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"Rehab the Milshire as Supportive Housing"
"SRO: Support a Rehab Opportunity!" |
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Delia Ramirez (Humboldt Park United Methodist) and Pastor Erik Christensen
(St. Luke's Lutheran Church Logan Square) speak at the rally for supportive
housing. Community members hold signs that say "Logan Square Para Todos,"
"Logan Square For All," "Rehab the Milshire," and "Support Economic Diversity." |
(See more photos in the album
on Facebook.)
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this terrific rally (
described in further detail below)!
You help help now by:
* Gathering
petition signatures.
* Email Alderman Waguespack to thank him for his support:
scott@ward32.org.
* Learn more about the issues.
(See fact sheet below.)
* Plan to attend upcoming events. (The City Council Housing Committee is likely to hold a special meeting on the SRO * Preservation Ordinance either Monday, October 6, or Tuesday, October 7. We will post details as soon as known.)
September 24, 2014 -
"Milshire Hotel Focus of Affordable Housing Rally in Logan Square" by Darryl Holliday on
DNAinfo Chicago:
"[Alderman Scott] Waguespack and organizers of the rally said they support an alternative buyer for the Milshire that has promised to keep the longstanding hotel open to low-income residents. Waguespack said his office is in talks with that nonprofit, Renaissance Social Services Inc., to put together a package that could compete with private developers in a bid for the Milshire."
Septmeber 24, 2014 -
"Protesters rally to save Logan Square SRO" by William Camargo in
The Chicago Reporter:
"'Logan Square for all,' a crowd of 100 protesters chanted. 'Logan Square para todos!' . . . "
LOGAN SQUARE FOR ALL
Rally to rehab the Milshire Hotel SRO
as quality affordable housing!
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 - 6:00 p.m.
Meet at Logan Square Eagle Monument (Kedzie/Milwaukee)
To be followed by march to the hotel, 2525 N. Milwaukee
The City of Chicago is finally taking action to preserve single room
occupancy (SRO) buildings, which prevent homelessness. But developer
Mark Fishman, who wants to buy the Milshire Hotel, refuses to meet with
our community to explain his plans for the building.
Sponsored by:
Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Logan Square EcumenicalAlliance
We Are / Somos Logan Square
Chicago For All
Milshire Tenants Union
For more info, call John at LSNA, (773) 384-4370
Twitter hashtags: #LoganSquareforAll #Milshire
LOGAN SQUARE PARA TODOS
¡Luchamos para renovar el hotel Milshire
como decente vivienda económica!
MARTES, 23 de SEPTIEMBRE 6:00 pm.
Monumento del Águila (la Milwaukee, la Kedzie y la Logan)
La Ciudad de Chicago está accionando para preservar los hoteles
residenciales, que impiden que muchas personas están sin hogar. Pero el
constructor Mark Fishman, quien quiere comprar el Milshire Hotel, rechaza
a reunirse con nosotros para explicar sus planes para el edificio.
Patrocinado por:
Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Logan Square EcumenicalAlliance
We Are / Somos Logan Square
Chicago For All
Milshire Tenants Union
Para más información, llame a John en (773) 384-4370
Twitter hashtags: #LoganSquareforAll #Milshire
FACT SHEET:
The Milshire Hotel, Supportive Housing and the effort to preserve
Chicago’s SRO (single room occupancy) building
What’s happening at the Milshire Hotel?
The Milshire Hotel's long-time owner, Art Fischoff, announced his decision to close the
hotel, located at 2525 N. Milwaukee, in late April. In early September, 18 Milshire
households moved out of the hotel, receiving relocation assistance under a settlement that
they negotiated through their tenants union, with help from the Lawyers Committee for
Better Housing and several local organizations and leaders. Several tenants who were not
part of the settlement are still living in the building.
Developer Mark Fishman still appears poised to buy the Milshire from Fischoff. Fischoff
and Fishman have declined to meet with community organizations. Fischoff has also not
replied to a letter from Alderman Scott Waguespack.
What is ‘Supportive Housing’? What would it mean for the
Milshire?
Supportive housing targets people who are steadily working their way out of
homelessness. It combines affordable apartments with on-site social services. In several
cases, for-profit SROs have been renovated into non-profit supportive housing.
Rehabbing the Milshire as affordable supportive housing would mean converting its 78
small rooms into roughly 35 high-quality apartments, each with its own bathroom. The
building would be completely renovated, the quality of management would improve and
rents would likely go down, allowing tenants to save more of their incomes. And the
Milshire’s location would give its residents excellent access to rapid transit, community
services and a wide variety of job opportunities.
Renaissance Social Services, Inc., which manages several buildings in and near Logan
Square, is ready to purchase and rehab the Milshire as affordable, supportive housing if the
building is put on the market.
Why is the City considering an SRO Preservation Ordinance?
SROs provide an alternative to homelessness for thousands of Chicagoans. But over the last
several years, many of these buildings have been lost in conversions to upscale housing.
The threat to single-room-occupancy (SRO) buildings like the Milshire was demonstrated
earlier this month with the sale of the 66-unit North Hotel, 1622 N. California, to Flats
Chicago, which specializes in converting SROs to upscale housing.
In September 2014, Mayor Emanuel reached an agreement with the Chicago For All
Campaign and a group of Aldermanic sponsors on a "Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) and
Residential Hotel Preservation Ordinance," which the Mayor introduced into City
Council on Sept. 10. It's also known as the Chicago For All Ordinance.
The ordinance would require purchasers of SRO buildings to make at least 20 percent of
their units affordable to low- or very low-income tenants – or pay a significant fee into a
fund for supportive housing development. The City Council is currently considering the
ordinance. One this is clear – we’ll need strong leadership by our community and our
public officials to ensure that the Milshire is preserved.
Community petition drive (online & in person):
We’re collecting signatures from residents of greater Logan Square to
demonstrate the widespread community support for rehabbing the Milshire
as 100% quality, affordable supportive housing.
The petition is available online at
http://bit.ly/Milshire. If you’d like to
gather signatures on paper in your organization, church or school, let us
know; we can send you the petition form in English and Spanish.
For more information – or to get involved – contact John at the Logan Square Neighborhood
Association (LSNA) - jmcdermott@lsna.net.
Related posts
Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance plans for October, November, and December (2014) will focus on our housing advocacy, culminating with posada events in December.
(See
Looking Ahead: Posada Planning for December )
On September 11 we held a vigil to honor the memory o
Mr. Ernesto Garcia -- to afford him the dignity he deserves and allow
us all to grieve his death, and also as an opportunity to advocate for
the needs of men and women who daily face exposure to harm because of
housing insecurity.
(See
Public Vigil for Ernesto Garcia )
Here are links to useful information on recent developments with respect to affordable housing in Logan Square.
(See
Resource Page: Recent Developments in Affordable Housing in Logan Square )
On the heels of a December 10, 2013, community meeting that brought over 400 people out to demand an immediate opening of unused units to people in need of housing, on Saturday a coalition of churches, community organizations, and residents associations will hold a holiday Posada -- a Latin American traditional re-enactment of the search by the parents of Jesus for hospitality -- that does double-duty dramatizing the plight of people left in the cold by Chicago housing policies.
Here are links to useful information on recent developments with respect to affordable housing in Logan Square.
