Conducted between October 2007 and February 2008, the results of the survey include key findings such as:

•  53.9% of Hispanic renters, 27.1% of African American renters, and 19.5% of white renters are very worried about losing their apartment to condominium conversions. Only 58% of Hispanics had a 12-month lease, as compared to more than 70% of black renters and nearly 80% of white renters. 29% of Hispanic renters reported having no lease.

• 54.6% of white renters report living in apartments in good condition, compared to 38.6% of African American renters and only 19.7% of Hispanic renters. Not surprisingly, while more than 70% of whites would recommend their apartments to others, only 38% of Hispanics and 52% of blacks would recommend their apartments to others.
• While 16.9% of white renters said they could use a better landlord, compared to 25.3% of black renters, 39.1% of Hispanic renters said they needed a better landlord.
• The survey also found that Hispanics have more than twice as many people per bedroom living in their apartments, as compared to black and white renters. 39.6% of black renters and 34.2% of Hispanic renters said they needed an apartment with more bedrooms. More than half of black and Hispanic renters said they also needed a cheaper apartment, as compared to 22.1% of white renters.

At the event, renters echoed the findings and shared their own experiences. Maria E., a Hispanic renter with four children, spoke of being displaced three times in 12 months. Among the apartments she lived in was one where a hole in her bathroom ceiling allowed her to see into the apartment above her. When she asked about getting it repaired, her landlord told her she would have to move. Now she didn’t want to ask her landlord anything because she could not afford to move again. Another tenant said she asked to have a month-to-month lease because her landlord was so lousy, she did not want to get stuck in an annual lease. She worried about who else would move into the building and its poor condition. Louise S., a tenant living with a housing voucher, related how the stress of worrying about whether her landlord would renew her lease put her into the hospital for a week. She knew that if she lost her unit, finding another would be very difficult. Another participant talked about how she would help friends find apartments. She spoke good English, but her friends did not. Landlords would often tell her friends that apartments were rented, but when she called, the landlords would offer to arrange appointments.

Brian White, Executive Director of Lakeside CDC and Chair of the Housing Committee of Partners for Rogers Park, described several of the initiatives being advanced by PRP, including:

• Securing a moratorium on zoning changes for new condominium production in Rogers Park
• Passing strong city and state protections for tenants displaced by condo conversions or municipal code enforcement
• Elevating tenants into positions of leadership with community decision-making groups
• Educating of tenants about their rights and improving coordinating of tenant services
• Helping willing landlords access programs and services to improve their buildings without having to raise rents

On Sunday April 13, Partners for Rogers Park will host a housing information fair at St. Jerome Church, 1709 W Lunt Ave., from 10 am to 12 pm. The event is open to the public. A number of organizations, plus the Chicago Department of Housing, are scheduled to participate.

For more information on the survey or the work of the Partners for Rogers Park Housing Committee, contact Brian White, Executive Director of Lakeside CDC, at (773) 381-5253 or .

The survey can be downloaded from Lakeside's website.