Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Affordable Housing Update
The 48th Ward has several Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings. These SROs are an essential type of low-income rental housing for neighbors who cannot afford or do not qualify for traditional market-rate or affordable housing. Many of these neighbors are often one step away from homelessness.
In our current market, it’s nearly impossible to maintain private SRO buildings and keep rents extremely low. Private SROs like the Northmere and the Chatelaine have been severely neglected, and the City has taken them to court for building code violations. Although we have ways to hold building owners accountable through the building code, the SRO Preservation Ordinance, and through partnerships with service providers, we need more proactive policies to make sure that buildings never reach these unlivable conditions.
Because of the untenable conditions of the Northmere, the court has put out a vacate order for this building, and our office is proactively working with Department of Family and Support Services, Department of Housing, Department of Public Health, and service providers Trilogy and Thresholds to help secure new homes for the tenants that will be displaced. For the Chatelaine, we are working with the Uptown People’s Law Center’s Social Work team, the Chatelaine tenants association, and ONE Northside to ensure that constituents have access to housing navigation options on the North side.
We're doing everything we can to help our at-risk neighbors stay housed without having to leave their North Side communities that they've called home for so long.
Ald Manaa-Hoppenworth is continuing to advocate for ways that the City can continue to preserve SROs and support good ownership and maintenance of these buildings, including:
Fostering relationships with SRO building owners and their tenants to support these buildings and hold owners accountable to building conditions.
Strengthening the SRO Preservation Ordinance and increasing the SRO Preservation Loan Fund.
Working closely with community organizations that advocate for SRO residents so that we can provide resources and support.
See Previous SRO Preservation Updates from our office:
