2025 Chicago budget needs to prioritize youth jobs, housing and public health, alders and residents say • The TRiiBE

The lack of affordable housing and homelessness have been longstanding issues in Chicago. The influx of Central American migrants over the past two years has intensified these challenges and highlighted tensions between Black residents and new arrivals. Some Black residents have voiced frustration with city leaders, contrasting the rapid response to assist new arrivals with what they’ve perceived as limited support for homeless residents lacking access to affordable housing. However, now that fewer migrants are coming to Chicago, the city announced it would operate one shelter system, meaning that the city will consolidate the New Arrivals system with its existing shelter system.  

For the upcoming 2025 budget, Hadden and alders in Progressive Caucus are looking for programs to continue to receive funding, including $18 million for rapid re-housing and increased shelter beds city-wide, $11 million for flexible housing funds, funding to implement a universal portal for its affordable housing units, funding to guarantee legal representation for tenants that are facing eviction and more. 

Last month, Hadden and Gibert Villegas (36th Ward) introduced a new ordinance that would help streamline locating affordable housing citywide. 

“So when we’re giving TIF dollars or some DOH grant to a housing development project, they have to maintain a certain number of affordable and accessible units,” Hadden explained. “We don’t have a way to track those currently in the city, and we think we should. Not only a way to track them but constituents in Chicago could also say: “I’m looking for affordable housing. Let me go to the city’s website and find out where there are guaranteed affordable housing units that I can then go and apply to.” 

During his first budget, Johnson championed the passage of Bring Chicago Home. He also carved out $250 million to invest in homelessness and support services, such as the rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing programs. Homelessness disproportionately affects Black Chicagoans.

According to data from DePaul University’s Institute for Housing Studies, nearly half of Chicago renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. 

The City Council’s Black Aldermanic Caucus (CABC) is also prioritizing housing and business development projects in its recommendations to the Johnson administration, according to Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th Ward), who leads the caucus. 

“We’re coming to this budget with an approach of bonds deals and making sure that we prioritize projects that have already been our RFP’d (request for proposal) and that we have developers to make sure that we get those projects..to break ground and cut ribbons,” Coleman said. 

Coleman is referring to neighborhood investment projects receiving funding through the city’s new Housing and Economic Development (HED) bond. 

In June, Johnson announced that the Wood Street Farm Expansion and the Austin Community Health Hub would be among the first neighborhood investment projects funded by the city’s HED bond. Located in West Englewood and Austin, each project will receive up to $5 million in bond-funded assistance to support construction costs.