The Coalition to Protect Public Housing
Home About News and Research Resident Update Legal Update Human Rights Campaign Upcoming Events Get Involved Contact Us Links	The Plan for Transformation The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) approved the Plan for Transformation in February 2000. The Plan is a 1.6 billion dollar policy to demolish 15,000 public housing units by 2009 and "transform" "isolated" public housing neighborhoods into mixed-income communities. Inclusive in name, mixed-income development in Chicago is exclusive in practice. Due to rigid tenancy requirements, policy analysts estimate that only 11% of tenants will be eligible to return to their redeveloped communities. Most importantly, the Plan altered the CHA's role from a housing provider to a "facilitator of housing opportunities." Instead of building actual replacement units, the CHA now gives most lease-holding tenants subsidies to find their own housing elsewhere, a daunting task considering high levels of racism and classism in the private market. Since African American women head 84% of public housing families, and 64% of Cabrini Green residents are under 21 years old, the lives of young black women are disproportionately affected by this plan. Over 6,000 Cabrini Green residents have moved out with Housing Choice Vouchers, and so far fewer than 100 families have moved into new units in the community. To many inhabitants, whose daily lives are punctuated by the sight of movers loading the possessions of life-long tenants into bright orange Midway Moving trucks, redevelopment is a euphemism for "land grab." Although city officials guarantee that all lease-holding tenants will have apartments in these developments, which contain between 10-30% public housing units, many residents remember the permanent displacement of African Americans under urban renewal plans in the 1950s and perceive these as empty promises. Plan for Transformation Fact Sheet Common Misconceptions about Chicago Public Housing and Its Inhabitants Read about the Plan for Transformation on the Chicago Housing Authority's Website: www.thecha.org Learn about the detrimental affects of demolition on the CHAos site: www.chicagohousingauthority.net	Related Links The Plan for Transformation CPPH History CPPH Accomplishments CPPH Member Organizations Pictures Wardell Yotaghan Rene Maxwell