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- calendar_today October 30, 2026
Introduction: Moving Beyond Poverty Neighborhoods
For decades, housing mobility programs have helped low-income families in Chicago move from high-poverty, high-crime neighborhoods to communities offering broader opportunities. One of the pioneers of this approach, the Gautreaux Assisted Housing Program, started in the 1980s to address entrenched racial segregation and provide low-income residents—many of whom are Black families—with the chance to live in lower-crime, higher-income neighborhoods with more resources.
Personal Stories: From Englewood to Opportunity
Gloria Washington’s story illustrates the transformation such programs can catalyze. In 1985, she lived in subsidized housing in Englewood, plagued by unsafe conditions. After learning about the Gautreaux Program, Washington accepted an apartment in Schaumburg, a suburb she knew only from car dealership ads. Although facing challenges such as a lack of sidewalks and experiencing racism, Washington found support from the local community and program counselors. Assistance with day care, transportation, and educational opportunities led her to stable employment and allowed her children to attend well-resourced schools. Four decades later, Washington and her children have built successful lives in their new community.
The Gautreaux Program and Its Legacy
The Gautreaux Program arose from a 1966 lawsuit against the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The suit claimed government-led housing segregation, and the outcome required agencies to offer housing vouchers to families wishing to relocate to racially integrated or predominantly white areas. The program provided housing search counseling, landlord outreach, and other critical resources to facilitate these moves.
Often called the country’s first housing mobility program, Gautreaux relocated over 7,100 families before reaching its court-mandated target. Its success inspired similar programs nationwide, demonstrating positive impacts on mental health, educational outcomes for children, and broader economic mobility.
Continued Barriers and the Role of Housing Mobility Programs
Today, about 40,000 households in Chicago use CHA housing choice vouchers to rent from private landlords. Nevertheless, many voucher holders—predominantly living in majority-Black neighborhoods—struggle with limited affordable housing supply, credit challenges, and discrimination from landlords. This often results in families returning their vouchers unsatisfied, unable to secure housing in opportunity-rich areas.
Experts like Stefanie DeLuca, a Johns Hopkins professor, emphasize that well-designed housing mobility programs “boost the power of the voucher.” Through comprehensive support—including counseling, assistance with paperwork, security deposit funds, and connections to social services—programs can help families access neighborhoods with better resources, even if mobility alone cannot resolve systemic poverty.
Illinois Landscape: Fewer Programs, Growing Need
Despite past expansion, Illinois now offers only one active housing mobility program: CHA’s Mobility Counseling Services Program. This initiative helps 200 to 400 families each year move to higher-income, lower-crime areas within Chicago, but no longer facilitates moves to the suburbs as Gautreaux once did. Factors such as limited federal funding and rising costs for counselors, higher rents, and support services have led to the discontinuation of similar programs, including the Cook County Housing Authority’s Community Choice Program, which ended in 2023 due to funding constraints.
Policy leaders and advocates debate the merits of spreading limited resources between broader voucher access and focused mobility support. A recently introduced bipartisan bill in Congress proposes adding 250,000 housing mobility vouchers for low-income families with young children nationwide, aiming to address this dilemma.
Impact on Families: Access, Stability, and Aspirations
The effects of housing mobility extend beyond economics. Crystal Glover, a Chicago mother, experienced homelessness before finding a home through CHA’s mobility program. With swift response and support, Glover and her children secured an apartment in a safe neighborhood with plentiful amenities and community resources in walking distance. This newfound stability enabled Glover to plan for her future and her children’s, including pursuing nursing school.
For many families, including Washington’s and Glover’s, the core motivation remains the opportunity to secure “better for my kids.” While the nature and reach of housing mobility programs have evolved, the essential goal—empowering families to choose environments that foster safety, education, and opportunity—remains unchanged.
Source: chicago.suntimes.com.
