Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Inclusionary Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff explain how Evanston's inclusionary housing wait list works; 84 IH units in program
Summary
Staff described how the city-managed inclusionary housing waiting list is run, who qualifies for the 84 inclusionary units, and steps the city will take to improve communications and outreach.
Amy Kaufman, vice president of community relations at SIPA, told the Housing and Community Development Committee on July 15 that Evanston’s inclusionary housing program currently covers 84 affordable units in market-rate buildings and that nearly all of those units are occupied.
The discussion laid out how the centralized waiting list works, who qualifies and why many applicants remain on the list for long periods. "These units are not subsidized," Kaufman said. "The tenant household has to be able to pay the rent as it is set by the developer ... the rent is set for the unit, not for the tenant." She said vouchers are accepted as a source of income but do not reduce the developer-set rent.
Kaufman described the program's income thresholds and selection process. Applicants first submit a one-page pre-application; staff use a minimum-income cutoff to avoid placing households on the list who could not possibly afford any available unit. The city recently set the minimum at $30,000 for one- and two-person households and $40,000 for households of three or more. Most inclusionary units are targeted at 60% of area median income (AMI), with a mix of a few units at 50% and 80% AMI reflecting ordinance changes over time.
Kaufman explained the tenant-screening process: once an applicant is found income- and size-eligible for a specific unit, city staff refer the household to the property manager, who may still run credit and background checks and can decline an applicant. She described typical reasons applicants do not respond to unit offers—leases elsewhere, school-year timing, or unsuitable location—and said staff sometimes must move deep into the waiting list to find an eligible household; in recent referrals staff cited positions as deep as #613 on the list.
Local preference is part of the selection set: applicants self-identify whether they "live or work in Evanston," and staff said about one-third of the current waiting list self-report a local preference. Kaufman said the program records and honors local preference where it can, but that many applicants not strictly meeting the preference have strong ties to the city.
The presentation also included operational steps staff plan to take: improved automated communication and an FAQ on a new inclusionary housing page, more frequent wait-list updates, and pilot use of text-message alerts in addition to email. Kaufman said staff can update an applicant’s information in real time when applicants call and that the program does an official wait-list update every two years.
Committee members asked about the distribution of unit sizes and turnover. Kaufman confirmed the majority of units are studios and one-bedrooms, with few three-bedroom units, and suggested communications to larger households should explicitly note the scarcity of larger units and offer alternative resources.
Ending: Committee members encouraged staff to expand outreach and to provide a short FAQ and stronger initial communications for new applicants. Kaufman and staff said they will add improved guidance for applicants, explore opt-in text alerts, and post an updated inclusionary housing page on the city's website.
