HOUSING
Housing affordability, overcrowding, predatory lending, and housing discrimination remain underlying problems for Latino families, despite the increase of homeownership rates in the Latino community. More than half of Latino house¬holders in the Chicago region own their own homes. In 2003, homeownership rates among Latinos were higher in the suburbs, at 64 percent, than in the City of Chicago, at 44 percent. In fact, Latinos accounted for 34 per¬cent of the overall growth in owner-occupied homes in the Chicago metropolitan area. Interestingly, home ownership rates for foreign-born Latinos are nearly the same as for U.S.-born Latinos. Yet, these gains in home ownership are threatened by the current foreclosure crisis that disproportionately affects Latinos.
The foreclosure crisis is setting back years of gains the Latino community had achieved in the frontiers of homeownership and wealth creation. At another level, foreclosures are causing a ripple effect beyond individuals losing their homes. We are witnessing higher number of renters being impacted by foreclosures, a loss of revenue for the City of Chicago and State of Illinois, and an unprecedented number of abandoned homes creating eye sores and havens for crime in the community. According to the United for a Fair Economy, on a national scale Latinos borrowers will lose $75 to 98 billion dollars as a result of foreclosures. On a larger level, the issue of foreclosures has negative ramifications on issues of affordable housing and overcrowding conditions that directly impact the Latino community.
Cultural factors also play a role in defining the overcrowded living conditions for many Latino families and communities. While strong family values are generally considered to be positive in American society, the desire and sometimes economic necessity of Latinos to live with extended family members is often perceived as an affront to the traditional nuclear family lifestyle supported by the type of housing available in most communities. This lack of understanding and appreciation for the Latino focus on extended family household has contributed to the mismatch in housing for Latino families and potentially discriminatory housing practices.
To address these issues the Latino Policy Forum works toward improving housing opportunities for Latinos by advocating for policies which make housing accessible and affordable for low and moderate income families. The activities to achieve this goal include:
- Developing new housing codes for the region to equip municipalities with effective tools to curb overcrowded housing and ensure safety while preventing discrimination.
- Conducting community training and workshops to increase awareness about Fair Housing Laws among Latinos, to know their housing rights and obligations under the law.
- Advocating at the state and federal levels for policies to minimize the negative impact of the foreclosure crisis on the community.
- Moving forward policies to create a range of affordable housing opportunities in the Chicago region and across the state.
- To strengthen outreach and community building networks in the Latino community to be able to position the Latino Policy Forum as the leading organization addressing the housing issues impacting the Latino community throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
- Partner with academic institutions including the University of Notre Dame and the Voorhees Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago to carry out studies needed to inform policy development and advocacy strategies.
