Heart of Uptown Apartments Announced

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Voice of the People in Uptown with its partner, Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), is proud to announce plans for the upgrade of five residential properties with 103 leased homes beginning as early as the Fall 2024. Residents who live in these buildings are providing their input into the process with meetings kicking off a year in advance ! Read the full project description here.

If you live in buildings at 847 W Sunnyside, 4130 N. Kenmore, 927 W. Wilson, 4431-41 N. Clifton, 900-02 W. Windsor/Hazel, the first meeting will be at Wilson Abbey, 939 W. Wilson Avenue, Thursday, May 25th at 6:00 pm. Dinner will be served at the accessible third-floor location next to Everybody’s Coffee.

Residents of these properties can fill out a survey of improvements they recommend for their apartment and building — on flyers or with the Survey Online.   Learn more or check for updates on the proposed redevelopment called the Heart of Uptown Apartments or HUPA.  Follow the link to the HUPA Home Page, where information will be updated on planned improvements and resident services.

Both Voice and POAH have policies of Development Without Displacement and believe affordable housing is the key to achieving sustainable economic, racial, and needs diversity in the Uptown Community of Chicago.

The Dovie Thurman Affordable Housing Trust

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Following board action in the fall of 2022, Voice of the People has authorized the formation of an Affordable Housing Trust named after a legendary tenant and community leader, Dovie Thurman. Incorporated in January 2023, the Trust will be dedicated to assuring permanent affordability of housing that is adequately supported by advantaged access to economic and resident services benefits. The initiative will start-up over two years, include three Voice owned properties, and be opened up to include other eligible affordable housing owners and developments thereafter. Read Announcement. If you believe in a vision of sustainably diverse Chicago communities and want to learn about, or endorse, the governing principles of the Dovie Thurman Affordable Housing Trust, visit our web page for Trust Allies and Supporters.

Property Owners Need Love Too

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Over time, our organization seeks to be a voice and resource center in support of affordable housing residents and owners — so that residents can meet their needs and achieve their goals, and owners can viably continue affordable housing into the future. Our cornerstone program Resident Opportunity Services (ROS) and the newer Voice Owners Network (VON) are programs intended to expedite such services.

Initial VON outreach for owner assistance services is happening now to affordable housing development sponsors in Uptown, as well as private owners who have mixed-income housing with rent subsidies. Priority #1 is supporting our collective interests in achieving property tax relief through valuations and appeals in process with the Assessor’s Office and with appeals agencies like the Cook County Board of Review… favorable taxes helps to maintain affordable housing and sustain racial/economic diversity.

To protect and preserve affordable housing into the future, Voice will seek to network and provide support services to owners, including their asset managers, property managers, and resident service providers, to build their capacity via networking among professionals, and sharing access to information and resources so that they might increase their revenues, decrease their costs, access funding, subsidized financing and technical assistance that makes their affordable housing developments socially and economically sustainable.

Owners, managers and tenant service providers can see our MAKING HISTORY VIDEO,  or READ MORE about announcement and proposed networking and services that could be available in the future. People can CALL 773.769.2442 to schedule a brief informational interview about the Voice Owner’s Network, or simply go online to REGISTER specific interests, and stay current with related news and activities.

Voice Announces Diversity Land Trust

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Voice of the People in Uptown announces the formation of an Exploratory Committee for the possible establishment of a community land trust — one that would lock in lasting affordability for housing providers. A blue-ribbon panel of affordable housing developers, consultants, lenders and university researchers will advise Voice’s community board with recommendations for the proposed “Diversity Land Trust”. If successful, it might not only benefit Voice and the Uptown community, but be more broadly used in Chicago to support sustainable economic and racial diversity. READ MORE