ILLINOIS AFFORDABLE HOUSING MONTH IS NOVEMBER

With this difficult economy, Interfaith's phones have been ringing with extra intensity from families who are doubled up, retirees coping with shrinking investment income, apartment dwellers faced with rising rents, and homeowners in danger of foreclosure.

Affordable Housing Month is an opportunity for us to redouble our commitment to the fundamental right of decent, safe, and affordable housing for everyone in our communities.

Here are some suggestions to recognize Affordable Housing Month:

• Post your community’s housing resources on your website and in your newsletters.  Help residents take advantage of opportunities for maintaining or obtaining homeownership or rental housing.
• Issue a Press Release or Letter to the Editor telling about your community’s efforts to create or preserve affordable units. Here is a sample Affordable Housing Month insert for newsletters, bulletins or flyers.  Here’s a sample press release that you can modify and send to local press. You can submit letters to the Pioneer Press on-line at: www.pioneerlocal.com (under “Send Us Your News”)

• Implement your Affordable Housing Plan.  While new economic realities have cast a shadow on the housing picture, many communities have continued to move ahead with plans.

• Pass an Affordable Housing Month Proclamation.  Use it as a teaching moment.  Use this sample proclamation as a guide.

Other Ideas:

• Town hall meeting on local housing needs and solutions.

• Tour or open house of affordable housing sites in your community;

• Housing fair to let the public know about your community’s housing resources;

• Educational workshop or film. We’d be happy to facilitate an educational presentation/film about key housing issue, for example: creating a community land trust, the value of preserving rental housing stock, predatory lending red flags and foreclosure prevention strategies, the “jobs-housing mismatch” phenomenon, facts about our Homesharing program;

• Encourage local developers to include affordable units in their projects; assist landlords looking to upgrade their properties instead of selling them as tear-downs; and support intergenerational housing, rental as well as ownership;

• Support proposed regional, statewide and national legislation that increases funding and opportunities for affordable housing.  Sign-up at HousingMatters.net to receive valuable updates/alerts about housing advocacy in Illinois.

• Put a human face on housing needs. Encourage community participation in building projects e.g. Habitat for Humanity www.habitat.org 1-800-HABITAT and North Suburban Rebuilding Together www.habitat.org 847-869-0900

• For additional ideas, see Housing Action Illinois’ website: www.housingactionil.org.

We want to hear about your Affordable Housing Month ideas. Feel free to contact us for further assistance at (847) 501-5760 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

As we strive to find the local resources that will meet the growing need in these uncertain times, we invite you to make this year’s Affordable Housing Month one that is meaningful.