Welcome to the Chicago Housing Authority’s web site.

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) has consolidated its administrative offices in a new location. The distinctive red structure is a familiar part of the Chicago skyline, located at the corner of Van Buren and Wabash. The address is 60 East Van Buren, Chicago, Illinois 60605.

The move has enabled the CHA to consolidate both its public housing and voucher program administration under one roof.

There is a lot to be grateful for, a lot to be hopeful for, and a lot still left to do. The CHA is, first of all, grateful for the continuing support of Mayor Richard M. Daley, federal housing officials, and elected officials at every level of government. The collective support from the public and private sectors enables the CHA to push ahead with its bold plan to rebuild struggling neighborhoods and the lives of their residents.

So many residents have responded positively to the Plan for Transformation. More than 4,000 families have been successfully relocated from dangerous and unsafe high rises. More than 6,000 individuals have some work through the efforts of the service connecters and social service partners and resident incomes are steadily rising. Mayor Daley also recently announced “Opportunity Chicago” a citywide commitment involving employers, government and non-profit community groups to helping both CHA and non-CHA residents throughout Chicago secure real and meaningful job opportunities.

At the end of 2006, the CHA had completed 15,292 or 61.2 percent of the 25,000 housing units for seniors and families to be rehabilitated or rebuilt under the 15-year Plan for Transformation.

Almost all of the senior and scattered-site units are completed, as are approximately 4,000 family units, about half of which are in mixed-income developments.  All told, 39, separate mixed-income developments are in some stage of design, construction or completion.

Equally important is the growing list of CHA partners, starting with other government agencies that have invested in infrastructure and community anchors needed to build and maintain strong and healthy communities that include police services, schools and recreational areas.

The CHA also has new businesses coming into its neighborhoods and growing alliances with major institutions like the Illinois Institute of Technology, and financial resources from foundations and corporations.

Together, the Chicago Housing Authority is ending the social and economic isolation of public housing residents, transforming the CHA into a model housing agency. Its growth is stimulating billions of dollars worth of new investment in some of Chicago’s poorest communities and demonstrating to the nation and the world, Chicago’s deep commitment to addressing the issues of poverty. No other city is doing more than Chicago to ensure that everyone in the city – regardless of income – can share in its success.

For questions and comments about our web page, contact our webmaster at webmaster@thecha.org.

What is the Plan for Transformation?

The Plan for Transformation Plan is a blueprint for the comprehensive renewal of public housing in Chicago. More than 25,000 units of housing will be redeveloped or rehabilitated under the Plan, which also ushered in a variety of programs that help lower-income residents blend into the social and economic fabric of the surrounding city.View the complete answer.

What is the relocation process?

Under the Plan for Transformation, the CHA is redeveloping or rehabilitating 25,000 units of housing. All residents who legally inhabited a CHA unit on October 1,1999 are afforded a right to return to public housing in the wake of redevelopment or rehabilitation. In the interim, all residents are required to move at least once to accommodate construction activity. View the complete answer.

How do I get on the waiting list for a Housing Choice Voucher?

The CHA’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly called Section 8) is administered by CHAC, Inc, a privately owned company. View the complete answer.

More Frequently Asked Questions