Eye On Illinois: Progress on housing issues a reminder much work to be done

Running numbers on affordable housing availability hasn’t yielded complete clarity on the issue but it does foster appreciation for knowing where my family sleeps each night.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition has issued several warnings about a dire shortage of housing stock nationwide. In Illinois, the most recent figures (using 2020 data) incite 452,789 renter households – people, not properties – are “extremely below income,” which means they earn less than half of their region’s median salary.

For those people, who constitute 27% of the renting pool, there are only 36 units available for each 100 families. Statewide the shortage is 288,917 units.

On Sept. 23, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded more than 19,350 new housing choice vouchers to 1,945 public housing agencies nationwide. This program aims to help people rent on the private market by bridging the gap between their wages and their monthly payments, based on the premise housing costs shouldn’t exceed 30% of income.

In Illinois, 59 agencies are splitting 716 vouchers, a total allocation of almost $7 million. That ranges from 217 vouchers for the Chicago Housing Authority to three each for counterpart agencies in Logan, Jo Daviess, Mercer and Wayne counties. That help doesn’t directly address affordable housing stock, getting people settled anywhere has effects up and downstream.

This is far from the only way the federal government is involved. Aside from operating subsidized public housing, HUD in June announced $43 million in its Stability Vouchers, which focus on “people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.” This is outside pandemic response allocations and the work of state and local governments.

Progress, however positive, also reminds us of the significant challenges remaining.

MUSEUM MENTIONS: I’ve invited readers to share their favorite Illinois museum. From John Weiss:

“My recommendation is in Pontiac. In reality it is a collection of several themes and attractions. If one doesn’t interest you then one of the others surely will. There is the very popular Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, the outstanding Livingston County War Museum, the Life in the 1940s display, along with a travel photo display of Route 66 in every state it passes through. As you enter the complex there is a fantastic preservation display honoring all the volunteers who make it happen. Add to this the Titanic and Waldmire displays. Outside is a walking tour of historic murals and footprints that lead you to the Pontiac-Oakland auto museum, it is remarkable. All of this and much more are open every day, year round, and all of it is free. There is so much to see and experience in this town. Even free trolley tours on Saturdays in summer.”

Please email your favorites. Responses printed as space allows.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.