Chico Proposes Steps To Reduce Homelessness In Chicago
CHICAGO (WBBM) - Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico laid out proposals to reduce homelessness in the city on Thursday. Newsradio 780's Debra Dale reports.
Chico pledged to make the goals of ending homelessness a priority and outlined three steps he would take as mayor to address the problem.
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"We will spend a lot of time talking about budget shortfalls and police shortages, but homelessness is a dimension of Chicago that is desperately in need of our attention," Chico said in a news release. "We can all agree that it is unacceptable to have citizens sleeping on our streets and tens of thousands of children without a place to call home. Let's renew the fight to end homelessness and lead our city to truly world-class status."
There are an estimated 88,000 homeless in Chicago, including 15,000 Chicago Public School students.
Chico says, if elected mayor, he would make CPS more accountable and coordinated in identifying homeless students, and provide them with needed services by streamlining social service contracts, ensuring every school has a homeless student liaison and hiring a leader for the Homeless Education Program.
Chico also says he would focus on job creation and make sure agencies that provide services to the homeless use taxpayer money efficiently.
Chico also would work to pass the "Sweet Home Chicago Ordinance", which would expand access to affordable housing by directing more than $100 million to developing and rehabbing affordable housing units for families that make less than $37,000 a year.
