MPC and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus created a video to help local leaders and residents work together to preserve and increase affordable housing options in their communities
On Sept. 9, 2005, members of the Metropolitan Mayors
Caucus received the newly released video, Welcome Home: Housing Our Community
, a joint effort by the Metropolitan Mayors
Caucus and Metropolitan Planning Council. Highlighting the importance of
providing high-quality, affordable homes for families and workers, Welcome Home
is designed to set the stage for a productive dialogue about local housing needs
and support policy makers in exploring relevant solutions.
Currently the region's working families are being priced out
of the housing market; where the median home price in the Chicago region grew 38
percent between 2000 and 2004, wages increased by only 11.5 percent. Over
730,000 families in the Chicago area are overburdened by the cost of housing and
this number is projected to increase to 870,000 by 2030. Welcome Home:
Housing Our Community sheds light on these regional housing issues by
bringing together local mayors, developers, residents and business people to
talk about local solutions to this growing crisis.
Many policymakers are working to address the complex housing
challenges that threaten the region's economic vitality by implementing land-use
and planning policies that promote the development of mixed-income housing,
consisted with the Housing Endorsement Criteria. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
and Metropolitan Planning Council created Welcome Home to support these
local efforts and initiate discussions about pending housing policies or
developments under consideration.
Welcome Home illustrates an important regional
priority, and is a great tool to start a productive dialogue addressing housing
needs in the Chicago Region," said Midlothian Mayor Thomas J. Murawski, Chairman
of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. The video has already proven itself an
effective tool in various municipalities exploring local policy options to
encourage the creation and preservation of homes priced to meet the needs of
families and workers.
According to Mayor Rita Mullins of Palatine, "it's become
critical that we educate ourselves to say we welcome affordable housing."
Welcome Home demonstrates that creating and preserving homes affordable
to those who live and work in the community can benefit us all while
complementing the character of our communities.
To view the accompanying brochure,click here.
If you would like to receive a copy of the video on CD, or
are interested in a presentation related to the housing issues described in
"Welcome Home," please contact Housing Associate Joanna Trotter at 312-863-6008.