Chicago Thinks Tiny for Housing Low-Income Residents

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently announced an affordable housing initiative for the city’s low-income residents.

In June of this year, the city’s Department of Planning and Dev­elopment issued a Request for Infor­mation (RFI) to study the viability of tiny homes for seniors and residents experiencing homelessness.

The RFI asks nonprofit housing agencies, housing developers, and other related entities to collaborate with the city on how to best implement such a program throughout the city’s neighborhoods and to provide a rationale for any proposed changes to Chicago’s zoning ordinances.

According to a statement from the mayor’s office, the Chicago Tiny House initiative will be funded by the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund, which receives fees paid by developers, as well as by the City’s fee on home-sharing companies such as Airbnb, and donations and requests to volunteer via its website. Mayor Emanuel said in a statement, “Every Chicagoan should have a place to call home, period,” explaining that tiny homes offer an innovative solution and the potential “to create affordable and permanent housing options for some of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents.”

Since 2011, the City of Chicago has increased funding in new programs for sheltering veterans, families, victims of domestic violence, and the city’s youth, and has added more than 10 percent to existing funding for homeless initiatives, the mayor’s office said.

In June, Emanuel also made a commitment to support 1,600 new housing units for those experiencing homelessness in Chicago, as part of his current five-year housing plan, which is forecast to add 21 percent more available housing for vulnerable residents, including those experiencing chronic homelessness.