Daily Herald opinion: A group effort: Every Chicago suburb should strive to meet the state’s affordable housing requirements

Affordable housing remains difficult to find in many communities, despite an Illinois law approved more than two decades ago.

In a story published Dec. 28, Daily Herald correspondent Alicia Fabbre reported that 44 cities and villages have fallen short of the state statute requiring that at least 10% of a municipality’s residential units be affordable.

The towns were required to submit a plan outlining how they intend to meet the state’s affordability rules. However, 16 of them submitted plans that have been deemed non-compliant, according to the Illinois Housing Development Authority. Another 13 are yet to submit a plan.

Those numbers highlight the persistent challenge communities face in trying to add affordable housing units.

Nevertheless, it’s an issue that cannot be ignored, especially when young people are questioning when, if ever, they will be able to buy a home.

“There is a need for affordable housing in every community across the Chicagoland area,” said Lindsey Haines, interim president and CEO of Full Circle Communities, a Chicago-based nonprofit affordable housing developer.

“Most people know somebody who can’t yet afford a single-family home and needs an affordable apartment or someone early in their career that needs affordable housing,” Haines added.

Some progress has been made since the state’s Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act was signed into law in 2003. The law was intended to encourage local governments to incorporate affordable housing within their housing stock.

Fabbre reported that the IDHA surveys municipalities statewide every five years for affordability. Since 2008, the agency has seen a decline in the number of communities failing to meet the 10% standard.

There’s also been an increase in the level of awareness, Fabbre reported.

DuPage County, for example, created an ad hoc housing solutions committee in 2023. The county’s budget includes $5 million to create a land bank and community housing trust. DuPage has also set aside money to launch a down payment assistance program.

Meanwhile, Full Circle Communities and other nonprofit groups are finding ways to gather the layers of financing needed to make affordable developments a reality.

Full Circle, which built a 48-unit development several years ago in Elgin, is now working on a 42-unit project in Glen Ellyn. It also has plans to build a 25-unit development in Arlington Heights.

Still, the need for affordable housing will only continue to rise. It’s estimated that Illinois must add at least 227,000 units over the next five years to improve housing affordability, according to Impact for Equity, a Chicago-based nonprofit.

It’s going to take a great deal of effort and political will to achieve that goal. And while we understand that the high cost of land is a major obstacle, every suburb in the Chicago area should at least try to develop a realistic plan to add more affordable housing.