Alderperson Jessie Fuentes On Timeline and Hopes for the Neighborhood
Story by Joel Ortiz
On the corner of California and Crystal Streets sits a silver fence and an empty lot. Perched on the fence is a logo advertising ‘Path Con-struction’– the very company that will be helming the development for a new affordable housing building.
On August 2 of this year, 26th Ward Alderperson Jessie Fuentes along with Sen Omar Aquino, Chief of staff for the Mayor, Cristina Paci-one-Zayas and Paul Roldan, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hispanic Housing Development Corporation celebrated the groundbreaking for the building. The reported $44 million building will bring 40 affordable housing units to the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Previously the land occupied La Casa Puertoriqueña which was notable for being a gathering space for the community; however, after their bankruptcy, the lot was acquired by the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation. A move that Alderperson Fuentes describes as being necessary in order to combat the ongoing process of gentrification in the neighborhood.
Gentrification is a process that drives property taxes and rents up-ward, and in the end displaces the long-term residents of a community. Be-cause these cost of living increases are unaffordable for many, displacement and even homelessness are inevitable. Gradually, the community loses its continuity and its historic character.
“It permeates everywhere, all around Humboldt Park. We have seen the average monthly rent for two bedrooms in the last five years go anywhere from nine hundred to 11 hundred to two thousand to 25 hundred…It’s almost a doubling of the average rent in our community. Also for homeowners… (they) see a 30-50 percent tax increase for their residents.” she says.
For Alderperson Fuentes it was important to partner with some-one who would specifically bring affordable housing to Humboldt Park to reduce the impact of displacement.
When asked about funding, although the exact amounts were not provided, Fuentes assured that the Chicago Housing Authority has subsidized some of the units. Additionally, she was able to pass an $8 million fund in the City Council that was to be allocated for the development of the new building.
As for the building itself, it will include 40 affordable units consist-ing of five three-bedroom family units, twenty-five two-bedroom units and ten one-bedroom units.
As mentioned prior, some units will be subsidized by CHA to house zero to 30 percent average median income apartments designed to accommodate those who have little or no income.
Then there will be several apartments offered with an expected monthly rate of 40 to 50 percent average median income. Alderperson Fuentes stated that the range for a CHA apartment can vary from two hundred to three hundred dollars and a three-bedroom apartment could range between 11 to 13 hundred dollars a month. This is just one step of a “multi-pronged” process, as Alderperson Fuentes explains, to combat the displacement caused by gentrification.
“If we are going to address homelessness in the city of Chicago… we need to continue to build then we need to continue to build affordable housing that is diverse in nature.” she says.
Alderperson Fuentes talks about the roles that affordable rental units have alongside public housing at zero-percent of the Average Median Income; as well as non-congregate shelter, which is the use of temporary housing for families; along with affordable home ownership in assuring that everyone can continue to live in the community. A community that is loved dearly by its residents.
One Fuentes says is, “A culturally vibrant and diverse community that truly allows for everyone to be housed despite the color of their skin, the zipcode they reside in or the income that they have.”