CONVERGE:EXCHANGE

Thursday, April 11 2013, 2:30pm-7:30pm

Are you interested in making the housing in your community more affordable? Is your community trying to preserve existing and create new housing options for its residents? Come join us for a half-day workshop and panel discussion, which will provide an in depth look into a variety of tools and strategies for increasing the availability of affordable housing in communities. The event is jointly presented by The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), Converge:Exchange (C:E), Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) and Archeworks with generous funding provided by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.

The Affordable Housing Toolkit Workshop (presented by CUP):

“Affordable Housing.” The phrase seems plain enough, but it doesnʼt always mean what people think it does! It actually has a technical definition that can determine what gets built and who lives there. The Affordable Housing Toolkit helps communities answer the all-important question, “Affordable to whom?” 

The kit is an interactive workshop tool with activities that break down affordable housing policy into easy-to-understand visuals. Look at income demographics, rents, and proposed developments in your neighborhood. Learn about affordable housing programs and whoʼs eligible for them. A guidebook will explain Chicagoʼs affordable housing programs and who is eligible to use them, and provide step-bystep instructions on how to run a workshop.

CUP designed the New York City toolkit with input from dozens of community organizations, advocacy groups, and policy experts to meet the specific needs they faced in educating their constituents on neighborhood development issues. Now we are working to adapt the toolkit for the specific needs that concern Chicago’s affordable housing organizers, advocates, builders, and others interested in the issue.

You can see images of the NYC toolkit here:
http://welcometocup.org/Projects/EnvisioningDevelopment/WhatIsAffordableHousing

and see a short animation about it here:
http://vimeo.com/7031482

Workshop: Free
RSVP required: monica@convergexchange.org

Community Tools for Affordable Housing Panel Discussion

Following the afternoon workshop weʼre planning an early evening discussion centered on affordable housing tools. In the discussion we’d like to explore how communities can make affordable housing happen and what tools are available (ranging from the toolkit to public/private partnerships).

The panel will feature policy experts, planners, developers, architects, financiers and other stakeholders engaged in a spirited discussion around the tools to produce attractive and appropriately priced housing that benefit both the residents and the broader community.

Discussion Panel: Free and open to the public

Schedule:

2:30 pm Gather at Archeworks, 625 North Kingsbury, Chicago

2:45-5:00 pm Affordable Housing Toolkit Workshop Presented by Christine Gaspar, Center for Urban Pedagogy, NY

5:00-5:45 pm Networking and light snacks

6:00-7:30 pm Community Tools for Affordable Housing Discussion Panel

Participants:

Christine Gaspar, Executive Director, Center for Urban Pedagogy, NY

Janet Smith, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Co-Director of Voorhees Center, UIC, Chicago

Andrew Geer, VP and Chicago Market Leader, Enterprise Community Partners

Catherine Baker, Principal, Landon Bone Baker

Eithne McMenamin, MSW, Associate Director for City Affairs, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless