Housing Project May Close- Residents Dismayed

"Hundreds of residents of LeClaire Courts, a troubled housing development near Midway Airport on the Southwest Side, are awaiting word whether their homes will be shuttered.

The Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to end its LeClaire Courts contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Built by the CHA in 1950, LeClaire Courts is a project-based housing development commonly known as a "Section 8." Federal funding is based on occupancy of its 314 units, 164 of which have residents. If the contract ends, the residents might be forced to leave within a year."

"'This is the only home I know,' said Rosalee Rankins, 47, a mother of four who lives in LeClaire Courts. 'We need this.'"