what's new
CRN's Analysis of DOH Quarterly Progress Report - 2nd Quarter 2008
Now Available!
Read CRN Comments about the City's proposed Vacant Buildings Ordinance here.
Chicago Rehab Network in the News: 'CHA Opens Voucher Wait List'
Click here for the WBEZ-FM report
CRN's Testimony on Bank of America's Acquisition of Countrywide
Department of Housing Seeks Qualified Developers for Preservation
To view RFQ, click here.
Read the Affordable Housing Preservation Ordinance. Notice Form.
Funding Shortfall Threatens 500,000 Section 8 Apartments!
Failure by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Management and Budget to request enough funds have put 500,000 project-based Section 8 apartments. Click here to read more about the problem and what needs to be done to fix it.
Save Lathrop Homes!: "CHA Residents Pushing for Meeting With New CEO"
Read story by Natalie Moore of WBEZ-FM in Chicago about Lathrop Homes residents trying to meet with Lewis Jordan, the CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority to preserve the affordable housing community.
Lathrop Homes press release
Network News
Chicago Rehab Network's latest quarterly newsletter is available
Read it here.
Affordable Housing and the disappearing middle class Chicago Rehab Network responds to Crain's article, "Shifting Fortunes" (Dec. 17).
Read it here
Evergreen Terrace Apartments Residents Fight for Their Homes
Download press release about a lawsuit filed by residents of Evergreen Terrace Apartments in Joliet, Ill. and related news coverage.
CRN Comments on Chicago Housing Authority's FY2008 Plan
Read CRN's position and comments on the progress of the Plan for Transformation and the future of Lathrop Homes
Keeping housing affordable: Chicago Rehab Network training focuses on housing preservation, good ownership and active residents
Effective partnerships between owners, managers and residents of subsidized housing will be the focus of an Oct. 30 day-long training convened by the Chicago Rehab Network. Participants will include federal housing officials and owners and management companies that receive federal money to keep apartments affordable.
more information
Read the Chicago Rehab Network's Commentary On Proposed Funding Priorities for the Illinois Housing Development Authority's Qualified Allocation Plan.
Download a PDF of the commentary…
Tracking the ARO
The passage of the amendments to the Affordable Requirements Ordinance means that there are new rules that would trigger affordability requirements in all projects receiving city assistance including land, financing, and certain zoning changes.
In an effort to ensure transparency and proper application of the new provisions on all eligible developments, CRN has launched ARO Watch to keep track of residential projects in which the ARO may apply.
More information on the ARO
Preservation Notebooks
Read recent enews on affordable housing preservation activities in Cook County including overviews of at-risk buildings and federal legislative updates.
Download the Morningside; Sutherland notebook
Download the Rienzi/Lincoln Park Plaza; 8bb notebook
Cook County Preservation Rental Alliance Materials & Handouts
Chicago Rehab Network receives major MacArthur Foundation grant
Chicago Rehab Network accepts MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, 2006. left to right: Jonathan Fanton, MacArthur Foundation President; Pat Abrams CRN Board President; Kevin Jackson, CRN Executive Director; Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, MacArthur Foundation Board Chair
When the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation decided to honor nine organizations with its new "Creative and Effective Institutions" awards, only two U.S.-based groups were chosen. The Chicago Rehab Network was one of those groups.
The awards were announced Aug. 24 in Chicago. The foundation stated that nominations were not sought or accepted for the awards. "To qualify, organizations must demonstrate exceptional creativity and effectiveness; have reached a critical or strategic point in their development; have budgets of less than $2.5 million a year; show strong leadership and stable financial management; and have previously received MacArthur Foundation support, so that further legal review is not required," said the foundation. Each organization will receive up to $500,000.
The award winners will be honored at an Oct. 5 ceremony in Chicago that will coincide with a series of seminars that will allow recipients to share some lessons with other non-profits.
"We are proud to have been chosen by the MacArthur Foundation and we feel this investment shows the importance of our work. The funds given by the MacArthur Foundation will help us provide for the long-term stability of the Chicago Rehab Network. That means our ability to partner with and serve community development corporations and others is greatly enhanced. We love the work that we do and this contribution will help us to do it better," said Kevin Jackson, executive director of the Chicago Rehab Network.
Watch Kevin Jackson speak about affordable housing.
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