------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4 and no minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/orkH0C/n97DAA/ySSFAA/tOsolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: CPPH_Info-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are 3 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. Section 8 housing discrimination in Chicago From: Grant 2. Chicago programs for residents reviewed From: Grant 3. Group to test Chicago landlords -- will they accept vouchers? From: Grant ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 14:10:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Grant Subject: Section 8 housing discrimination in Chicago --- Wayne Sherwood wrote: > > Many landlords shut out minorities > Chicago Sun-Times, 4/18/2002 -- by Curtis Lawrence > > Poor African Americans and Latinos using federal housing vouchers to rent > apartments are getting doors slammed in their faces, according to a report > released Wednesday. Such discrimination threatens the CHA's plan to > relocate thousands of tenants from the projects to outlying neighborhoods. > While whites often were rejected, it was much worse for blacks and > Latinos, the report says. More than half of the 207 landlords called by > testers investigating housing discrimination refused to rent apartments > when told the prospective renter was a participant in the Housing Choice > Voucher program, formerly known as Section 8. A city ordinance prohibits > landlords from discriminating against voucher holders. "The absolute > extent of the discrimination floored me," said Kathy Clark, executive > director of the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing, the group that > commissioned the report. The study included random samples of landlords > and targeted samples of middle class neighborhoods. The report raises > serious questions about the CHA's plan to rehab or build 25,000 apartments > and to move as many as 6,000 families into the private housing market with > vouchers. "I think the study is very important because it gives us a > reality check as to just how fast this transformation can take place," > said Aurie Pennick, president and executive director of the Leadership > Council for Metropolitan Open Communities. "First of all the units > aren't there," Pennick said, "and secondly when you add the increase in > discrimination against housing choice vouchers, they [CHA residents] are > at an unbelievable disadvantage. CHA officials questioned the study's > findings and said they have begun to address Section 8 concerns including > a tracking system that will follow tenants after they enter the private > market. "The sample sizes are very small, and I'm not sure how > statistically significant the numbers are," said Kathyrn Greenberg, a top > assistant to CHA chief Terry Peterson. Robin Snyderman of the > Metropolitan Planning Council cites discrimination as a continuing problem > in the voucher program, but said the CHA is trying to improve. "There are > lots of signs of progress, but the scale and complexity of the problem is > daunting." About 2,600 CHA residents have moved from their apartments > since the transformation plan began three years ago. About 1,200 of those > residents used vouchers, Greenberg said. While Greenberg said those > residents found apartments without much trouble, studies have shown that > the majority of them have relocated in high poverty areas not much > different than the projects. "What I think Terry [Peterson] and the city > ought to do is to enforce its own fair housing ordinance," Pennick said. > Under the city's Fair Housing Ordinance it is illegal to discriminate > against voucher holders. "We just have to be better in our outreach > efforts to let people know that the law in Chicago prohibits > discrimination against voucher holders," said Ken Gunn, first deputy > commissioner for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. While the > study also found discrimination against white testers calling about > renting apartments, it was much worse for Latinos and African Americans, > who account for almost all of CHA residents. When white testers called 59 > landlords who had advertised apartments in area newspapers, 46 percent of > them were told outright that a housing voucher would not be accepted. Only > whites were used for this part of the test--to determine if vouchers would > be accepted regardless of race. In the second phase, only black and > Latino testers were used to call the same landlords, who either said yes > or appeared open to the possibility of accepting a voucher from whites. > Sixteen percent of those black and Latino testers were told "no" by > landlords, even though they had been open to accepting a voucher from a > white tenant, sometimes as recently as 30 minutes earlier. "It was > almost like disgust," said an African American tester for the HOPE Fair > Housing Center who conducted the study along with the South Suburban > Housing Center. "They didn't know anything about me, but just because I > sounded black, they didn't want to deal with me." The experience of the > tester was affirmed by at least one CHA resident who said she has had > similar experiences. Only in her case, it was not a test. "I just called > about an apartment down on 33rd and Giles and the lady said the owner is > not taking anybody with a [voucher] because he didn't want to be > bothered," said Stateway Gardens resident Lorraine Fleming. (END) > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 2 Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 06:28:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Grant Subject: Chicago programs for residents reviewed --- Wayne Sherwood wrote: > Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 08:51:44 -0400 > > Housing agency may fine-tune aid program > > April 17, 2002 > Chicago Sun-Times > > BY KATE N. GROSSMAN STAFF REPORTER > > CHA Chief Terry Peterson acknowledged Tuesday that his agency's key program > to link residents with job training or counseling may need some retooling > if it's going to help the hard-core poor living in the projects. > > The Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday that the $5.9 million program, > launched by the Chicago Housing Authority last fall, was underfunded and > understaffed. > > Early evidence suggests the "Service Connector" program--which features 25 > centers where residents can get job referrals, rehab or day care--may work > for self-starters, but has little to offer people who can't or won't ask > for help, people limited by drug abuse or illiteracy. > > Peterson said his agency needs to consider adjusting the number of people > at each center who are experienced in helping draw out the toughest cases. > Each center now has just one or two such people. > > "That's an issue we'll have to address," Peterson said at the CHA monthly > board meeting at Altgeld Gardens, a Far South Side development. "As we move > forward, we'll look at things we need to improve on and adjust." > > Several residents and advocates asked the CHA to spend more money on the > program, which is part of a $1.6 billion plan to transform public housing. > > They also spoke out against a controversial federal "one-strike" policy > that evicts residents if they or their visitors are caught buying drugs or > toting a gun. Last year 119 families were tossed out under this rule. > > Advocates complained that the CHA is ensnaring innocent people and asked > the agency to adopt a more compassionate approach. They also worry about a > potential increase in evictions because the Supreme Court recently ruled > that people could be thrown out even if they didn't know their visitor or > relative was breaking the law. > > In Chicago, thanks to an agreement between a resident board and the CHA, > the agency must prove a resident knew about the illegal activity. Peterson > affirmed his support for that defense Tuesday, despite the Supreme Court > ruling. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 3 Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 06:33:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Grant Subject: Group to test Chicago landlords -- will they accept vouchers? --- Wayne Sherwood wrote: > > > New Study Tests 200 Landlords To Be Discussed April 18 > U.S. Newswire > 17 Apr 13:35 > Will Landlords Accept Rent Vouchers From Public Housing Residents? > New Study Tests 200 Landlords > To: City and Assignment desks > Contact: Valerie Denney of Valerie Denney Communications, > 312-408-2580 or 312-282-2229 (cell) > > News Advisory: > > Will landlords accept public housing residents who move to the > private rental market using federal vouchers to pay the rent? A > new study reports on what happened when black, Hispanic, and white > testers posing as low-income apartment seekers told landlords they > would be paying their rents using a common public subsidy known as > the Housing Choice Voucher (formerly Section 8). > > Thousands of families are expected to leave public housing for > the private market over the next ten years using the House Choice > Voucher. Although discrimination against voucher holders is > illegal, the test was commissioned to determine whether anecdotal > evidence that Chicago-area landlords routinely discriminate against > people using the voucher is true or false. > > What: > Media Availability Session to discuss the report's findings > > When: > Thursday, April 18 > 11:30 a.m. > > Where: > Sidley & Austin > Bank One Plaza > 1 S. Dearborn > 55th Floor > Chicago, Ill. > > NOTE: > This is a high security building. You must RSVP in advance > to 312-408-2580. You are required to show appropriate press > credentials with photo I.D. > > Who: > The report was sponsored by the Lawyers' Committee for > Better Housing, a 22-year-old public interest law firm specializing > in housing law and policy in Chicago. > > Background: > The study describes the results of more than 200 encounters > with landlords. In the test protocol, white testers approached > landlords first. If the landlord told the white tester that > vouchers were an acceptable form of rent payment, a black tester > called in order to determine whether or not the landlord would > still accept the voucher once he or she was aware that the > prospective tenant was black. > > http://www.usnewswire.com > -0- > /U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ > 04/17 13:35 > > Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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