New video aims to spark creative local discussions on expanding housing options in northeastern illinois

Video features first-hand accounts from local mayors, developers, residents, and business people who have a stake in increasing affordable housing

September 9, 2005

(CHICAGO)…. To help local leaders and residents work together to preserve and increase affordable housing options in their communities, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus today distributed free copies of a new 12-minute video at a meeting of its membership, which represents mayors of all 272 municipalities in northeastern Illinois.

Created by the Mayors Caucus and the Metropolitan Planning Council and produced by the Chicago Video Project, Welcome Home: Housing Our Community underscores the value of quality housing options and sheds light on supply and demand issues throughout the greater Chicago metropolitan region. Narrated by Chicago-based journalist and A&E host Bill Kurtis, the video brings together mayors, developers, residents, and business people to talk about local solutions to a growing shortage of homes affordable to working families in the region and across Illinois.

“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, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.

In addition to featuring interviews with people from all sectors who have experienced the benefits of successful housing initiatives, the video also spotlights regional and statewide resources into which local leaders can tap on as they continue to expand housing choice in their communities.

“The State of Illinois adopted its first-ever housing plan in January 2005, greatly enhancing coordination of local and state agencies, financial institutions, nonprofits, business leaders and other stakeholders committed to increasing workforce housing options and bolstering the future success of the plan,” said Robin Snyderman, MPC housing director. “Welcome Home highlights many of these efforts by sharing stories of successful implementation.”

The Mayors Caucus’ Housing Task Force initiated the creation of this video to guide local communities as they work to address housing challenges and adopt the Mayors Caucus’ Housing Endorsement Criteria. The criteria were created to help communities attract, identify and support housing that is valuable – housing that is well managed and well designed, near jobs and public transit, and affordable to the local workforce.

“It’s a runaway problem that’s getting larger,” said Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder, of the regional workforce housing shortage. “We can no longer turn the other way and say this doesn’t impact me. It impacts us all.”

Indeed, while the population in northeastern Illinois grew by 11 percent between 1990 and 2000 and job opportunities expanded by 16 percent, the region lost 28,000 apartments. In addition, between 2000 and 2004, the median home price in the region grew by 38 percent, while wages increased by just 11.5 percent. And, today, more than 730,000 families in the region spend too great a percentage of their incomes on housing; by 2030, that number is expected to increase to 870,000.

With too few affordable housing options available, particularly near job centers and public transit, congestion in northeastern Illinois continues to worsen, costing the region more than $4 billion a year in delayed shipments, lost productivity and wasted fuel. The effect on the business climate is clear.

“We are losing our competitiveness as employers and as businesses because our people have to pay too much for housing and the housing is too far away from where the jobs are,” said David Hill, chairman & CEO of Kimball Hill Homes, who is featured in the video.

Welcome Home: Housing Our Community will soon be available for download on both the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Web site, www.mayorscaucus.org, and the Metropolitan Planning Council Web site, www.metroplanning.org.

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus provides a forum through which the chief elected officials of the region cooperatively develop consensus and act on common public policy issues and multi-jurisdictional challenges. With a foundation of collaboration and consensus-based decision making, it serves a number of functions for its partner organizations and local governments.

Founded in 1934, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of business and civic leaders committed to serving the public interest through the promotion and implementation of sensible planning and development policies necessary for an economically competitive Chicago region. MPC researches and develops policy recommendations and conducts outreach and advocacy in partnership with public officials and community leaders to enhance equity of opportunity and quality of life throughout metropolitan Chicago .

For more information, contact Mandy Burrell , MPC communications associate, at 312.863.6018 or mburrell@metroplanning.org; Robin Snyderman, MPC housing director, at 312.863.6007 or rsnyderman@metroplanning.org; or Beth Dever, housing director, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, at 312.201.4507 or beth.dever@mayorscaucus.org.