Cook County Housing Authority off HUD’s “Troubled” List

The Housing Authority of Cook County has climbed out of federal oversight, but its internal struggles are far from over.

The nation’s 14th-largest public housing authority, which serves more than 30,000 residents across suburban Cook County, was removed from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “troubled” list last month after two years of poor audit performance and mismanagement, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Yet documents and interviews show that the agency, now led by Executive Director Danita Childers, is grappling with bitter infighting, high staff turnover and confusion over a secretive reorganization effort.

Records obtained by the outlet show payments exceeding $26,000 to attorney Charles Krugel for “reorganization” work — despite Childers’ public denials that a staff overhaul was underway. Board materials list 37 “new and restructured” positions, and invoices reference both restructuring and an investigation into a board member. “We asked and were told there wouldn’t be any reorg,” board chair Wendy Walker Williams said during a heated September meeting. “This appears to us as though there has been one.”

Childers maintains that day-to-day staffing decisions fall under her purview, arguing the board’s role is limited to governance, not operations. But board members contend that executive-level hires affect the agency’s strategic direction and require oversight. The clash has fueled distrust between leadership and staff, with some employees describing a “toxic” work environment and others accusing Childers of favoritism and retaliation.

Since January, 16 employees — nearly 9 percent of the 180-person workforce — have quit, while 14 others have been terminated. Those departures come despite a new union contract signed in March aimed at improving wages and workloads. Morale remains low, with long-serving employees saying instability is undermining services for residents and voucher holders.

Meanwhile, the agency faces scrutiny over $641,000 in outside contracts approved under Childers, including ethics, legal and consulting work. The board’s investigation of Commissioner Eric Slaughter — who has been accused of “unintentional sexual harassment” following internal complaints — further exposed divisions within the agency. Slaughter denies wrongdoing and says he was punished for asking hard questions about spending.

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who appoints housing authority commissioners, urged transparency but declined to intervene directly.

— Eric Weilbacher