To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: CPPH_Info-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is 1 message in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. Another lawsuit to be filed in Chicago From: Grant ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 06:38:49 -0800 (PST) From: Grant Subject: Another lawsuit to be filed in Chicago There will be a press conference about this suit at 10:00 am, today (Jan 23, 2003) at 219 S. Dearborn (the federal Courthouse in Chicago). --- Wayne Sherwood wrote: CHA failing to help families, suit alleges Chicago Sun-Times January 23, 2003 BY CURTIS LAWRENCE STAFF REPORTER Despite being aware that adequate social services and housing assistance have not been provided to families moving from demolished high-rises, the Chicago Housing Authority has failed to remedy the problem, according to a class-action lawsuit that will be filed today. The National Center on Poverty Law, the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Business and Professional People for the Public Interest are filing the action on behalf of current and former CHA tenants who have moved from CHA developments to poor, segregated communities, attorneys said. The suit accuses the CHA of failing to live up to legal agreements promising to help families move into racially and economically mixed areas. The plaintiffs want the court to enter an injunction forcing the CHA to develop a program that would integrate residents into racially integrated communities and to comply with other agreements between the agency and its residents. The suit also strongly criticizes the CHA's $5.9 million Service Connector Program, designed to provide social services to residents and their families. Alexander Polikoff, a member of the board of Business and Professional People, said advocates have been trying since last November to get the CHA to merge it's housing counseling and service connector programs. "The service connector program doesn't work," said Polikoff who represents CHA tenants who won a court-ordered consent decree. "We need case management services along with the housing counseling." One of the plaintiffs, Mary Sistrunk, says more needs to be done for large families. Sistrunk, who has eight children, has moved eight times since she left the Robert Taylor Homes on the South Side in 1996. In the last six months, the CHA has pledged to add $1.2 million to the program and to hire between 25 and 30 more managers. It has also revamped and expanded its relocation program to steer families from moving to high-poverty neighborhoods. (END) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/