Moreno, Housing Activists Seek To Move CHA Overhaul Plan
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Several Aldermen and housing advocates were pushing for action on a proposed ordinance that would give the City Council direct oversight over the Chicago Housing Authority.
Miguel Suarez, who has lived at the Lathrop Homes public housing complex since 1989, said with so many people homeless, it's time for an ordinance that would prompt the CHA to use its buildings and resources to help.
"The purpose of the Keeping The Promise Ordinance is to ensure that taxpayers' funds entrusted to the Chicago Housing Authority are used fully and efficiently to provide as many Chicagoans as possible with access to safe, decent, and affordable housing," he said.
Ald. Proco Joe Moreno (1st) issued a challenge to Ald. Ray Suarez (31st) to call a hearing of the Housing Committee he chairs to debate the measure.
"What are you afraid of, Alderman Suarez? What are you afraid of?" Moreno asked.
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Moreno said the mayor's office has asked for changes in the ordinance, but the alderman said that shouldn't prevent the Housing Committee from holding a hearing on the matter.
Among other changes in oversight, the ordinance would require the CHA to submit quarterly reports on its progress and plans for building housing, the amount of vacant and offline public housing, utilization of housing vouchers, housing inspections, and unspent revenue.
Currently, the City Council has the authority to confirm the mayor's appointments of CHA board members, but has no direct authority in regards to the CHA budget or operations.
Last summer, a report by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a Chicago-based fiscal watchdog found the CHA had socked away $432 million in unspent reserves from funding that was supposed to go to its housing voucher program.
