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March, 2013
Elizabeth Hartline received her court summons last week that told her she was being evicted from her unit at the Chateau Hotel in East Lakeview. She’s been looking for a new place to live since the end of January, when she found out that the building would be vacated, gutted and rehabbed.
But she hasn’t found much she can afford. She works at Cornerstone Community Outreach, a homeless shelter in...
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March, 2013
Kimberly Drew remembers a woman who testified before the Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty in August. As she stood in front of the microphone, the woman described the last few years of her life. She had gotten pregnant. Then, she lost her job. After that, her car broke down. “By the time that she gave birth to her child, she had no money in the bank,” said Drew, a policy...
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March, 2013
Back in 2002, Terry Peterson, then CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, said the city's overhaul of public housing, dubbed the Plan For Transformation, would be successful. “I have every confidence we will succeed in improving the quality of life for the great majority of CHA residents and helping them share fully in Chicago's blessings,” Peterson wrote in a Chicago Tribune editorial. Eleven...
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March, 2013
A think tank that works on creating economic opportunity came out with its annual scorecard, a state-by-state comparison of household financial security. According to the nonpartisan, Washington-based Corporation for Enterprise Development, Illinois ranks 33 out of the 50 states on how secure families are in their finances. The report analyzes five areas--financial assets and income, business...
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March, 2013
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March, 2013
When it comes to housing people can afford in Illinois, there’s a serious mismatch. A new report from the National Low-income Housing Coalition shows that for every 100 “extremely low-income” households in Illinois, only 28 affordable units are available. Extremely low-income is defined as a household with an income of 30 percent of the state’s median income or less. In Illinois, that means a...
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March, 2013
With 129 schools on the potential closings list, many neighborhoods are wondering if their local school is going to be shut down. North Lawndale is one of them. Chicago's South and West sides are bearing the brunt of the school closure list. In the few miles around the Barber Shop, there are eight schools waiting to find out if they will open their doors again next September or be closed...
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February, 2013
"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want." The Bible's entire 23rd Psalm is written in marker, framed on the yellowed stucco wall next to the red flyswatter hanging from a nail. Cans of food line the shelf in the tiny coat closet, a makeshift pantry. The psalm is a reminder to keep going when times get tough, said Curtis Horton, 48. He and his partner, Henrietta Riley, 54, are residents of...
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February, 2013
Federal prosecutors charged former Illinois Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. Friday of using $750,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses such as a $43,350 Rolex watch and $5,000 in capes and parkas from a fur shop. According to court documents, he was also charged with conspiracy, making false statements and mail and wire fraud. His wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, was also charged...
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