Champaign-Urbana Shack Study

Housing, Segregation, Discrimination, Community Organizations--Women, Poverty, Research and Data, Social Welfare

Report prepared by Champaign-Urbana League of Women Voters

Champaign-Urbana League of Women Voters

1949

PDF

Text

Champaign County Regional Housing Study Report

Housing,

In 2010-2011, the Cities of Champaign and Urbana, the Village of Rantoul, the Housing Authority of Champaign County and the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission hired Vogt Santer Insights, Ltd. of Columbus, Ohio to conduct an assessment of the housing needs of our community. The final report has been released and is available for review below by section. For questions or comments regarding the report, please contact Jen Gonzalez at 384-2335 or jmgonzalez@urbanaillinois.us.

Champaign County Regional Planning Commission

http://urbanaillinois.us/regionalhousingstudy

Champaign County Regional Planning Commission

2011

The Participation Trap: The Limitations of Participation for Ethnic and Racial Groups

Public Housing, Urban Planning, Burch Village, Public Housing, Champaign County Housing Authority

Study based on Burch Village Public Housing

YASMINAH BEEBEEJAUN

International Planning Studies

February 2006

Housing Analysis and Program Recommendation for the Bristol Place Neighborhood, Champaign, Illinois

Public Housing, Champaign County Housing Authority, Urban Planning

From Executive Summary:

The Bristol Place Neighborhood is an area comprised of mixed uses, including single-family
residential, industrial, and commercial zones. It is located on north Champaign and it is
limited to the area bounded by Bradley Avenue on the south, Neil Street on the west,
Canadian National railroad on the east, and the Interstate 74 highway on the north. It features
major arterial, connecting, and residential streets. The main major streets are Market Street,
Bradley A venue, and Neil Street.
Social surveys, physical surveys, City's Assessor's Data collection and Sales data collection
and analyses led to the identification of the neighborhood's most pressing housing issues
Physical Assessment and Social Inventory Surveys were conducted to determine to study the
needs of this neighborhood. The Physical Survey found that:
411 The majority of the houses need some kind of repair
III There are significant open lots, both privately owned and by the city
4D There a number of abandonedlboarded up units
The Social Inventory Survey found that"
III The residents are mostly poor African Americans
., The residents are mostly renters
411 The residents are long term residents
• There is fear of crime in the neighborhood
In addition, City Assessor's office data collection was carried out. The Assessor's Data
reveals that properties in this neighborhood are assessed significantly below their market
value. Similarly, Sales survey form the past 5 years leads to the same conclusion, namely that
housing units were sold below their market value.
Based on the above surveys, this paper recommends the following programs to address
neighborhood issues:
2
• Clearance and In-Fill - City initiated program aimed to eliminate boarded
up/abandoned units and open spaces. The Clearance part of the program is aimed
to eliminate dilapidated structures that serve as centers for activities;
In-Fill dimension of the recommendation aims to need for more
affordable housing.
• Minor to Substantial Rehabilitation - Addresses the needs of properties
identified as requiring up to $15,000 in maintenance and repairs. The program is
designed for housing rehabilitation and is not a remodeling program. New
construction, basement finishes, etc., are not allowable.

.. New Rental Housing Construction - This program recommends
constructing new apartment complex to meet the demand for affordable houses.
This policy should be acted upon only after the first two are addressed and an
evaluation is carried out to examine ifthere is a need for more affordable housing.
The survey questionnaires and other relevant material are enclosed as appendix.

Urban Planning Students

Unpublished report

2000

THE REHABILITATION OF BRADLEY PARK AND MT. OLIVE MANOR: A PROPOSAL

Public Housing, Champaign County Housing Authority

From Introduction:

America is experiencing an acute shortage of housing for
the last four decades. To deal with this housing menace j the
government started giving assistance for the construction and
rehabilitation of the housing units. All assistance has been
channeled through five programs: low-rent public housinng and
rent supplements directed towards low-income fami es mortgage
assistance, rental assistance, and subsidized loans for
rural and small-town borrowers directed toward lowerfamilies.
Bradley Park and Mt. Olive I'1anor (BP/lvIOJl.1) are two
family projects constructed under such federally-ass ted
programs. Due to
economic environment
of management capabilities and so
ng the context of the project
BP/MOM defaulted a few years after its completion and became
a property of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD). This study is an analysis of the history of
leading to the current situation and possible financial/
managerial alternatives which could ameliorate this and
similarly troubled projects into posi ve neighborhood communities
of low-to-moderate-income fami es.

This report was prepared by a study group consisting of
two graduate students at the University of Illinois. l To
achieve the objectives put forward by the study, the group
utilized the class discussions and the invaluable assistance
2
of the guest speakers of wide and diverse backgrounds. 0,
library resources and available literature surveys have been
used to provide much of the background and s stical
mation for the project.
The paper initi discusses the background of B
Park and Mt. Olive Manor. Recommended disposition proposal
BP/MOM is followed by various financial and managerial alternatives.
Finally, the study group's recommendations for an
overall solution is presented. An appendix made up of
charts, maps, and statistics is a d to the
study in perspective.

Lavanga Shah and Mohamad Vaghei

Unpublished student paper for Urban Planning 495

25 April 1983

Leonard Heumann

An Assessment of Housing, Neighborhood Conditions, and attitudes Towards Northeast Champaign and Northwest Urbana

Housing, Public Housing, Racism, Slums, North End, Clarence Jackson

Executive Summary:

What's up in the North End? Since 1975 the City of Champaign has spent $10
million dollars and the City of Urbana has spent $1.5 million dollars from the
federal Community Development Block Grant Program in the area informally
know as the North End. Still the area is plagued with poor housing and poor
neighborhood conditions. In addition, the bulk of low-income family public
housing projects in the area have not undergone a major renovation since
many of them were built in 1952. The Champaign County Housing Authority
has jurisdiction over their maintenance and up keep, separate from the
programs of both cities. Obviously, money alone will not solve the areas
problems. A clear consensus or profile of what the areas problems are is
needed.

Otha Alonzo Trimm

Unpublished Master's Thesis

September 1990

Leonard Heumann

RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA–CHAMPAIGN: VOICES OF STUDENTS OF COLOR LIVING IN UNIVERSITY HOUSING

Racism, University of Illinois, University Housing

From Introduction:

The University of Illinois is committed to excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement. The university’s mission is to transform lives and to serve society by educating, creating knowledge, and putting knowledge to work within a framework of excellence. The University of Illinois serves the state, the nation, and the global market through innovation in research. In addition, the University of Illinois prepares students to live in a global society and uses the transfer and application of knowledge to meet societal needs.
This campus has been and is committed to undergraduate and graduate education. Over 30,000 undergraduate students are enrolled in nine (9) divisions that cumulatively offer over 4,000 courses in over 150 fields of study. The university has an enrollment of over 11,000 graduate students from around the world and ranks among the top five (5) universities in the nation in doctoral degrees awarded. In its 2008 rankings, U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges rated Illinois as the number 8 public university and the number 38 national university.
However, although the institution is one of the most prestigious in the nation, not everything is so glamorous. Joy A. Williamson (2003) in Black Power on Campus: The University of Illinois 1965–75 describes the institutional hostility and apathy toward individuals of color, particularly Blacks. She describes the social support mechanisms that lead to student activism and student and group solidarity and advancement. This work documents the trials and tribulations of being a student of color at Illinois during a rigid time of racial change.
At the dawn of the 21st century, higher education was faced with taking a stance on issues of multiculturalism and diversity. The affirmative action cases of Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger placed the University of Michigan at the forefront of implementing policies to diversify college campuses. Even though the decision limited the formularized use of race in college admission decisions, the University of Michigan’s core argument—which allowed for colleges and universities to implement affirmative action policies in which race could be used as a factor in admissions decisions—prevailed. This allowed for the creation of a diverse environment that leads to positive educational outcomes. Illinois, like other institutions of higher education, was affected by this decision and was tasked with documenting the positive educational outcomes diversity provides.
In response to this charge, the University of Illinois, through the Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society (CDMS), sponsored a conference in 2006 titled “Documenting the Differences Racial and Ethnic Diversity Makes.” The major objectives of this conference included determining and understanding how racial and ethnic diversity differs depending on the institutional context; discussing how to foster an environment where colleagues can address racial and ethnic diversity issues; initiating a dialogue around issues of racial and ethnic diversity on the Urbana–Champaign campus; providing an interactive atmosphere whereby participants are able to recognize and respect the pluralistic nature of race and ethnicity; and providing a context in which participants are able to discuss student life, curriculum, teaching, and research, and to brainstorm on how to create a campus climate that promotes inclusion and social justice. In his closing remarks at the conference, Chancellor Richard Herman stated:

Research presented at today’s conference adds to the growing body of evidence that confirms what many of us have always known to be true: Diversity inside and outside of the classroom enhances the campus learning environment. . . Diversity matters in the development of faculty members’ pedagogical approaches, and styles. Diversity matters because it shapes how we interact with one another, informs the research that we do, and permeates the traditions, policies, and practices we uphold. Finally, diversity matters because it helps to cultivate a welcoming campus climate and culture for all segments of our community.
The benefits of diversity were clear to the chancellor. As a result, he announced that the Documenting the Differences Diversity Makes conference would become a biannual event for the Illinois campus community and would serve as a vehicle for sharing the campus’ progress with the campus (because Illinois is decentralized) and local communities, state, and national scholars. The campus remained charged with discussions surrounding race and the role it plays on campus. In the spring of 2008, the Illinois community participated in another conference focusing on “Race, Diversity, and Campus Climate.” After many interdisciplinary sessions and discussions, it was determined at the conclusion of the conference that there is yet more work to be done.
CDMS is a unique interdisciplinary research and service institute organized around a commitment to the practice of democracy, equality, and social justice within the changing multiracial society of the United States. It includes a network of UIUC–affiliated scholars with an expertise in and sensitivity to the persistent and significant role of race in many aspects of life in the Unites States. It is important to explore the experiences of students of color in order to work to eliminate the negative academic outcomes and health effects of subtle and contemporary forms of racism on college campuses. One of the implications of this research project is to promote and foster an inclusive campus community that respects differences and offers all members an equal opportunity to engage in a diverse democracy. During the 2007–2008 academic year, the Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society (CDMS) initiated the foundation of the Racial Microaggressions Working Group. In the 2008–2009 academic year, CDMS supported research to explore the experiences of students of color as part of its work to eliminate the negative academic outcomes and health effects of subtle and contemporary forms of racism on college campuses.

Stacy Harwood, Margaret Browne Huntt, & Ruby Mendenhall

Center for Democracy in a Multiracial Society: Diversity, Inclusiveness, Research, & Equity Series

2010

Champaign City Consolidated plan, 2010-2014

Poverty, Housing

This source is a pdf of the 2010-2011 Annual Action Plan of the 2010-2014 Consolidated Plan, a plan of the City of Champaign to meet affordable housing and community developing needs in the Champaign community. It consists most basically of an assessment of the housing needs in the community and a strategic plan for meeting those needs and includes graphs and other charts.

Champaign County

May 2010

Melissa Pognon