Chicago's affordable housing crisis continues to worsen. As of March 2025, there are only 34 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in Illinois, according to a new report by Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Even if you manage to secure one of Chicago's affordable housing units, the wait to move in can be months or even longer. If you're living on the street, staying at a shelter, or crashing on a couch, you may not have the ability to wait that long. When people who are housing insecure have to move, they may not be able to leave a forwarding address or a way for their case worker to get in touch, leading them to miss out on the housing they so desperately need.
This month sees the official launch of our Triage/Bridge Housing Program, which will maintain 30 short-term apartments and provide health assessment services to rapidly house vulnerable, unsheltered individuals and connect them to health care and long-term permanent housing. Residents will enjoy three square meals a day and life skills classes covering topics like cooking, cleaning, and how to be a good neighbor.
"I've met people who had a housing match six months ago, went missing, and now they’ve got to start the hunt all over," says Rose Elenz, Director of Outreach Programs. "Now their Housing Specialist knows where they are, so it gives everyone more security and helps communication.”
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