Affordable Housing Discussed at 5th Ward Meeting

Affordable, subsidized housing programs are more prevalent and gain more attention in a troubled housing environment, and Evanston has been no stranger to the trend.

At the 5th Ward’s monthly meeting on Thursday night, affordable housing—who qualifies for it and how home buyers can decide whether or not it’s worth looking into—was discussed. During the meeting residents, representatives from the Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) and Alderman Dolores Holmes went over specific options in the community and how they can be taken advantage of.

“You have the for-profit market and then the affordable housing market, which is a real market to consider,” said Betty Ester of the Citizens’ Lighthouse Community Land Trust (CLCLT), a non-profit that provides affordable housing to Evanston families with economic need.

The acronyms, stipulations, and organizations at play are numerous and convoluted with subsidized housing, and it was with this in mind that Ester and the HACC spoke before community members on Thursday night. Within Evanston there is the currently underway Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (or ) grant, an $18 million dollar rehabilitation program courtesy of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. There are also the homes subsidized by the CLCLT, which sells properties to low income families and keeps properties affordable by separating the cost of the home from the cost of the land. And there are Section 8 housing programs provided by the HACC. Working in tandem with each of these organizations are local banks, such as Evanston First Bank and Trust and North Shore Community Bank and Trust, which seek to help provide additional loans and aid for affordable housing seekers.

Ester explained that in order to better inform residents interested in home-ownership on the variety of programs available, the CLCLT will host regular meetings on the topic every Thursday from now until July, and implored others to attend. 

“You will learn so much that will help in furthering your education to understand the affordable housing market,” said Ester. “They will be focused on affordable housing—the options, the resources that are available for people in the community, what they need to know and what they need to do” said Ester.

What home buyers need to do to attain affordable housing varies from program to program, but the stipulations are usually many.

For the City’s NSP2 program, for example, the applicant needs to earn at or below 120 percent of the area median income, go through home ownership counseling and is preferred to be an Evanston resident to be competitive. For HACC Section 8 programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which provides assistance on rent payments based on the applicant’s income, those applying are placed on a waiting list. However, according to Sheryl Seiling, director of rent assistance at HACC, the current average wait on this list is 10 years.

“Right now we are pulling people off the waiting list and issuing more vouchers, which is very exciting for us because we are able to help more people. We have about 15,000 families on the waiting list right now,” said Seiling.

Currently, the HACC serves 598 individuals or families in Evanston.

For homes managed through NSP2 or CLCT, applicants are not wait-listed. All three programs require home ownership and/or financial counseling be given to applicants prior to owning or renting a home. 

Correction: the original version of this article stated that the maximum income for NSP2 is 90 percent of area median income. The correct number is 120 percent.