An important part of implementing ON TO 2050's recommendation for increasing housing choice, particularly options that promote housing affordability in areas near transit and jobs, is coordinating resources that guide development decisions. Such resources can be used to implement local plans, including those produced through the Local Technical Assistance program. To address the region's housing challenges, the Regional Housing Initiative (RHI), a partnership between eight housing authorities in northeastern Illinois, works to support affordable and mixed-income housing developments in opportunity areas. CMAP provides staffing support to RHI by serving as a liaison between partners, assisting with the development of RHI initiatives, and providing other programmatic support as requested by RHI partners.
Historically, participating housing authorities have pooled a portion of their available rental assistance vouchers to provide long-term support, through project-based vouchers (PBVs), for the rehabilitation or construction of multifamily affordable rental homes in communities across the region. The member housing authorities also partner together to operate a regional referral list to place households in the created housing units. To date, there are almost 600 apartments in 38 affordable housing developments across the region.
RHI also provides member housing authorities a forum to share best practices, discuss ongoing challenges, and explore other opportunities for collaboration.