When
my son “graduated” from Kindergarten in June, I was filled with great emotion. I
felt a twinge of melancholy because my first baby is now officially a little
boy, having grown up so much in what seems like just a blink of the eye. I felt
immense pride at all that he’s accomplished … with the love of his family,
dedication of his teachers, and his own determination and hard work. Most of
all, I was filled with hope and optimism for all that he has yet to experience
and achieve, and who he will become.
It’s
that same intense mixture of emotion that all of us at the Council feel about
the growth and expansion of our employer-assisted housing (EAH) initiative.
Thanks to MPC Vice Chair King Harris, what began in 2000 in west suburban St.
Charles as a small-scale pilot for addressing the region’s growing mismatch
between the location of affordable housing and availability of well-paying jobs,
is now a cornerstone of the state’s first-ever comprehensive housing plan, and,
thanks to proposed federal legislation, may go national.
Recognizing
the power of our model – which now boasts more then 40 participating companies
and nearly 400 new homeowners – the Council has used EAH not only to improve
access to housing for the local workforce, but to advance policy change. Our
Chicago program, initially designed to support the new mixed-income communities
being developed as a part of the CHA Plan for Transformation, has been embraced
and expanded by Mayor Daley and Chicago’s Dept. of Housing. Several other
municipalities, from
Evanston
to Riverdale, have launched EAH
programs for their own employees. Interest in EAH opened the way to a long-term
community-building partnership with the City of
St. Charles
. And, EAH has been the focus of
countless local news stories and a dozen national feature stories, from the Wall
Street Journal to the San Diego Union Tribune. This is truly the little program
that could!
So,
as the governor and local mayors take on EAH as their own, we are watching it
grow with pride. And, like any other parent, we are awed by the
possibilities.