Submission Details

Presenting Organization: Instituto Del Progreso Latino
Submission Title: Curving Displacement to the Curb

Submission Overview: Gentrification has been a major problem over the last couple of years. People are being displaced from the neighborhoods they have always lived in. Many of the underlying causes of the displacement is due to racial inequity, especially in Chicago that has always been a segregated city.

Student plan on what works:

First off we need to make sure the community works together and make sure to have an agreement on housing. Many people have jobs that don’t pay much and don’t have enough to pay rent, bills, etc. If there were more programs that could educate head of households on financial literacy or trade educational programs that were either free or offered at a low cost, then parents could learn of ways to keep their homes and find better paying jobs. Another idea includes building multi-functional units versus single family homes possibly under community Land Trusts.. These are nonprofit, community-based organizations designed to ensure community stewardship of land. They are primarily used to ensure long-term housing affordability. A third idea would focus on senior residents in the area. There should be an increase in senior-home owned repair programs as well as programs that can assure that seniors have decreased or frozen home taxes.

Some of the programs that provide support in these areas are “The Pilsen Alliance, Chicago Coalition For The Homeless, And Chicago Housing Initiative”. Each of these organizations strive to help with Housing Problems. Pilsen Alliance has been serving for 23 years,They work to make housing affordable by advocating for policies. Some examples are they would help by lifting the ban on rent control,Tax rates, assessments and fair property. Chicago Coalition For The Homeless strive to target the lack of affordable housing through Chicago and Across Illinois they also hope to ultimately end homelessness they also lead campaigns, and community Outreaches. The Chicago Housing Initiative amplifies the power of low-income Chicago Residents to improve, preserve, and expand low cost-cost rental housing.They want to help communities facing displacement and advance racial and economic equity throughout Chicago’s Neighborhoods.