um single mothers
and telling me of the conditions so I went over there.
and uh the conditions were
The biggest conditions the biggest issue was it was a mouse
infestation.
And it was it was probably the worst I've ever seen.
Um, I literally opened up the socket taking the flaps off
the socket and the light switch and you would see mountains
of mouse species inside the walls. They reported to me that
at night you could hear mice running through the bench
running through the walls. Um, they would just come out. I
mean it was it was just it was a mess.
And it had persisted for a for a long time. Um as and um
the reports to the management company as as stated to me by
the the the owner by the tenants, um was a lot of times
responded with unprofessional professionalism and
substandard response with respect to repairs and things
like that. Um,
Once I got involved in at Leonard involved things things
absolutely started moving and it got to the point where it
was decided that that whole complex was renovated.
I think you guys spent about 3 400 3400000 to renovated and
they're happy with it. And a lot of things were taken care
of or actually opening up the walls and finding out where
the where the issue was coming from and I and I understand
it was an infestation found. Um, but this has been reported
over time over months and years and not and nothing and
it I mentioned that there's these are 4 women.
I'm my father's only son. I have 3 Sisters in a month. And
anybody that knows me very protective like that. So it
really hit me. It really hit me and actually seeing it and
everything. Um, I don't want anybody to go through any of
that ever again when I showed it to the chairman, you know,
we we you know, it affected him as well. Um the treatment
that they received from the management company.
The tenants feeling that they can't really talk about and
do things fear of intimidation and retaliation by both and
and this probably not that you guys did but it was said
stated to me on several occasions by both the management
company and Cha no, no no concrete information about that.
But that was what the sentiment was. Um,
When people showed up to do the repairs.
They wreaked of alcohol they were very, uh disrespectful to
to these to to to these women.
and
Things that they could call to to repair weren't done in a
manner. That was that that that it wasn't being repaired.
You know, just really just putting up a board on a
baseboard to cover a hole that the mice ate into and
drilling it in with these with certain screws and just
leaving it there or filling holes up with some type of
spray and water constantly leaking in when it rains and
they're talking about a door needs to be replaced. But the
door was never replaced those kind of things can never
happen.
can never happen and
I don't think either 3 of you would even allow that not
only have to say none of us would love that in our homes.
Um, so I wanted to make sure you know that that was on the
table because um again,
the scatter site housing
if it's functioning the way it's functioning over there. I
didn't like I said, I didn't know and that's actually a
good thing. Um, and I want anybody else that's dealing with
that, uh to have the the the living conditions that are
respectable to them and that they can you know, feel good
about living in and bring company and just, you know, raise
their family in so I wanted to make sure and the the and I
think I know you know, but now you mentioned, you know,
you're hearing me. I don't know if you already knew.
About this, you know this this management company, um, if if
they if this was allowed to have my this managed company
what other sites that they manage are being managed like
this and I think it was managed Chicago and I I I I want
you guys I'm asking you guys to really look into that if
you haven't already
um, so uh
That that's enough. I'll say on that but that that was a
I don't ever I if I don't if I live to 200, I don't ever
want to see anything like that. That was pretty bad.
Um, and I definitely don't want and I know you guys don't
want anybody that's in your program to feel like they can't
report things to feel intimidated to feel like, you know,
anything adverse to just feeling part of a a program and a
family that's here to help.
Um, this will be the last couple of things saying then
we'll relegate it to my my my individual meetings. Um CEO I
mentioned, you know, uh, I have a lot of single family
homes that do to reasons are now being spooked up by
investors and they're putting them into the Section 8
Voucher Program.
and uh
To the tune and he's in Michelle's W as well, I mean Tammy
Harris's War as well. This man knows 90 properties.
He's self-managed is 90 properties No, 1 can sell man. It's
95.
And the ones that's in my War.
Over 40 were in the browser program.
Happy to say all them finally over over over the last 5
years. I got them all in court.
um
So any oversight?
I wouldn't want to know going forward and we could talk
about this because I want to yield time to everybody else.
What kind of investor oversight that that cha has has uh in
place to monitor, uh, their investors that have put
properties in the voucher program how your monitoring how
many properties these people are are are actually uh
managing or actually own in their in about your program.
Um, you know, how are they how are they interacting with
their their tenants? How are they treating their tenants
because I got complaints about that as well, which would be
a reflection on cha, um, so I can go on and on but I wanted
to put to give kind of create give a a precursor to the the
conversations the meetings. I I want to have uh with you
guys, um, because I made predominantly homeowner single
family home communities at 4, and it's predominant and
we've lost a lot of our homeowners to
Investors personal home and a lot of them are in the voucher
program.
and
things like upkeep trash being trash being bought from the
curb or just leaving it out there. A lot of things are
being complained by the people in the community and
wondering what is cha doing to prepare them to live in the
community. Once again, all of this falls back on cha and we
Partners so I don't want you guys to have that kind of
issue. So we need to work together to make sure that we can
we can communicate Rectify these situations and continue to
have this program interact in our communities.
Okay, that's all I have.
Thank you. Um, thank you Vice chair. It's okay because I
know that you're gonna talk that's correctly about that. So
I appreciate bye. Um all the person going to happen with
and then I'll I'll close and I try to make it as brief as I
can. Thank you. Bye the person for your patience.
Thank you chair.
Hi director, Scott.
I want to thank you team. Um
for your help, um, especially with the data that we ask for
for the 48th Ward, um in terms of the number of vouchers
and the vacancies, so we really appreciate that information
and a lot of the questions that were asked around
management. Um, I also um am interested in the follow-up.
So thank you for that. I will try to be brief.
As brief as possible. Um, and I will ask for most of this to
be through the chair since we are running out of time. So,
um, there are 127 thousand people on the wait list. Is that
right about 120. Those are unduplicated. So unique
applicants. Some people are on all 3 waiting lists. Okay,
and then uh, how many are seniors and can you provide a
breakdown of age and ethnicity?
That weight list.
Um, can you also provide an average wait time?
I don't know that we can provide an average wait time
because it's a it's a closed waiting list but uh in terms
of the voucher program, is that what you're asking about?
Okay, right. We we will check and see how much detail we
have there. Okay. Thank you.
um, you know in the in the 48th word we have um, 39
vacancies is what we're we understand so it's seemed like
their um,
you know, it's a small right it seems like and um, I think
that might be because the very desirable area Edgewater,
um, and people want to stay in their homes and they they do
um, but it's uh,
it's it's a challenge for our um constituent, um
Neighborhood Services director to have to talk to the many
seniors that come through our doors, um, because they are
facing evictions. And so I have a question about that but
also,
um, I have a couple other questions about
um the rent increases
And how it could displace people. Can you um
Through the chair provide the average increase in uh rent.
That people might face and because of rent increases they
might have to move.
Is that something that you could provide are you talking
about? The public housing program? Yes. Okay. So, um
Can I I'm gonna ask Eric to explain I could I actually
can't explain this 1 but I'll let him do since it's his
area. So I'll let him do that. Okay. Um, so let's rent
increases in the public housing portfolio is is really no
impact on for families. And the reason why there's no
impact on families because families are actually pay 30% of
the income based. So they they their rent is actually based
on the IR of 10% of the annual or 30% of the annual
adjusted. So is the higher up of where our families that
are actually uh experienced any type of of rent increases,
uh is is what our flat rents and what our flat rents is
that the the uh,
The the rent the fair market rent for that area, uh, our
fair market rents cannot be less than 80% of the fair
market rents for the area. So so when a family chooses
because they either choose flat rent or income based rent.
If they choose this flat rent, that means that the income
is higher than 30% of the annual adjusted income, which is
being the lower of that is the flat rent. So they choose to
pay less than what the income they say that they can't pay.
For example, if the rent if the income based shows that
they they able to pay 000 dollars and the actual rent on
there is 900 the resident is going to choose to pay the
lower of which is the flat rent at 900 so it caps them off
so it cap. It caps higher earning families to pay less than
what the income based is.
Okay, I I was that clear. Yes. So yeah, and I do want to
clarify this came up in our in the last time I was here
that uh in the public housing program. Your rent is based
on your income. So sometimes you will hear um, perhaps from
your constituents like my rent went up. That's because
their their income went up not that the housing authorities
is charging them more, okay.
So to be clear. Yeah. Yeah, if if the rent does increase
it's because of their income and um, but do you okay we we
could follow up with that survey with that and um, I I have
a couple scenarios.
Um regarding the maintenance of buildings, so we we talked
about that quite a bit. Um, can you tell me about the yardi
system that you use?
And why ardi?
Can you briefly just describe that?
Um, you already is our property management software system
of record.
Uh, so it tracks uh from
from emissions to continued occupancy to um
work orders, um re certifications income all of the all of
the information on a resident unit information is in in our
system. Our our billing is in our is in the yard system our
ability to to actually generate uh, what subsidies that a
resident is eligible for through our 5058 process that's
submitted to hood, uh is in our is in our yardi system.
Yeah. Okay. So, um,
2 tenants does it do the management company is actually
provide reports to the yardi system for maintenance
requests
So there's there so reports are generated from yardi. Uh,
what property managers do is actually they input they work
order, uh that a resident has requested into the system,
uh, or the input, uh, if they're doing basic cleaning, they
put a gwo work order into the system that shows that this
action has been taken. So if there's prevented maintenance
in there, they actually generate those work orders into
into the system and you can run a report and see what
workers have been ran out of in in the system. So is it um,
how old do you know? Um, how do you know a request has been
put in you could see the reports right? Yes. Okay. This is
not something that a resident could enter into write a
management company would have to do that right that there's
let me let me let me let's talk about that. So A residents
do have the ability to actually um
They can do 2 things. Right? We have the we have a system
where if a president, um actually signs up they can
actually get statuses of their work order. So it actually
goes directly to the email address. So it let them know
that there's a work order been generated you request a
worker who has been generated and someone is actually
scheduled to come out on this day this time to your unit.
Okay. So this is something that all residents should have
access to only if they have to they have to sign up because
they have to have they have to have an email address
because it's it's any residents eligible, but they have to
have an email address to actually and sign up for it to say
that they want to get the information. Yeah, and we'd be
happy to provide some more detail about how we can connect
them. Yeah. I'm just thinking of um, is there is there a
system in which a centralized system in which anybody can
submit uh work order similar to our 311 system. Do you have
not anybody so that's residents and and management and
Property Management as well as cha. Yeah. It's it's not a
it's not a a general number. Okay. Um
Well, I I I think that it's just a hard to understand like
how the ca is, you know, um.
Providing oversight to the management companies is is this
a tool that in which would be helpful to see how long um
things take to get repaired? Yes. We absolutely can use it
for that that does that so and and we do run reports and
that sort of thing but but in terms of access to it's not
it's not like a 3111 number that you can just that anybody
can use. Okay. I'm just thinking of follow-up. Like what is
the data that we could be provided in the future? That
would be helpful to track. You know, your I guess progress.
We talked a lot about maintenance today and I I'm would
love to be grounded in data.
data
Okay, um.
so again, we have um Edgewater which is the trends older
adults and um,
Our our constituent Services team there every every day. We
we get uh requests about um, how do things work including
resert? So, um, it seems like
you know, the our residences are getting um eviction
notices, right and they're being forced to move and um, you
can explain like how a HUD provides guidelines where we're
not supposed to do that. Um, that's something that should
be explained to me. Um, what
What can we do together to make sure that we are keeping
people in their homes. Um, and also following HUD
guidelines.
And this this is related to the reification process because
I think it's um a little bit confusing to me. So maybe I
need just an a better understanding of that. Yeah, we we'd
be happy to to walk through it. I I will say that. Um, we
have very few evictions. Um, you know, when we're going
through these different processes and there may be letters
and and I understand that sometimes it could be confusing
and and and somewhat scary. Um, but we don't have that many
evictions per se but sometimes you may there
Maybe sort of ups and downs as part of a process. Yeah, I
mean for US 1 evidence traumatizing, you know, we don't
want any of our seniors to lose their homes, right? So it
from us us. It's not a matter of quantity. It's
it's um, it's what we hear in our office and we don't want
people to be displaced. I don't know what happens to them
after they get it fixed. Right? What what part of what I'm
saying? Is that sometimes a letter that may say you have to
take this action in so much time can be interpreted as
being evicted. And so we want to make sure that we're
having that conversation with the resident being very clear
perhaps what the next step would be and if there's any
confusion to to clear that up so so I I certainly think we
can explain if if you have some specific situations we
might want to walk through that and make sure that that
that is clear and that things are happening in the way we
expect them to happen too. So we don't we don't you know, I
I I think it's better if we walk through that detail. All
right. Thank you.
Um, let me just let me just add 1 thing to that. Uh as we
talk about evictions, uh, all of our eviction process has a
30-day cure period uh with the exception of 1 the only
thing that doesn't have a cure period is our criminal
activity eviction.
uh, and so those are the Bad actors, uh, who not only uh, we
don't want to be a you know, disrupting our families and uh
and our families don't want them to interrupt and our
families so they don't have a right to grieve that that
eviction process. They do have their day in court. Um, and
and we take we take each of those cases the court directly.
Uh, but our and I would I want to say our the city has been
very helpful to us and we talked about uh want us we did
rap. Uh, we were when we talk about the evictions and we
talk about families having struggled with rent. Uh, we did
not we worked with the city to actually put application in
for over 3,000 families that actually and that that that
that that equated to about $9 million in rap funds that
that was actually directly benefited those families. So
we're not we're not here to you know, we're not in business
of eviction. We're in the business of housing. However,
that we do we all do still have a responsibility that
they have responsibilities under that lease that they have
the obligation under the lease and we want to make sure
that that we are informing them and giving them the right
resources. They need to be successful in their in their
households.
Thank you. Um
I guess related to the the notices.
Okay, here's the scenario. Um
They uh residents say they have uh committed. Uh, they they
get uh notice a 30-day notice saying that there was a lease
violation and then they have 10 days to talk to management
right, um to uh, discuss and remedy and then
Then uh the management doesn't follow up. They don't have a
response and then because time is have elapsed then they
are evicted and that is in violation of Hud guidelines, uh,
and rules and so what what are we doing to prevent that
from happening? What is the oversight there? And uh, how
are we again holding these management companies accountable
for following the rules, right and older women. I I I
appreciate your um,
the concerns that you're raising and also how residents
feel um with you know, when they receive these kinds of
notices. I I think it might be more helpful though. If we
uh do sit down and walk through the cases that you're
you're hearing about so that we can help provide that
Clarity and uh, and certainly we can provide some more
generic answers, uh later, but but we do hold residents for
lease violations or certainly we hold held responsible. We
also hold the management, uh company responds.
responsible for uh, executing the process properly um, and
so all all of those exist, but I I'm not sure that we will
be able to clarify on this particular situation at the
yeah, if you can if you can um provide through the chair
just to General. Well what it's supposed to happen and
right so our policies for public housing are posted on our
uh, our I'm sorry. What is a cop stand for it's called the
a cop. I just suddenly realized I application, um missions
and continue our policy that that that is what governs um
those processes and so they should be following those but
and we'd be happy to share them with you if you'd like to
read the 100 page document but um, but we can point out,
um, where where to look for that you're asking about the
process and policy. Yeah, that would be great.
Um, so when um, CJ's this is there another scenario, um cha
inspects the unit.
It fails because of the landlord, uh, you do a reinspection
and it fails again.
The unit goes into abatement the subsidy portion of rents,
um is withheld.
The building doesn't make repairs cha cancels the housing
assistant program contract.
And issues moving papers to the tenants.
Can you?
Can you talk about?
What is the role of the tenant at that point?
are they supposed to
pay their rents while they're looking for accommodations
because that's not
What people have been told?
So I I I want to make sure I'm giving you the correct
answer. I I may want to get back to you. But when a a
landlord if it's an inspection and they they fail the
inspection and it goes into aate. Um, then we do stop the
payment because they they are responsible for making sure
that it meets our housing quality standards. Um, in terms
of the tenant, I think they are still responsible for their
portion. I'm looking to my team here. I I don't have my
housing Choice voucher expert here, but
Yes the tenant would then be responsible. But um if there's
a uh, if there's um a permit issued to move then uh, the
tenant is encouraged to seek, um a unit that will comply
uh, and we make every effort to assist them when we can
when we can.
Yeah, thank you. So that was my next question. You know,
what is it that we can do together to make sure that the
the resident is getting what they need. Another woman will
not happen where the thing with almost run out of time. So
if you could submit maybe some of those questions also
through the chair. Yes. I do have a number of other medical
left. I want to read at least their question to the record
at least 3 questions that have not been touched and then
maybe allowed the last comment from the CEO. Thank you.
I'll just I'll just add that I um, I appreciate all of your
answers and I I hope that we can come to a place where we
can see, you know, Chas. Um,
Power and Leadership, you know in this moment where we're
in a housing crisis, and we want people to stay in place.
Um, I would like to work on that together in any way that
we can and let me know how we could be helpful. Um, we
really we really need you, you know, um,
So, thank you. All right. Thank you. Thank you all the
person I appreciate it. So I'm going to read 3 questions
that kind of been pending for the record then um CEO give
you the opportunity to maybe give the last comment this a
question that were left because some people had to leave
earlier. Um what so the 3 questions are the first 1 is
capital budget plan that the $50 million or so that I
so that I received by CA from hot and what is kind of the
um, maybe ways to cut some of the red tape especially in
partnership with the Chicago Housing Trust And The Cook
County land trust. Those are um, there was an specific on
the first word around a project in Jackson and Western
that's um, just to make sure that you know, we are
Expediting housing options as people are in dire need the
second question. Um, and this is uh around um, there are
about 10 blocks in in um throughout the city where um,
they're pending complaint.
Of over 475 days. This 10 blocks are received about 649
complaints 1 block. I believe around 800 North St. Louis
alone has received 146 complaints. Basically. Um, uh, the
question is what is going to take to ca to take Experian
action and cut red tape to get it done as this is not only
safety, but also housing issues. Um, the other 1, I'm going
to have to read by rum because I I had the 1 I was kind of
I don't want to be um inaccurate but uh, the last 1 is um,
CPS has identified 2457 homeless CPS students for fiscal
year 2024 CPS has established a series of protocols to meet
the educational needs of these children, but education
experts stress that the best situation will be to get these
children into a stable safe and clean housing given the
poor stewardship throughout the history of the scatter site
housing program, um and use of land dispositions that have
shrink the Cha's footprint making it harder to create
housing in the future and um, and I guess object failure to
build the 19,000 units of purely public housing as mandated
by the first close act what company should we the council
and public have that the intentions is to address this
problem and how these children
That is that is those are the 3 questions that were left
and then you know if you want to respond. Yes. Well, I
think I I do want to clarify since we're doing this for the
record. Um, so we do not have 19,000 units mandate. Um, we
there is some capacity, um, but public housing um is when
just a little history here again for the record when public
housing was built in 19 in the 30s and 40s 1930s and 40s.
I'm dating myself. Um,
There was a check from the federal government. Um, so the
city of Chicago provided the land and the federal
government wrote the check and the public housing was built
that is a 20th century model. What we've known is that the
when there was not enough Capital money that came in to
support that as well as concentrating poverty that um,
those those developments, um, which we have seen, uh torn
down here in uh in uh, Chicago that the model going forward
is is stronger communities that are built around, uh around
uh, mixed-use mixed income and building communities. Um, so
that model um,
uh, the opportunities exist continue to exist and they're
different tools today that we use to build housing
affordable housing and it often takes 10 or 11 or 12
different partners, um in order to afford it because we do
not receive a check from the federal government just to
build just to build. Um, so uh, in terms of CPS certainly
willing to have that conversation, it's not something that
I've had uh with the um, uh with the superintendent around
where we could help homeless students, but some of our
voucher programs are available to those families that are
experiencing homelessness and the and that would be that
would include families with children. There's some
specifically for families with children and we've worked
with the Continuum of Care to
Try to the Chicago Continuum of Care and all Chicago to
identify those families and get them connected with housing
as much as possible. Um, but certainly we could continue
the conversation around models around helping homeless
students. Um, I worked in Minneapolis on a Model where the
city actually funded housing for homeless students and
their families and and so there are ways that we could move
forward. Um, that would not involve necessarily building
new homes, but just making sure they're connected with the
services and the funding
Thank you CEO. Um, we appreciate the the cha team. I know
that you have a actually another cha engagement in the 27
award. Um, as you heard from some of the frustration and
the laces, uh around making sure that the waiting list gets
shortened. So um or commitment to work, uh to make sure
that in the next hearing I know that this is not that we're
going to come back in the fall address make sure that the
members have those answers and I'm glad to hear around
land. This positions are not that came several times.
There's not a policy that Administration is very clear that
cha public lands should be used for affordable and public
housing as there's a huge crisis that needs to be addressed
we welcome again the opportunity to come back evaluate and
be accountable to the public. That's what the housing
committee is here for and every agency in the city. So,
thank you. See you and or your team and look forward to
seeing you again in the fall.
Thank you, then being no further business before the
committee. Can I get a motion to recommend approval of the
Jour? So move to move while the vice per Mutual those in
favor? Say I all those against say nay any opinions of the
chairs that I have it the meeting of the committee on