Affordable housing referendum gains overwhelming support

Roughly 90 percent of voters across a dozen 5th ward precincts voiced their support for more affordable housing in South Shore. 

Members of the Obama CBA Coalition placed a referendum in the ballot for the Feb. 28 election, asking voters if they support the 5th ward alderperson or mayor’s launching of a community support program to prevent displacement in South Shore, reported Block Club Chicago. 

It was a landslide decision, as 2,400 of 2,700 voters said yes to the proposal. The benefits program includes the reserving of all city-owned vacant lots for the exclusive use of affordable housing, a requirement that 60 percent of new housing developments are reserved for extremely low-income households, a plan where the Chicago Housing Authority’s acquisition program buys and converts new developments into public housing and an additional $60 million towards programs benefiting South Shore residents, such as rent assistance programs. 

An example of an “extremely-low” income household would be a four-person household making less than $31,250 per year, according to the outlet. The most notable city-owned lot referenced in the ballot is the one on 63rd Street and Blackstone, which activists have pressed local officials to utilize for high-density affordable housing since 2020. 

Desmon Yancy and Martina Hone, the two candidates squaring off in April’s runoff election to represent the 5th Ward, have slightly differing views on the benefits agreement. 

Yancy has expressed complete support. 

“I feel like the people and the community behind the CBA ordinance have done their due diligence and spent the last couple years developing these points to move the conversation along,” Yancy told the outlet. “It’s important for me to be an advocate for it and push for it in the council.”

Meanwhile, Hone supports the initiative overall, but she doesn’t believe all vacant city-owned lots should be devoted to affordable housing, and she said 30 percent of new developments should be reserved for low-income households, not 60.

A similar referendum received overwhelming support from voters in 5th and 20th ward precincts in 2019 as well, but plans stalled and a scaled-back ordinance was eventually passed in 2020, the outlet said.

-Quinn Donoghue