Welcome back to my blog. This post is for the second Action Project of the Humanities class, The Art of Rhetoric. In this second unit, we have continued looking at the rhetoric used in history. This includes analyzing the Doctrine of Discovery written by Pope Alexander VI, Bartolomé De Las Casas versus Columbus on Spanish cruelty in the colonies, and King Ferdinand's letter to the Taino-Arawak people. But one extremely important topic in this unit was the origins of slavery in the United States and the history behind that. This was introduced by reading Howard Zinn's, A People's History of the United States which talked about how slavery came around to the American colonies. We also had the chance to talk to Ugo Okere, a Democratic Socialist who ran for Chicago Alderman at the age of 22 in 2019, and 25th Ward Chicago Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez about challenging and accepting the status quo. For this Action Project, we have been asked to write an Op-Ed about a topic of our choice. I chose to talk about affordable housing in Chicago. I thought this topic would be very interesting coming from the West Loop which is a booming neighborhood in Chicago that continues to produce more high-rises and good food. I hope you enjoy reading.
The struggle for finding affordable housing in Chicago has been very difficult even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past 20 months, COVID-19 has made the process worse. Many Chicagoans have been caught in this financial crisis, hanging onto threads to maintain a place to call home. Rapid developing neighborhoods have sprung up around Chicago creating tons of residential buildings. However, these spaces aren’t targeted at low-income citizens. The need for affordable housing has revealed systemic issues with the housing market that requires a big change.
Chicago’s structure for affordable housing has been an eyesore for quite some time. From 2010-2017 there was an average of more than 23,000 evictions per year. At 82 percent of total evictions, back rent (owing rent from a later date) is the main cause. Chicagoans have struggled on this front due to low-paying jobs and health matters, limiting the money a tenant can pay for rent.
Since COVID-19, the system has taken a big hit. Renters and tenants find themselves in crisis as income plummets for many people. Tenants may have lost jobs and if they are held up on back rent, the loss of their home is only a matter of time. Landlords are in the same boat without getting paid and are forced to evict or make do with little money.
Luckily, the city did its best to address this and created a rent moratorium that requires tenants to prove their inability to pay rent/ housing fees due to COVID-19. This eviction protection reduced cases to around 1,500 in 2020. As the US transitions back to pre-COVID-19 life, the ordinance has expired as of October 3rd, 2021.
Additionally, Chicago passed housing assistance grants to tenants and grants for affordable housing landlords. Other bills and movements have been doing what is possible to stabilize a portion of affordable housing units. It's a smooth progression but everything has a time limit. Tenants may run out of their grants and no longer fit into a category for financial assistance. But there is limited space to where they can go. How is this possible?
Op-Ed: Property Developers and Owners are the Keys for More Affordable Housing
By GS
Illustration by Doug Chayka, “This Group Pioneered the Fight for $15. Can They Transform the Fight for Affordable Housing Too?” The Nation. July 5, 2016. Accessed 27 Oct. 2021
Chicago’s structure for affordable housing has been an eyesore for quite some time. From 2010-2017 there was an average of more than 23,000 evictions per year. At 82 percent of total evictions, back rent (owing rent from a later date) is the main cause. Chicagoans have struggled on this front due to low-paying jobs and health matters, limiting the money a tenant can pay for rent.
Since COVID-19, the system has taken a big hit. Renters and tenants find themselves in crisis as income plummets for many people. Tenants may have lost jobs and if they are held up on back rent, the loss of their home is only a matter of time. Landlords are in the same boat without getting paid and are forced to evict or make do with little money.
Luckily, the city did its best to address this and created a rent moratorium that requires tenants to prove their inability to pay rent/ housing fees due to COVID-19. This eviction protection reduced cases to around 1,500 in 2020. As the US transitions back to pre-COVID-19 life, the ordinance has expired as of October 3rd, 2021.
Additionally, Chicago passed housing assistance grants to tenants and grants for affordable housing landlords. Other bills and movements have been doing what is possible to stabilize a portion of affordable housing units. It's a smooth progression but everything has a time limit. Tenants may run out of their grants and no longer fit into a category for financial assistance. But there is limited space to where they can go. How is this possible?
In the past years, the number of affordable units has declined significantly. A study from DePaul University shows a 5.2% decrease in affordable housing units after comparing numbers from 2012-2014 and 2017-2019. Chicago’s North and Northwest neighborhoods have been hit with this decline. West Town and the Near West Side saw an 11.3% decline in affordable units.
As someone who has lived in the Near West Side/West Loop for 16 years, I think we could be doing better. I have seen condos and apartments appear from thin air. I have seen restaurants come and go. I have seen the rise of the Fulton Market. I have seen Google and McDonalds move headquarters in. But I have not seen much new affordable housing.
After searching through listings, the most affordable apartments are around $400-$1,200 to rent per month. And these apartments have been around for quite some time. In more recent developments there are “luxury apartments” listed at $2,000-$3,000 a month for a 1 bedroom when searching for “West Loop affordable housing.”
A recent interview with 27th Ward Alderman Walter Bernett talks about development in the Fulton Market area. Bernett mentions that if new residential projects included at least 20% of affordable housing the city will add some low-income housing tax credit. This should hopefully incentivize more developers to push for affordable housing and bring in more people to enjoy the neighborhood.
Of course, there will be objections to what people think. Low-income neighborhoods tend to be filled with welfare-dependent, poor families that create drug users and criminals. People think property values that were already high in one spot could drop significantly by adding affordable housing which means less money for landowners and landlords trying to sell or rent. Many large corporations that control property may not want to let the lower-income property be introduced into a neighborhood because they would lose their power.
Multiple studies have found that property values don’t decrease with the addition of affordable housing. If the units are part of apartment buildings, they can look more appealing. Bringing around affordable housing to booming neighborhoods isn’t a bad thing and can build our communities to be more friendly and accepting. Affordable housing can allow more people to enjoy living in Chicago neighborhoods and property developers and owners should lead the way to produce that reality.
This op-ed piece has been composed to address the decline in affordable housing in Chicago. This article focuses on rhetorical analysis to create a persuasive argument and position. I have used ethos to establish credibility as a Chicagoan who has lived in the West Loop for 16 years, pathos to connect emotionally with my audience by explaining what low-income citizens may be experiencing with the housing market, and logos by providing evidence from DePaul University, The Red Line Project, and Alderman Walter Burnett’s interview to support my opinion. I have also included literary devices in this article. By saying Chicago’s housing market is an eyesore, I am using meiosis to create an understatement. A metaphor can be seen when I say tenants and landlords are in the same boat to show they are both struggling. I use hypophora when asking, “How is this possible?” and quickly answer my question. Finally, I included anaphora when explaining my experience with the West Loop. The target audience of this op-ed are property owners and developers who I believe can lead the charge to push for more affordable housing in Chicago neighborhoods. I am also looking to reach city alderpersons that can manage zoning for building projects. My intent for this article is to be seen by Chicagoans through news sources such as Block Club Chicago and Curbed Chicago, who seem to be neighborhood-oriented and speak to Chicago residents.
Sources:
Husock, Howard. “How Public Housing Harms Cities.” City Journal, Winter 2003, https://www.city-journal.org/html/how-public-housing-harms-cities-12410.html, Accessed 26 Oct. 2021
Kim, Connie. “‘Folks can still afford to live there’: Q&A with Chicago Alderman Walter Burnett” The Real Deal, 15 Oct. 2021, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mPMZxjwjtCYJ:https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2021/10/15/folks-can-still-afford-to-live-there-qa-with-chicago-alderman-walter-burnett/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us, Accessed 26 Oct. 2021
Loftin, Mike. “Op-ed: Instead of rental vouchers, give people a shot at owning a home.” Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2021, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:BqdBYD01EJYJ:https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-home-ownership-affordable-housing-20210413-x5d4pzfjmnhkjkq6vbisn6ngza-story.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
Nguyen Hong Le, Anh, Louise Macaraniag. “2019 Ecivtion Fillings per Census Tract in Chicago.” The Red Line Project, 7 May 2021, https://www.redlineproject.org/housing2021.php, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
Novara, Marisa. “COVID-19 has made Chicago’s affordable housing crisis worse, and the feds must step in.” Chicago Sun-Times, 27 Apr. 2020, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W1MDsKbIeSMJ:https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/4/27/21238379/covid-19-affordable-housing-chicago-rent-marisa-novara-op-ed+&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
After searching through listings, the most affordable apartments are around $400-$1,200 to rent per month. And these apartments have been around for quite some time. In more recent developments there are “luxury apartments” listed at $2,000-$3,000 a month for a 1 bedroom when searching for “West Loop affordable housing.”
A recent interview with 27th Ward Alderman Walter Bernett talks about development in the Fulton Market area. Bernett mentions that if new residential projects included at least 20% of affordable housing the city will add some low-income housing tax credit. This should hopefully incentivize more developers to push for affordable housing and bring in more people to enjoy the neighborhood.
Of course, there will be objections to what people think. Low-income neighborhoods tend to be filled with welfare-dependent, poor families that create drug users and criminals. People think property values that were already high in one spot could drop significantly by adding affordable housing which means less money for landowners and landlords trying to sell or rent. Many large corporations that control property may not want to let the lower-income property be introduced into a neighborhood because they would lose their power.
Multiple studies have found that property values don’t decrease with the addition of affordable housing. If the units are part of apartment buildings, they can look more appealing. Bringing around affordable housing to booming neighborhoods isn’t a bad thing and can build our communities to be more friendly and accepting. Affordable housing can allow more people to enjoy living in Chicago neighborhoods and property developers and owners should lead the way to produce that reality.
This op-ed piece has been composed to address the decline in affordable housing in Chicago. This article focuses on rhetorical analysis to create a persuasive argument and position. I have used ethos to establish credibility as a Chicagoan who has lived in the West Loop for 16 years, pathos to connect emotionally with my audience by explaining what low-income citizens may be experiencing with the housing market, and logos by providing evidence from DePaul University, The Red Line Project, and Alderman Walter Burnett’s interview to support my opinion. I have also included literary devices in this article. By saying Chicago’s housing market is an eyesore, I am using meiosis to create an understatement. A metaphor can be seen when I say tenants and landlords are in the same boat to show they are both struggling. I use hypophora when asking, “How is this possible?” and quickly answer my question. Finally, I included anaphora when explaining my experience with the West Loop. The target audience of this op-ed are property owners and developers who I believe can lead the charge to push for more affordable housing in Chicago neighborhoods. I am also looking to reach city alderpersons that can manage zoning for building projects. My intent for this article is to be seen by Chicagoans through news sources such as Block Club Chicago and Curbed Chicago, who seem to be neighborhood-oriented and speak to Chicago residents.
Sources:
Husock, Howard. “How Public Housing Harms Cities.” City Journal, Winter 2003, https://www.city-journal.org/html/how-public-housing-harms-cities-12410.html, Accessed 26 Oct. 2021
Kim, Connie. “‘Folks can still afford to live there’: Q&A with Chicago Alderman Walter Burnett” The Real Deal, 15 Oct. 2021, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mPMZxjwjtCYJ:https://therealdeal.com/chicago/2021/10/15/folks-can-still-afford-to-live-there-qa-with-chicago-alderman-walter-burnett/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us, Accessed 26 Oct. 2021
Loftin, Mike. “Op-ed: Instead of rental vouchers, give people a shot at owning a home.” Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2021, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:BqdBYD01EJYJ:https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-home-ownership-affordable-housing-20210413-x5d4pzfjmnhkjkq6vbisn6ngza-story.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
Nguyen Hong Le, Anh, Louise Macaraniag. “2019 Ecivtion Fillings per Census Tract in Chicago.” The Red Line Project, 7 May 2021, https://www.redlineproject.org/housing2021.php, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
Novara, Marisa. “COVID-19 has made Chicago’s affordable housing crisis worse, and the feds must step in.” Chicago Sun-Times, 27 Apr. 2020, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W1MDsKbIeSMJ:https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/4/27/21238379/covid-19-affordable-housing-chicago-rent-marisa-novara-op-ed+&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
Paddock, Blair. “Study: City Sees Decline in Affordable Housing.” wttw News, 6 Oct. 2021, https://news.wttw.com/2021/10/06/study-city-sees-decline-affordable-housing, Accessed 26 Oct. 2021
Ramirez, Delia, and Tom Demmer. “Op-Ed: A bipartisan proposal for creating more affordable housing in Illinois.” Shaw Media, 25 Apr. 2021, https://www.shawlocal.com/opinion/2021/04/25/op-ed-a-bipartisan-proposal-for-creating-more-affordable-housing-in-illinois/, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
Ramirez, Delia, and Tom Demmer. “Op-Ed: A bipartisan proposal for creating more affordable housing in Illinois.” Shaw Media, 25 Apr. 2021, https://www.shawlocal.com/opinion/2021/04/25/op-ed-a-bipartisan-proposal-for-creating-more-affordable-housing-in-illinois/, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
Vanecko, Bobby. “Op-Ed: Bringing Chicago Home in a Time of Crisis.” South Side Weekly, 12 May 2020, https://southsideweekly.com/op-ed-bringing-chicago-home-time-crisis/, Accessed 25 Oct. 2021
I hope you enjoyed reading my Op-Ed. This Action Project was a lot of fun to work on and I am glad I chose this topic. I believe affordable housing is really important for our communities and neighborhoods because more people can have a chance to find a home. I have lived in the West Loop for 16 years and through that, I have seen many things change. I thought talking about affordable housing would have an interesting perspective since my neighborhood is very active with building more and more. In the class time we had to hear my classmate's work, I had a good time and I think everyone chose very interesting topics that they were very curious about. We have the option to submit this article to a news source and I believe the options I have chosen for that would be a good fit. I hope you enjoyed reading and perhaps learned something new and I hope to see you in the next blog.
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