As March (Affordable Housing Month) transitions into April (Fair Housing Month), the dual focus on both affordable and fair housing presents an opportunity to focus on the intersection of these two critical issues. Too often, both finances and discrimination limit housing choices for Illinois’ growing number of Latino families. As access to affordable, quality housing facilitates other opportunities for social mobility – including access to quality education, disposable income for food and medicine, and reliable transportation—housing advocacy forms a core of the Forum’s work in advancing Latinos to advance a shared future.
Affordable Housing
Even as financial counselors caution against spending more than 30 percent of income on housing—anything more has shown to be a financial burden—more than half of Latino families across Illinois (homeowners and renters) are burdened by housing costs, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 below.
Figure 1: Latino homeowners paying more than 30% of household income
for housing costs in the past 12 months, 2010.
Source: Latino Policy Forum analysis of U.S. Census Data.
Figure 2: Latino renters paying more than 30% of household income
for housing costs in the past 12 months, 2010.
Source: Latino Policy Forum analysis of U.S. Census Data.
Even as Latino homeowners (Figure 1) contributed to half of the growth in owner-occupied homes in Metro Chicago between 2000-2010, they are now struggling to keep up with monthly costs: In Chicago, 64 percent are putting more than 30 percent of monthly income towards housing-related expenses, a statistic mirrored in counties across the metro region. It follows that there were thousands of foreclosure filings in Latino communities—3,058 in Chicago’s predominately-Latino wards and 5,360 in predominately-Latino cities outside of Chicago—in 2012. The same troubling trends hold true for Latino renters (Figure 2). In Chicago, 55 percent of Latinos experience rent burden, a frustrating reality as the city’s median gross rent has increased as median Latino incomes have decreased (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Median Latino incomes and Chicago median gross rent.
Source: Latino Policy Forum analysis of U.S. Census Data.
Affordable housing options exist in Chicago, including through the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). Analysis from the Latino Policy Forum indicates that while 22 percent of local Latino families could qualify for CHA programs, just 11 percent are participating in public housing and 9 percent in housing choice voucher programs. Read our full analysis in the inaugural issue of our PODER – Policy Development & Research—series.
Fair Housing
Even as cost limits housing choice for too many Latino families, other factors—including discrimination—will limit choices for too many others. The 1968 federal Fair Housing Act declared it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability or familiar status in rental housing, real estate sales, lending, insurance, and any financial or other services related to housing. However, the Forum’s analysis of US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data indicates that such discrimination still happens too frequently in Illinois communities. Even as fair housing violations are frustratingly underreported, a look at the basis of discrimination of fair housing complaints in Illinois indicates that disability and race were the top reasons for discrimination complaints filed in 2012. What’s more, trends are especially stark when examining complaints based on national origin: half involved Latinos.
In recognition of April as Fair Housing Month, the Latino Policy Forum is partnering with local, housing-focused organizations—including Chicago’s Mexican Consulate—to raise awareness of rights under the fair housing laws and to help the public recognize discriminatory practices, including the following:
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If a landlord inquires about prospective tenants’ immigration status, those questions must be asked of all applicants, regardless of race or country of origin.
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Landlords can require social security numbers for rental applications, but that requirement must be made of all applicants.
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Landlords must require the same documentation and fees for all applicants, regardless of immigration status.
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If a prospective tenant brings along a translator, landlords or agents must work with that translator.
For more information on the Forum's work in affordable and fair housing, contact Juliana Gonzalez-Crussi. |
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