Hundreds apply for PhilHaven supportive housing in Wheeling

The first person to line up for a chance to get an apartment at PhilHaven, a supportive housing development for people with disabilities opening in Wheeling this December, arrived 42½ hours early.

Scott Burns said he showed up at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday outside the Kenneth Young Center in Elk Grove Village, which was taking the applications, because he knew there would be big demand.

"I just went the extra mile as much as I could," Burns said after he turned his application in at 10 a.m. Friday. "It's a good program. It's new apartments. It's everything you could want."

Based on the hundreds of people who lined up behind him, Burns was not the only one who felt that way about PhilHaven, being built at 2418 E. Hintz Road. On Friday morning, the line snaked around the center's parking lot.

Tina Kalomiris arrived at 9 a.m. and said she was surprised that such a long line had already formed. Kalomiris said she suffers from seizures and is unable to work, so she and her daughter are living temporarily with a friend in Buffalo Grove.

"If I can't get in here, I'll probably be going to a shelter," Kalomiris said. "I'm really hoping this is the plan that God has for me and I can help myself and my daughter."

In all, 150 applications to live at the 50-unit building were collected by the Housing Authority of Cook County on Friday.

Like similar supportive housing developments, PhilHaven initially encountered sharp opposition from neighbors. The village board twice voted against the project but reversed direction after a federal judge warned the village was likely to lose a court fight.

"Sometimes people are fearful about people with a disability being their neighbor," said Linda Springer, the manager of adult and housing services for the Kenneth Young Center, which will be providing support services to PhilHaven residents. "But we just try to explain that if your child had some sort of disability how nice it would be if they could be in the community where they grew up, because a lot of these people grew up in the Northwest suburbs."

Springer, standing a few feet from the ever-growing stack of accepted applications, said the line peaked at more than 200 people. Some people who were hoping to apply for a one-bedroom unit were sent away after the housing authority reached its 125-application limit for those units just before 2 p.m., but everyone in line for bigger units was seen by the housing authority staff.

Springer said the housing authority will assign a score to each application based on factors such as whether the applicant is a veteran, was the victim of domestic abuse or is currently homeless. If applications have the same score, preferential treatment will be given to the one that was received first.

Once PhilHaven opens, residents will be charged on a sliding scale so not more than 30 percent of their income goes for rent. Tenants will have access to counseling and 24-hour security and monitoring. They also will receive help when it comes to finding jobs and eventually moving back into the community outside of PhilHaven.

Chance at larger units still available

The Housing Authority of Cook County will accept 39 more applications for two-bedroom units at PhilHaven, and 36 more applications for three-bedroom units. Applications are at <a href="http://thehacc.org/hcv/wait-list/">thehacc.org/hcv/wait-list</a>. They should be mailed to PhilHaven PBV Wait List, 175 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 350, Chicago, IL 60604