Type: Title:
Committee(s) Assignment:
Mell, Richard F. (33)
Smith Mir.h^l^ (A1\
Resolution
Illinois Congressional delegation urged to oppose federal funding cuts to HUD housing programs
(
City of Chicago In City Council Resolution
RESOLUTION URGING THE ILLINOIS CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO OPPOSE FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS TO HUD THAT WOULD SEVERELY IMPACT THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Whereas, In Chicago, more than 82,060 low-income households, with an estimated 185,562 Chicagoans, rely on Section 8 or public housing assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to maintain their homes1; and
Whereas, More than 88,923 individuals2 were homeless or dependent on emergency or transitional shelters in Chicago at some point in 2010, a 20% increase from the previous year; and
Whereas, 203,043 individuals and families signed up for 40,000 spots on the CHA's Family Housing Wait List when it opened for 26 days in 20103, indicating 16 times more applicants for Family housing than total Family units currently operated by the CHA and demonstrating enormous need for affordable housing in Chicago; and
Whereas, The City of Chicago has already lost 24,082 units of low income subsidized housing through market conversions or demolitions and cannot afford to lose any more4; and
1 Chicago Housing Authority, 2010 MTW Annual Report, p. 93-95,
4 Chicago Housing Authority, FY2000 Moving to'Work Annual Report, 49, (Jan. 2000), available at http://www.thecha.org/filebin/pdf/FY2000-Annual-Report.pdf: CHA 2010 Annual Report at 15. In January 2000, the CHA had 38,963 public housing units in its inventory, down to 21,811 units in 2010. National Housing Trust, HUD-Assisted, Project-Based Losses by State, 20-22, (2005), available at
Whereas, The City of Chicago relies on $269.6 million in Public Housing Operating and Capital Funding annually, as well as $122.7 million annually through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Programs administered by HUD, to provide a wide range of affordable housing, economic development, and social service programs for the residents of our city; and
Whereas, The U.S. Congress cut HUD's budget by $5.4 billion in FY2011, resulting in a loss to Chicago of over $52 million in funding for public housing, as well as a loss of $18.4 million in CDBG and HOME funding; and
Whereas, The House of Representatives has proposed even deeper cuts to HUD programs in FY2012, which would result in $43.2 million more lost for Chicago's public housing budget and an additional $41.2 million reduction to CDBG and HOME funding; and
Whereas, The cuts proposed in the House would result in a net 78% reduction to the Chicago Housing Authority's Public Housing Capital Funding levels between FY2010 and FY2012, which would lead to dangerous living conditions and dramatically accelerate the deterioration and loss of public housing units; and
Whereas, The cuts proposed in the House would result in a net 57% reduction to Chicago's CDBG and HOME programs between FY2010 and FY2012; and
Whereas, If projected House reductions are applied proportionately to Chicago, the City will lose an estimated 183 rental assistance vouchers, and
Whereas, Current law does not provide for Enhanced Vouchers to unprotected tenants in expiring HUD mortgage buildings in certain developments in Chicago, placing 233 families at risk for extreme rent increases; and
project-based Section 8 housing had been lost due to conversion and expiring contracts. While the number has no doubt increased, such data has not been compiled since 2005.
Whereas, the tax rate on the wealthiest Americans is at its lowest point in history, and corporate tax evasion is,widespread, causing a severe national revenue shortage; and
Whereas, The City of Chicago cannot sustain an overall reduction of $59.7 million in CDBG and HOME funding in the space of two years; and
Whereas, Cuts to HUD housing programs would have a devastating and unacceptable impact on Chicago's homeless and low income families, elderly, vetrans, and people with disabilities;
Now, Therefore, Be It
Resolved, that the City of Chicago call upon our Congressional delegation to advocate for the extension of Section 8 Enhanced Vouchers in the final FY2012 appropriation bill to currently unassisted tenants in Chicago and other expiring mortgage buildings, as proposed by the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committee in November 2010; and be it further
Resolved, that the City of Chicago calls upon our Congressional delegation to reject any cuts below levels approved by the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees in 2010 for Section 8, Public Housing, CDBG, HOME, homelessness assistance, and other vital HUD programs in the FY 2012 appropriations bills; and be it further
Resolved, that the City of Chicago calls upon our Congressional delegation to urge the Obama Administration to request full funding for HUD programs, forego cuts to the CDBG and HOME grant programs and provide increases in public housing and Voucher programs to fully meet the needs of Chicagoans.