Mayor Brandon Johnson has ramped up his efforts to curb homelessness and create more affordable housing in Chicago by hiring the city’s first executive dedicated specifically to addressing the issue.
Johnson signed an executive order earlier this week, establishing the city’s first-ever chief homelessness officer position, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Whoever is appointed to this new role will be tasked with devising solutions “for stable, permanent and affordable housing.”
“By establishing a Chief Homelessness Officer for the city of Chicago, we will have a critical point of contact to coordinate efforts and leverage the full force of government to provide shelter for all people,” Johnson told the outlet.
The announcement came just before a public hearing at which Johnson’s proposal to raise real estate transfer taxes on all property sales of $1 million or more will go before City Council. This initiative, called Bring Chicago Home, is meant to utilize funds from increased tax revenue for anti-homelessness and affordable housing measures.
At the start of 2022, about 68,440 Chicagoans were experiencing homelessness, including about 44,000 people experiencing what Johnson on Tuesday called “an often-hidden form of homelessness,” that includes cramming into another person’s or family’s home, or “doubling up,” and temporarily staying with others.
Furthermore, the city’s Department of Family and Support Services identified 6,139 unhoused residents in shelters, encampments and unsheltered areas during a single night in January.
Various organizations and advocates support Johnson’s recent decision.
“A dedicated, senior-level role within the mayor’s office will help advance sustainable, long-term solutions to expand access to housing for all and help end homelessness in Chicago,” Emily Krisciunas, executive director of Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness, told the newspaper.
The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless also championed the move with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
—Quinn Donoghue
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