Area Housing and Affordability

A little over a month ago the News-Gazette highlighted affordability concerns with local housing. Excerpt:

Housing Authority of Champaign County Director David Northern said it's "very common" for underemployed people to seek out his agency for help with housing.

He said it takes almost 78 hours of work for an individual who earns the state minimum wage of $8.25 an hour to pay for a two-bedroom apartment in Champaign County, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

That puts stress on families, said Sue Grey, director of the United Way of Champaign County.

"Imagine being a single parent in that situation," Grey said. "When someone is underemployed, they're constantly on that ledge. They're on the precipice all the time. So they have to constantly think about what will pull them over the edge."

Grey added that there's often a misconception about people who who receive assistance because of their precarious work situation.

"A lot of times, people will assume that those who receive services or get assistance are just being lazy, or that they're not doing anything to help their situation," she said. "But if you talk to most service providers in Champaign County, you'd find that many of them work with people who either already have a job and it's not enough, or they're looking for employment. We have homeless families that have jobs but find that it's not enough."

Full article here with a lot of additional information at the State level and local experiences.

Recently WILL also highlighted the issue with rising rental rates in spite of continued building of "stumpies" (simple apartment complexes with some aesthetic upgrades) in our over-saturated market:

A 2016 market research report from Triad Real Estate Partners found that there were a half dozen private apartment projects with more than 100 beds constructed in Champaign-Urbana that year. These new additions to the housing market, which added over 2,000 rooms, and the current projects underway, have led to a rental housing surplus, particularly among students...

Ben LeRoy, an associate planner with the city of Champaign, says it’s typically a business decision on the part of the developer whether or not to pursue a project in an oversaturated market, and not up to the city to greenlight most projects...

Development can potentially generate more tax revenues. It’s something that the city of Urbana is counting on with five new housing developments in the planning or construction stages, according to the city’s latest budget proposal.

LeRoy also says that more housing means more competition among landlords, which could result in lower rents...

But student-targeted apartments tend to be more expensive. The average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Champaign-Urbana has been increasing in recent years, going from $854 in 2013 to $903 in 2016, according to the same market research report from Triad Real Estate.

Full article with additional information here. Below are a couple Housing Authority of Champaign County Updates as well. From the News-Gazette last week:

Housing authority to start accepting applications for voucher program June 17
The Housing Authority of Champaign County will start accepting pre-applications for its housing-choice voucher program waiting list June 17.

The list will remain open through June 30...

Pre-applications are accepted online only at https://www.hacc.net.

Full blurb here. From earlier in May:

Housing authority to take applications for Hayes Homes starting June 3
The Housing Authority of Champaign County is set to begin accepting preliminary applications for a waiting list for its Hayes Homes for older adults in need of rental assistance.

The list for one-bedroom apartments at 401 E. High St., U, will open at 12:01 a.m. June 3 and remain open until the end of the day July 31.

Full blurb here. And the HACC is already expanding a bit at its new location:

One of the newest additions to this area, the Champaign County Housing Authority's headquarters, is already looking to expand its holdings there a bit.

Housing Authority CEO David Northern said the housing authority — which recently relocated to 2008 N. Market St. — is seeking to buy the 2.5-acre property at 2000 N. Market where Red Fox liquor and convenience store formerly operated...

"We do need some additional parking," Northern said about buying the additional property. "And if the organization grows, it's a great opportunity."

That full article here.