Sunday, April 19 – The UN35 Political Education committee lead a teach in on past and present Affordable Housing projects.
Our April community meeting brought a focus on the legacy of affordable housing in our neighborhood. After a history lesson about the late organizer Lucy Parsons Gonzalez, we heard personal stories about the struggle to organize for 100 affordable units named in her honor.
We also heard updates on some exciting upcoming affordable housing developments (including the Metropolitan “L” Apartments and POAH development), and we discussed the limits of affordable housing and how we can organize for adequate and affordable housing for everyone.
We were honored to be joined by an esteemed panel of speakers who shared their experiences organizing for the Lucy Parsons Gonzalez apartments, and how the struggle for affordable housing has evolved since then.
- Carlos Ramírez Rosa: General Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Park District, past 35th Ward Alderman
- Christian Díaz: Project Manager, Equitable Community Development – LUCHA
- Isabel Cabrera: Community Organizer – CHIARTS Advocacy Committee, Delta Institute Advisory Council in South Shore
Here are five lessons and themes we’re reflecting on after the program:
- Housing policy is not one-size-fits-all. Different neighborhoods are presented with different challenges that require different solutions. What works in Lakeview or South Loop won’t have the same impact in Logan Square or Avondale, and it won’t entice developers to invest in West Garfield Park or Austin. We must be able to analyze local conditions and develop plans for housing with local needs and dynamics at the forefront.
- Logan Square and Avondale are LOSING naturally occurring affordable housing. When corporations or investors purchase multi-flat buildings and deconvert them to single units of luxury apartments, they’re diminishing a stock of housing that’s primarily owned and occupied by multi-generational families, who end up getting displaced. We can’t just build our way out of the housing crisis – we also need to protect this abundant middle.
- Luxury apartments don’t lower rents. These new developments might increase overall supply, but they don’t affect supply at the lower end of cost. They pull up the average cost in the area, and entice landlords in the middle to keep up with the market. Backfilling the affordable options thus falls on the government, which requires community organizing to guide it.
- Affordable housing is popular. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa ran his first campaign for Alderman with a promise of bringing affordable housing to the vacant lot, and he handily unseated a legacy incumbent. When Palenque LSNA led a march and rally to call for 100% affordable housing, they were joined by 600 neighbors.
- Don’t take “No” for an answer. Organizers were chastised for rejecting an original offer for a development with 30% affordable apartments. In total, the organizing behind the Lucy Parsons Gonzalez apartments resulted in all 100 units of affordable housing, plus a Demolition Impact Fee, a mental health clinic, and a community land trust.
