South Side residents who lost their homes demand reforms

She said she then withheld payment while waiting for repairs and management took her to court. Several calls to 311 to report the condition of the apartment went unanswered, she said.

Now, with an eviction on her record and eight days to find a new place, she’s struggling.

“They’re kicking me and my kids out,” Curry said through tears. “What am I supposed to do?”

Hattie Knazze, a 77-year-old retired Hyde Park resident and breast cancer survivor, saw her property taxes rise by more than $4,000 after county records showed her three-apartment building was assessed at $301,000 compared with $140,000 last year.

Gentrification was behind the largest tax increases that primarily affected minority or Latino neighborhoods, the Sun-Times reported earlier this year.

Last year on the Lower West Side, homeowners saw their median tax bill rise more than 45%, from $4,964 to $7,239, according to an analysis of the city’s 2023 tax bills. In Avondale, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, the median tax bill rose 27%.

Knazze is now looking for work and her sister, who also lives in the building with her and her nephew, is postponing her retirement while they appeal the assessment.

“Why, at this point in my life, am I forced to look for another job?” Knazze asks. “I love this city. I’ve lived here all my life. Where am I going to go? There should be something else we can do.”

The South Shore bill has yet to be brought to a floor vote since it was introduced to the committee last September by Councilman Desmon Yancy (5th Ward), whose office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite saying the group hasn’t heard much from policymakers, even those who initially worked with them, Powell said he hopes to see it approved before the next budget season.

The Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance was introduced last month to expand two temporary measures passed by the City Council that attempted (and succeeded) to slow the number of demolitions in Pilsen and around the 606 Trail on the Northwest Side, thereby increasing property values. The pilot program created a surcharge of $5,000 per unit and $15,000 per building to demolish single-family homes and multi-unit buildings in parts of Humboldt Park, Pilsen, and Logan Square.

This pilot law is set to expire in December, but has already been renewed twice previously.

According to Powell, those measures are a start, and he said a “citywide Community Benefits Agreement (CBA)” is needed. But more importantly, he said, small property owners and tenants need to come together to push for change.

“There’s a system in place that runs like a well-oiled machine, they don’t ignore it,” Powell said. “They don’t want us, the people, to feel active, because when we come together, we become a force that can’t be counted on… This is our city.”