Committee on Housing and Real Estate Chicago City Council Meeting April 22, 2020
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is working diligently to address the needs of its residents during the Coronavirus pandemic, now commonly referred to as COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot issued Emergency Executive Order No. 2020-1 on March 18, 2020 in an effort to coordinate an immediate citywide response to mitigating, preparing, testing and taking immediate health measures to address COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, social distancing and shelter in place orders have closed many parts of the city and its diverse economy, impacting thousands of residents directly; and,
WHEREAS, housing insecurity has become exponentially greater as a results of family budgets and financial obligations being negatively impacted by reduced or nonexistent incomes; and,
WHEREAS, the Chicago Housing Authority ["CHA") is charged with overseeing public housing within the City of Chicago, with a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor of the City of Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, the CHA is also duly charged with the administration of nearly 135,000 Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher and Project-Based Voucher program participants; and,
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"), under the authority provided to the HUD Secretary as provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities ("CARES") Act, released a series of waivers and program updates on April 10, 2020 directly related to their housing response related to COVID-19 and their Public Housing Authorities and Housing Choice Voucher programs, as well as processing requests for tenant approvals ; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago has attempted to assist its residents with an introductory $2,000,000 COVID-19 Housing Assistance Grant program, that provided 2,000 awardees with a one-time assistance payment of $1,000 for rent or mortgage payments; and,
WHEREAS, 83,000 people applied for the COVID...
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