(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A day ahead of a City Council hearing on public housing, activists were raising their voices at City Hall on Tuesday.
A small crowd from the Lugenia Burns Hope Center and several other groups spoke out against the Chicago Housing Authority's so-called ''Plan for Transformation.'' Roderick Wilson, the Center's Director, says the plan never worked.
“We know the plan that was called the Plan For Transformation, which is only supposed to have been for 10 years, lasted 23, 24 years. And what did it do? It made us lose over 20,000 units of affordable housing,” Wilson said.
Housing Committee Chair, Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez agreed, criticizing the CHA's massive waiting list, and stock of vacant lots and apartments.
“We have 120,000 residents who are still waiting for CHA housing. We want to honor that. Starting with CHA to stop leaving those CHA units empty or vacant or let it deteriorate, and put it back in the CHA housing list,” Sigcho-Lopez said.
CHA Dearborn Homes resident Etta James blasted the agency for turning over CHA property to private developers.
“Our CEO should be thinking about creating public housing every day but instead she's thinking about selling off land to any and everybody who comes, whoever comes first. This is unacceptable,” James said.
Wilson told the crowd that their voices need to be heard.
“Not only do we need a new plan, we need a new CEO, we need a new board for CHA, we need an overhaul, we need new leadership.”
CHA CEO Tracey Scott is scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon at City Hall.
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