WFS NEWS

Continuing the fight In ABLA: Straight to HUD’s front door.

(Chicago, Mar. 8, 2023)

In a Press Conference, directly outside the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, Working Family Solidarity, alongside ABLA Homes residents, and our partners with the Protect CHA land Coalition, called on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist in the fight against The Corrupt Land deal In ABLA Homes’ 23 acres of vacant land, promised for residents to build new affordable housing more than two decades ago.

The WFS Lead Organizer, Kevin Johnson, spoke at the action, Speaking directly To the HUD office on WGN's Evening News saying: "Why are these people not worthy of having a decent place to live? Because they can't pay $3,000 a month to rent a nice apartment?"

Our Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, also spoke at the action, in both English and Spanish, reminding those who attended, and those at home watching that, "We Latinx people refuse to be divided against African American families, who are being denied an affordable place to live - just like we Latinx families are being driven out of various neighborhoods."

Working Family Solidarity has been organizing ABLA Home residents for several months, supporting them to fight for their housing rights as tenants and to fight against the corrupt, Unethical, and Possibly illegal land grab that the Mayor and CHA are trying to push through, to lease 23 acres of land to the billionaire owner of the Chicago Fire Soccer team, Joe Mansueto. This land was promised to ABLA Homes residents many years ago.

Facebook Live Discussion with FLAP (Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project)

Our Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, was invited to participate in a Facebook Live discussion on 10/12/22, with Alexandra Sossa, Executive Director of FLAP (Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project). We discussed our organizations’ missions and goals, and challenges, and agreed to continue our meetings and discussions, as well as finding ways to coordinate our work to support each other’s efforts.

Our mission is to unite low-income working families, especially African Americans & Latinx, to attain equitable development, with a focus on jobs & housing to resist the gentrifications of communities of color. FLAP focuses on education and advocacy of farmworkers and landscapes, many of whom are Latinx. Our work overlaps in that we both are actively promoting labor rights education among low-income workers of color, and advocating for more worker rights as well.

Link to the Facebook Live Discussion: https://www.facebook.com/farmworkerlandscaper.advocacyproject/videos/434124858864610

Our Executive Director is quoted in Housing Action Illinois’ Press Release

Our Executive Director was quoted in a recent Press Release by Housing Action Illinois’ regarding the national report “Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing” jointly released on 7/28/22 by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition and Housing Action Illinois. Among other statistics for working families in Illinois, the national report reveals that Illinois renters must earn nearly $23 per hour to afford rent for a modest 2-bedroom apartment. Link to full press release and the report below, as well as links to HAI’s and NLIHC’s websites.

The press release talks about Black and Latinx workers being hit especially hard by rising rents. Since Working Family Solidarity’s constituents are 90% Black and Latinx, our E.D. is quoted referring to the desperate situation low-income workers of color face:

“Even working multiple jobs, many low-income workers are still not able to afford housing,” states Working Family Solidarity’s Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, “With very little available affordable housing in the area, many hard-working families are left with few options but to double-up multiple families into one apartment just to afford rent. In the richest country on earth, hard-working families shouldn’t live on the edge of homelessness month after month.”

Housing Action Illinois is a state-wide coalition leading the movement to protect and expand affordable housing and end homelessness in Illinois for the past 35 years. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition is a nationwide research and advocacy organization.

Link to Housing Action Illinois’ Press Release of 07/28/22: https://housingactionil.org/blog/2022/07/28/affordable-housing-is-out-of-reach-in-illinois-for-low-wage-workers/

Link to NLIHC’s national report, “Out of Reach:” https://reports.nlihc.org/oor
Link to HAI's main website: https://housingactionil.org
Link to NLIHC's main website: www.nlihc.org

Photos: (top) Front page of the recent National Report "Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing;" (middle) National low Income Housing Coalition's logo; (bottom) Housing Action Illinois' logo.

WFS was mentioned & quoted on ABC Chicago’s Evening News

Working Family Solidarity was mentioned and our Executive Director was quoted in a news story on Chicago's ABC Channel 7 Evening News this week, on 6/6/22. The story is also an on-line article, with a short video, on ABC 7 Chicago's website. The story was about the high - and rising - price of gasoline, and how it is affecting community-based organization's work. The news story looked at three community-based organizations in Chicago, and was part of ABC Chicago's "Race & Culture" news stories.

Our organization's work on Chicago's west, southwest, and southsides were mentioned, and our Executive Director talked about the rising gas prices affecting our organization's budget, increasing the amount we need to spend each month in mileage reimbursements to staff.

Link to the story with a short video:
https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-gas-prices-near-me-crime-violence/11933625/

Be it high gasoline prices, rising housing costs, lack of access to good jobs for many Chicagoans, low & moderate-income families - especially working families of color - are always hit the hardest when the price of basic goods increase. In addition, the organizations that work in our communities supporting working families are negatively impacted during harsh economic times.

Photos: (right) Working Family Solidarity Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, makes a comment on ABC Chicago's Evening News' braodcast of 6/6/22; (middle) The story was part of ABC Chicago's "Race & Culture" series; (left) The opening image from the 6/6/22 news story on skyrocketing gasoline prices.

WFS Awarded Grant from Chicago Fund for Safe & Peaceful Communities

With Memorial Day on the horizon, Working Family Solidarity was awarded a grant from the 2022 Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities to bring people together and help make our neighborhoods safer this summer. Working Family Solidarity is among 201 local, grassroots organizations that will receive a total of $1.5 million in grants to host programs and activities in 24 neighborhoods on Chicago's South and West Sides hardest hit by gun violence.

"We help working families attain basic stability by creating more good jobs and more affordable housing that are accessible to all community members," explains Working Family Solidarity Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, "This helps to create a greater feeling of calm, lowers tension, and increases the amount of hope in our youth regarding their future."

This year marks the seventh year a coalition of over 50 foundations and funders called the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (PSPC) has facilitated neighborhood grants through the Chicago Fund, which provides grants to neighborhood organizations engaged in community-led approaches to increasing community cohesion, safety and peace. PSPC launched the Chicago Fund in 2016 to prepare for the potential of a spike in violence in Chicago during summer months, and to support activities that build community cohesion and promote safety and peace. Over the years, the rapid-response fund has provided $8.2 million in support of 1,024 projects.

For more info. & a full list of grantees: www.safeandpeacefulchi.com

Fair Housing Champion

Working Family Solidarity is very proud to announce that our Organizer, Sharon Norwood, was selected as a "Fair Housing Champion" by the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, Housing Choice Partners, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sharon and her family have experienced discrimination in housing, and she has fought for years against this disrespectful and illegal behavior. Sharon has continued to advance that struggle for justice for all working families, especially low income families of color, as a staff person with Working Family Solidarity since mid-2021.

An excerpt from the official announcement: "Sharon Norwood is an organizer with Working Family Solidarity, a Chicago organization that strives to unify Black and Latinx families and assist them with job and housing opportunities. Sharon is responsible for conducting outreach and education to low-income families on topics related to housing and works to obtain support for a variety of housing campaigns."

Photos: (left) The official announcement of Working Family Solidarity organizer Sharon Norwood as a "Fair Housing Champion"; (right) Sharon talking with community residents about their rights to good jobs and affordable housing.

Working Family Solidarity helped secure more funds for Affordable Housing in Illinois!

Working Family Solidarity has conducted outreach, especially to low-wage workers of color and their families, for many months, primarily on the west, southwest, and south sides of Chicago, urging residents to let officials know about their need for more housing rights & affordable housing. Together with many other groups in Chicago and across Illinois, that effort recently resulted in an additional $150 million from ARPA funds (the federal American Rescue Plan Act) being directed by the Illinois State Assembly toward affordable housing in the Illinois State Budget. This is the state budget for fiscal year 2023, and the $150 million is appropriated to the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). A link to the entire amended HB900 is here below, and a screenshot of Section 430 is here below, as well.

Championing the appropriation of more ARPA funds toward affordable housing in our state were: Rep. Guzzardi, Rep. Ramirez and all other members of the House Progressive Caucus, as well as Sen. Gillespie, Sen. Feigenholtz, Sen. Hunter, and Sen. Pacione-Zayas.

What is ARPA? In addition to funding households, small businesses and schools, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), was originally developed as emergency relief during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has provided relief funds to state, local, and tribal governments that have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

To see the entire amended Illinois HB900 (over 3,000 pages): HB 900, Senate Amendment 4

Images: (top) Section 430 of the 4/8/22 amended Illinois HB900, stipulating that $150 million of ARPA funds go to statewide affordable housing needs; (bottom left) Working Family Solidarity Executive Director Leone Jose Bicchieri in a video produced by Chicago United for Equity (CUE) on housing needs for low-wage workers; (bottom right) Sharon Norwood, Organizer with Working Family Solidarity, speaks at a rally to oppose unjust evictions and in favor of more housing rights.

Working Family Solidarity is proud to have played a role in winning a historic victory against housing discrimination in Illinois!

We are a proud member of the Illinois Coalition for Fair Housing & Source of Income campaign. Due to our and other great groups' efforts, HB2775 "Source of Income" has now passed the Illinois State Senate, and the House (on 4/8/22), and it is very likely that Gov. Pritzker will sign it in the near future. We are decreasing the amount of discrimination against renters with non-traditional sources of income, and helping low-income workers (especially workers of color) and their families to attain housing stability.

To view the 4/8/22 Press Release by the Illinois Coalition for Fair Housing, which mentions Working Family Solidarity, and our organizer, Sharon Norwood as well: HB 2775 Passage Press Release

For more information on HB2775 (Source of Income): https://www.housingchoicepartners.org/soi-campaign

Working Family Solidarity participated in the Wieboldt Foundation's inaugural Capacity Building Community Organizing Initiative!

Affordable Housing Advocacy Agenda: Working Family Solidarity has been collaborating with Housing Action Illinois and several other groups in Illinois during March and early April to advance an Affordable Housing agenda on a Federal level, so that working families can enjoy housing stability.

Kalmanovitz Initiative national panel in early March: Our Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, was one of three panelists on a national Housing Rights presentation and discussion in early March, sponsored by Georgetown University's Kalmanovitz Initiative on Labor and the Working Poor.

Wieboldt Foundation's announcement: Working Family Solidarity was one of seven Chicago area organizations chosen to participate in the Wieboldt Foundation's inaugural Capacity Building Community Organizing Initiative, with support from the Chicago Community Trust.