For the first time in more than a decade, families in need of affordable housing will have the chance to add their names to the Chicago Housing Authority’s (CHA) Family Housing Wait List – the list used to fill CHA public housing rental units as they become available.
This is a historic opportunity for Chicagoans to take advantage of the housing CHA offers. With more than 17,000 of CHA’s 25,000 units already renovated or replaced, the Wait List Lottery gives families the ability to find quality, affordable housing in the city.
In total, CHA will randomly select the names of 40,000 families to add to the list this year, with all names chosen through a lottery process. Families interested in this opportunity can register for the Family Housing Wait List lottery anytime, from any computer or internet-enabled cell phone between June 14 and July 9, 2010. All registrations are treated equally, no matter when you apply during the open registration period. Registration is free and easy.
If you do not have a home computer, you can register online at any one of more than 100 sites scattered throughout the city. Representatives will also be on hand to offer assistance where needed. Online registration is available in English, Chinese, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu/Hindi and Vietnamese.
Everyone who submits a registration will receive a letter notifying whether or not they have been placed on the Wait List. As apartments become available, those selected for the Wait List will be contacted to determine if the available unit matches their needs and to verify eligibility. Housing types range from historical apartments in traditional CHA family housing sites, in recently rehabbed units scattered throughout virtually every community in Chicago or in newly built mixed-income developments in revitalized neighborhoods.
For more information, visit CHAwaitlist.org, text “INFO” to 75309 on your mobile phone, or call 1-866-7-thecha (866.784.3242) or 311.