Blocks Together's Housing Committee is dedicated to preserving and increasing affordable housing, improving access to information about housing programs, working to prevent resident displacement, increasing capital spending in the community, and increasing the area's low homeownership rate of 24%.
Uniting thousands of residents in public meetings, rallies, press conferences and negotiations with public officials, Blocks Together has won the following:
- Blocks Together won a major policy change at the county level to have trilingual information (English, Spanish and Polish) on all property tax exemptions sent to every homeowner in 2003. Hundreds of residents came together to call for equal access to information affecting homeowners and renters, English and non-English speakers alike.
- Residents won local bilingual workshops to help community members appeal high property tax assessments and apply for property tax relief.
- Residents have won disclosure of capital spending, and worked to have millions of dollars for street, sidewalk, school, alley and viaduct repair invested in 4 Aldermanic wards. Leaders have also won community oversight of development in several Tax Increment Financing Districts.
- As part of a city-wide coalition of 6 community organizations, Blocks Together has a community reinvestment agreement with Bank One that commits the bank to invest $208 million over 10 years in housing purchase and rehab loans; and $168 million in small business loans to low and moderate income borrowers.
- Over 1000 people have attended our housing and credit repair workshops which we cosponsor with nonprofit housing developers, credit counseling agencies and local banks.
- Blocks Together has successfully fought to have the Department of Buildings, the Chicago Police Department, private owners, banks, Goldenfeather and HUD, take responsibility for the board up, patrol and rehab of abandoned properties. We have also won increased patrol of HUD-owned abandoned buildings in the community.
-
| 
