Eleanor Foundation | Partner Perspective: The Importance of Affordable Housing

A network of resources to support economic self-sufficiency

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We know that women's needs and opportunities go beyond the capacity and experience of any single organization. That's why we work closely with our grantee partners to restructure programs that will better meet working women's needs, including the need for easy access to where they live or work. We also partner with like-minded investors to combine their resources with our strategic grants to expand the economic potential of working women.

Partner Perspective: The Importance of Affordable Housing

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July 15, 2009

Nicholas Brunick
Attorney, Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen PC and Vice Chair, Eleanor Foundation Board of Directors

I don't often need convincing about the merits or benefits of creating more affordable housing. But I have to admit that I was agitated by the recent research commissioned by the Eleanor Foundation. It demonstrates that the monumental efforts of working women to climb to economic self-sufficiency are being eroded by a lack of affordable housing in our region and our nation.

Since 1990, despite working more and using government assistance less, female-headed households are spending larger and larger shares of their income on housing, often in neighborhoods that are plagued by crime and instability and far from jobs, good schools, good transportation, and healthy food options.

Kamilyn Baskerville listens to our Policy Forum discussion with fellow panelist Maria Lin. Baskerville is a single working mom assisted by Eleanor-funded programs. She and her three children now live in a four-bedroom apartment made available through our partnership with the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund.

The numbers are mind-numbing. Over 85% of all female-headed households earning between $10,000-$30,000 in the Chicago region are spending over 30% of their income on housing. A shocking 53% of these women are spending over 50% of all their income on housing—a 77% increase since 1990. When facing these kinds of prohibitive costs, it is increasingly difficult for working women to make ends meet, much less to save money for their children's education, for their retirement, or for starting a business. And the long commutes and long hours that these women face mean fewer time for involvement in school and community efforts.

Creating the Conditions for Success
If we want working women to succeed, we must create more affordable housing opportunities, especially in the right locations—near jobs, transit, good schools, and good amenities. It won't be easy; but it will pay off in numerous ways if we have the will to make it happen. Building and rehabbing affordable housing will stimulate one of the economy's best engines—the housing sector; it will create a wide array of blue-collar, white-collar, and green-collar jobs; it will generate tax revenues for funding essential government services; and it will help us "green" our commercial and residential buildings—which according to the U.S. Energy Administration's 2007 Annual Energy Outlook generate approximately 40% of all of our carbon emissions.

Building and rehabbing more affordable housing in the right locations will also improve the economic competitiveness and overall livability of our region. More affordable housing near existing jobs and mass transit means shorter traffic commutes, fewer cars on the road, and a cleaner environment. More employees living closer to their places of employment means higher productivity, lower absenteeism, and lower turnover rates for area employers, thereby making it easier to retain and attract employment to the region.

But, most importantly, affordable housing means a better life for the children of working-poor women. And therein lies maybe the strongest argument for action. Forty percent of all children in our nation are now being raised in female-headed households. If we want our nation's children to be the scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs, legal minds, artists, and educators who will help to create a world that is healthier, wealthier, more peaceful, more cultured, and more sustainable (all at the same time), then we need to be concerned about the women that the Eleanor Foundation seeks to help.

"If we want working women to succeed, we must create more affordable housing opportunities, especially in the right locations–near jobs, transit, good schools, and good amenities."

Though difficult, there is hope for our cause. Here in Illinois, a three-year campaign waged by religious institutions, concerned citizens, and a variety of civic and advocacy organizations recently resulted in an unprecedented victory—the inclusion of affordable housing in the state's capital budget. In the early morning hours of June 1st, the Illinois General Assembly voted unanimously to appropriate $145 million for building and rehabbing affordable housing as part of a multi-billion capital bill.

These dollars, coupled with the funds from the 2009 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, provide us all with a unique opportunity to leverage multiple resources to bring about meaningful change that we can build on. Let's spend these funds wisely and make an investment in our common future. Let's use them to build a ladder of opportunity that working-poor women (and others) can climb to the middle class—a ladder complete with rungs for education, child care, financial literacy, and, especially, affordable housing.

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Partner Perspective: The Importance of Affordable Housing

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