South Shore Affordable Housing Advocates Press Council

A group of housing affordability advocates that previously secured market restrictions in Woodlawn meant to help stave off gentrification near the Obama Presidential Center has set its sights on South Shore.

South Side aldermen Desmon Yancy of the Fifth Ward and Jeanette Taylor of the 20th have teamed up with the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition to create the South Shore Housing Preservation Ordinance, Block Club reported. The ordinance, introduced into City Council on Thursday, is designed to protect South Shore residents from displacement and spur more affordable housing.

Under the proposed legislation, all city-owned vacant lots in South Shore would be earmarked for affordable housing. Plus, a pilot program would require 60 percent of new housing developments to be reserved for households earning 30 percent of the area median income.

The ordinance bans move-in fees, caps rental application fees and security deposits and introduces fair notice protections. Millions of dollars would be invested in various programs benefiting South Shore residents, including home improvement grants and down payment assistance. Moreover, vacant homes and multifamily buildings would be redeveloped as affordable housing.

The initiative aims to combat the high eviction rates in South Shore and prevent displacement of its residents. Kiara Hardin, a former South Shore resident, highlighted the ordinance’s potential to maintain the neighborhood’s economic diversity, creating a “mixed-class and mixed-everything” community, the outlet reported.

The CBA Coalition’s efforts began in 2015 to protect Black residents from gentrification as the Obama Center took shape in Jackson Park. Following Woodlawn’s housing preservation ordinance in September 2020, the organizers focused on similar anti-displacement policies for South Shore.

If enacted, 95 percent of city-owned lots in South Shore would be committed to “truly affordable” housing, and 75 percent of new housing units would cater to households with incomes below 30 percent of the area’s average median income.

The proposed $35 million grant funding includes support for home improvement, down payment assistance and relief for soaring property taxes, the outlet reported.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has emphasized the importance of a benefits agreement that allows families to remain in their communities. The ordinance now awaits further deliberation and approval by the council.

— Quinn Donoghue