RIVER NORTH — Tenants of a large subsidized housing complex in Rogers Park say their landlord should not get public money for a massive White Sox stadium proposal while they continue to deal with unsanitary and unsafe living conditions.
Residents of Northpoint Apartments in the North of Howard area of Rogers Park rallied outside the River North offices of Related Midwest Friday, calling on the prominent development firm to address longstanding issues at their affordable housing complex.
The group also called on city and state officials to deny any requests for public funds to subsidize a joint plan by Related Midwest and the White Sox to build a new stadium at The 78, the South Loop development site owned by Related Midwest, while issues persist at Related’s portfolio of affordable apartments.
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has asked city and state officials for up to $1 billion in public funding for a new baseball stadium at roughly Clark Street and Roosevelt Road, an ask that was met coldly by Gov. JB Pritzker.
The 78, the long-planned megadevelopment from Related Midwest, has already secured $700 million in tax incremental funding subsidies for infrastructure improvements at the site.
Further subsidies for the South Loop project should be denied until Related addresses the concerns of Northpoint residents, which include issues of cleanliness, crime and unjust rent hikes, tenants said at the rally.
“Does it make sense to look us in the face and say we can’t hire more staff for cleaning. We just gave them $1 billion,” said Marc Kaplan, an organizer with Northside Action For Justice, which is helping organize Northpoint tenants. “Where’s the logic?”
Residents of Northpoint, in the 7700 block of North Paulina Street, have for years decried conditions at their complex, saying management has done little to address the issues. Northpoint is a 12-building, 304-unit development that includes federally subsidized Section 8 housing.
Residents at Friday’s rally spoke of issues like flooding, mold and beg bugs. They said faulty security measures make it easy for packages to be stolen and, in the case of resident Amaris Reyes, enabled a person to sleep on her back porch, keep their belongings in the space and defecate outside her door.
“No one is hearing me out,” Reyes, a single mother of two, said. “I don’t have peace. I need justice for me and my kids.”
Nativita Vital has lived at Northpoint for 10 years and said the apartment takes in water when it rains, causing issues like mold.
“I never get a response from them,” Vital said. “It’s been a hot mess.”
Related Midwest bought the Northpoint complex in 2019 and has spent $21 million on the Rogers Park apartments, the company previously said. Upgrades include a new roof, windows and upgraded kitchens, company officials said.
“We remain incredibly proud of Northpoint’s physical transformation, as well as the other initiatives we have been able to implement, including an annual youth scholarship and resident programming including on-site social events,” a spokesperson for Related Midwest said. “Residents also have access to full-time management and maintenance staff, as well as a resident service coordinator available to address day-to-day needs.”
After the rally, tenants walked into the lobby of Related Midwest’s office building to ask for a meeting with company officials. The group said it was offered two potential meeting dates to discuss the issues at Northpoint.
Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th), chair of the city’s housing committee, said there needs to be more scrutiny over how subsidized units are managed in Chicago, particularly when it comes to keeping units vacant. Representatives from state Sen. Mike Simmons and Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s offices were also at the rally.
“We’ve seen this story repeated,” Sigcho Lopez said. “We must hold these companies accountable.”
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
