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Chicago Activists Boosted by Overwhelming Electoral Support for Affordable Housing Plans

HeadlineMar 02, 2023

In Illinois, residents and activists from Chicago’s South Side successfully passed two measures in this week’s city election calling for housing protections related to the construction of the new Obama Presidential Center. The 19-acre center will house a public library, playground, community centers and a museum. But community members in the majority-Black South Shore say the project has already led to gentrification and displacement. The measure passed on Tuesday calls for eviction protections and rental assistance, city funding for home repairs and mortgage assistance, development of affordable housing on city-owned lots and 75% affordable housing on a vacant city-owned lot in nearby Woodlawn. Groups organizing with the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition celebrated the overwhelming approval of the nonbinding referenda and say they will continue fighting to make sure the city follows through on their demands.

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