The proposals are part of a $17 billion budget — which also revives a fight over a corporate head tax plan — the mayor will formally present to City Council Wednesday.
CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed 2027 budget includes allocating nearly $100 million to existing housing and homelessness programs at risk of cuts from the federal government and $30 million to the Chicago Public Library to stave off layoffs and boost staffing.
From the article:
The move follows calls from a group of progressive housing providers and alderpeople, who have publicly called for more funding to help prevent 3,000 Chicagoans from becoming homeless next year. That’s because of changes being made to the federal Permanent Supportive Housing program that offers long-term housing assistance to chronically homeless people who often face severe mental illnesses or substance use disorders.
Advocates involved in the Keep Chicago Housed campaign welcomed the news that Johnson’s proposed budget would protect the housing and social services programs. Mary Tarullo, director of city policy for the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, which is leading the Keep Chicago Housed effort, said she hopes the allocations remain fully funded in the final budget that gets approved.
“This is an important first step to protect our current levels of affordable housing, including protecting Chicagoans from the inhumane actions of the Trump Administration and stabilizing locally funded programs that provide essential forms of affordable housing to our most vulnerable Chicagoans,” Tarullo said in a statement.
