17,894
Number of children in Chicago Public Schools who navigate their education without a home...
50%
Families make up nearly half of the entire sheltered homeless population in the United States
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86,324
The most recent estimate of Chicagoland residents experiencing homelessness
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VISION
MF-CDC Housing Vision:
MF-CDC sees a future where everyone has a place to call home and where low-income communities and communities of color stay and prosper in the Chicago Area. We envision a day where everyone has access to an affordable home; improving our health, our children’s educational outcomes, our environment, our transit system, our regional competitiveness, and keeping the Chicago Area diverse and equitable...
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MISSION
MF-CDC Housing Mission:
We activate our members to make the Chicago Area a place where everyone has an affordable and stable home... We are affordable housing developers, advocates, community leaders, and businesses, working to secure resources, promote good policy, educate the public and support affordable homes as the foundation for thriving individuals, families, and neighborhoods...
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HOMELESS:
Chicago's homeless need housing, not handouts...
The reasons people become homeless are complex, but the solution is straightforward—permanent housing with supportive services. It is a proven model that brings people out of homelessness and keeps them out.
But inadequate resources and a historic lack of political will to secure sufficient resources keep us from moving forward. Chicago ranks near the bottom in both total and per capital spending on homelessness when compared to our peer cities. Moreover, the federal funding that Chicago receives to stem homelessness cannot be used to help the largest share of people who are homeless in our city—those who live doubled-up.
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HOMELESS PROGRAM OVERVIEW
MF-CDC Housing Program is designed to help you (single adults experiencing homelessness) meet your short-term needs and to transition you, if you have more intensive needs, into other services. This program provides the following services:
Assistance in applying for permanent housing
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Case management
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Shelter information
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Referrals to other agencies
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Referrals to treatment programs in the community
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Payeeship referrals
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Assistance in completing benefits applications
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Basic hygiene products
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Advocacy
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For Homebuyers...
Resources for people seeking to purchase a home in Chicago...
On any given day, you can walk through the Loop or under viaducts throughout our city and see people struggling with homelessness. However upsetting it is to witness their suffering, it is more heartbreaking to know that these people reflect the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chicago’s homelessness problem. More than 86,000 people experienced homelessness in Chicago in 2017, according to the most recent census data. And nearly 80 percent are hidden from public view because their homelessness is experienced by staying doubled-up (if not tripled or quadrupled) with friends, family or strangers...
Too little affordable housing, insufficient living-wage work, physical and mental health ailments, and struggles with substance use are some of the reasons people face housing instability. Few realize that 1 in 5 Chicago adults who are homeless are employed. And 1 in 4 have some level of college education. More than 20,000 Chicago children strive to stay in school while couch-hopping night to night.
Moreover, homelessness has a disparate impact on people of color, with 4 out of 5 people experiencing homelessness being black or brown.
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A first time home buyer can often be at a disadvantage to other buyers, due to having low funds, student debt, or other financial issues. Thankfully, being a first-time buyer has some benefits too, such as being offered lower rates or smaller down payments on a home loan...
Who Qualifies as a First Time Home Buyer?
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The definition of a “first-time buyer” isn’t restricted to people buying their first homes. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, it also includes the following:
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A person who has not owned their principal residence for at least 3 years.
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A single parent who previously co-owned a home while married.
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A homemaker who previously owned with a spouse, but no longer receives financial support from that spouse...
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A person who has only owned a residence not affixed to a permanent foundation, such as a mobile or trailer home.
This allows many people who wouldn’t assume that they qualify for a first time mortgage to take advantage of the benefits offered to those purchasing their first home...
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