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Attention ONE Northside Members and Friends:
Chicago City Council passed the SRO Preservation Ordinance, "Chicago for All" on November 14, 2014, just about a year ago. ONE Northside and our allies in the Chicago for All Coalition spent a few years leading up to the ordinance passage building power, developing an ordinance, and fighting for its passage.
The impact of the ordinance has been significant. The following is a report on the progress that has been made on SRO preservation since passage.
A total of nine single room occupancy buildings (SRO's) have triggered the ordinance to date. The ordinance is triggered when the owner wants to sell. Of those nine, only one of the building owners decided not to negotiate with a buyer who would preserve the building, opting to pay the fee to the City and to the tenants, generating $1.7 million for the City’s SRO Preservation Fund (created by the ordinance). All 87 tenants received $10,600 in relocation assistance (a requirement of the ordinance).
The other eight building owners opted to enter into a six month negotiation with affordable housing developers. Affordable housing developers are making headway at five out of those eight buildings so far. Of those five, four are in ONE Northside’s area.
So far, zero SROs in ONE Northside’s area have been lost to market rate conversion since the passage of the ordinance.
We have organized Tenant Associations at all of the building in our area. The tenants have been integral to the success of the ordinance by getting the support of and activating Aldermen, affordable housing developers, and the City’s Department of Planning and Development and Policy staff. The ordinance has been an extremely effective preservation tool, primarily because the people impacted by it are organized and have used it to their advantage.
In buildings that are outside of ONE Northside’s area, we have gotten in touch with the relevant organizations in every case to inform them of the policy, and to provide technical assistance.
In just a year, the Chicago for All Ordinance has had a positive impact on the tenants living in 1,361 SRO units.
Overall, the ordinance has been a necessary tool to accomplish the goal of ensuring that SRO tenants can remain in their homes and communities, and that their housing is preserved as affordable for the long-term.
For more information, or to join ONE Northside's Affordable Housing Team, contact Mary Tarullo at mtarullo@onenorthside.org.
To support the work of ONE Northside financially, click HERE to donate!
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