Is Affordable housing in Illinois actually affordable to those who need it most (ie homeless, single parent homes, run-aways, etc)?
The Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act says its for those who need affordable housing but also includes those who need housing to be the upper-middle class earning more than the national median income pushing those who are in "extremely-low income" status to be without housing! The people in this category are the same ones who are on welfare and on waiting lists for section 8 (which will cease to exist in 2011)as a result of misplaced housing during the HOPE IV project (extinciton of high rise housing projects).
This is affecting our schools, community resources, and crime rate (especially amoung the youth in Chicago Public Schools).
Some excerpts from the act that give only a general idea of what "affordable housing" is:
"Sec. 10.Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to encourage counties and municipalities to incorporate affordable housing within their housing stock sufficient to meet the needs of their county or community. Further, affordable housing developers who believe that they have been unfairly treated due to the fact that the development contains affordable housing may seek relief from local ordinances and regulations that may inhibit the construction of affordable housing needed to serve low-income and moderate-income households in this State."
Sec.15.Definitions. As used in this Act:
“Affordable housing” means housing that has a sales price or rental amount that is within the means of a household that may occupy moderate-income or low-income housing. In the case of dwelling units for sale, housing that is affordable means housing in which mortgage, amortization, taxes, insurance, and condominium or association fees, if any, constitute no more than 30% of the gross annual household income for a household of the size that may occupy the unit. In the case of dwelling units for rent, housing that is affordable means housing for which the rent and utilities constitute no more than 30% of the gross annual household income for a household of the size that may occupy the unit."
“Low-income housing” means housing that is affordable, according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, for either home ownership or rental, and that is occupied, reserved, or marketed for occupancy by households with a gross household income that does not exceed 50% of the area median household income."
The Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act can be found at http://www.ihda.org/admin//Upload/Files//82555b73-3f68-4a60-9323-8c76f54...
