CHA Board passes $1.2 billion budget for 2022

Nov 16, 2021
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CHICAGO (Nov. 16, 2021) – The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Board of Commissioners approved the agency’s 2022 annual budget for $1.2 billion at Tuesday’s November Board meeting.

CHA CEO Tracey Scott said the budget reflects CHA’s dual mission of creating and preserving affordable housing and providing families with pathways to economic independence.

“This budget builds on the work that was accomplished in 2021, under the strategic focus of ‘Building Resilience,’” CEO Scott said. “While CHA, like every organization, faced tremendous challenges in continuing to deliver quality services throughout the past two years, we used this time as an opportunity to reconsider how we do business, and to improve our communications and delivery of services to the families we serve.”

In 2022, CHA has budgeted more than $100 million towards capital projects that advance its mission to preserve and create affordable housing. In addition to ensuring rental assistance is provided to our 63,000 families and seniors, major goals include:

  • Giving families more options to increase their economic success by launching a down payment assistance option for the Choose to Own program and designing a safety net program for families who transition off housing assistance.
  • Rehabilitating and improving existing public housing properties, while also delivering new affordable housing units through new construction and PBV partnerships.
  • Maintaining utilization of Housing Choice Vouchers at 97 percent or higher so families with rental subsidies are able to choose the communities where they want to live.

“The pandemic has challenged CHA just as it has challenged all of society,” CEO Scott said. “Our agency’s success is only possible with the full support of our Board of Commissioners, the dedication of CHA team members and resident leaders, and the contributions of our public and private sector partners. Ultimately, the testament of our impact is the success of our families and their ability to thrive, move towards economic independence and sustain a high quality of life.”

The complete 2022 CHA budget is viewable online at https://www.thecha.org/about/plans-reports-and-policies/financial-reports.

LATHROP HOMES PHASE 1B CLOSING

CHA also announced that it recently closed on Lathrop Phase 1B, which will include the rehabilitation of 74 units as part of the Lathrop Homes development on the North Side. The 74 new mixed-income rental units will include 28 CHA, 15 affordable and 31 market-rate units. Construction has begun and is anticipated to last approximately 18 months.

Phase 1A of the Lathrop rehabilitation was completed in late 2019. It consists of 414 mixed income units across 16 existing historic buildings and one newly constructed six-story elevator building. The breakdown of the 414 total units is 151 public housing units, 101 affordable units and 162 market rate units. That project has won numerous awards, including the 2020 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Rehabilitation from Landmark Illinois; and the 2021 Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design (second place) from the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. 

Julia C. Lathrop Homes (Lathrop Homes) was constructed in 1938 and is one of the oldest developments in CHA’s portfolio. It consists of 31 low-rise buildings on 34 acres of land. It is located on the north side of the City of Chicago between Clybourn Avenue, Damen Avenue and the Chicago River.

The redevelopment of Lathrop Homes began in 2010 with the procurement of Lathrop Community Partners; a development team consisting of Related Midwest, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp and Heartland Housing.

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ABOUT THE CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY (CHA)
CHA’s vision is to foster strong, vibrant communities throughout Chicago by increasing affordable housing choices for low-income families. The CHA is also the largest rental housing owner in the City of Chicago. It serves more than 133,000 people in 63,000 households across the city through our Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and Project-Based Voucher programs. For more information, visit www.thecha.org