Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/AnneKnepler

This report offers the first systematic look at what happened, from 1999 to 2001, as the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) began implementing an ambitious 10-year plan to demolish most of its high-rise buildings and relocate in the private rental market as many as 6,000 residents participating in the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program. Former residents of CHA apartments who moved to private-market units report substantial improvements in their overall well-being, but providing effective transition and counseling services to CHA's remaining residents--many with complex needs--is the key to getting more people into private-market housing. [View press release]

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Relocation and Mobility Counseling Assessment intends to examine neighborhood outcomes for Housing Choice Voucher holders and to assess CHAC's efforts in providing mobility counseling to voucher holders interested in moving to opportunity neighborhoods. The study also aims to provide ongoing feedback to the CHA and CHAC - the organization that administers the Housing Choice Voucher program and operates the Mobility Program - and other actors concerned about the Housing Choice Voucher Program, such as the Mayor's Office; Chicago Department of Human Services; and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

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