A Bright Idea to Help CHA Residents

"The Chicago Housing Authority approved a plan...to help residents pay past-due electric bills, but some residents said it may not go far enough. Under the plan, residents would be asked to pay one-third of their outstanding bills. The rest would be picked up by CHANCE, a program created and funded by Commonwealth Edison and the housing authority, with each kicking in about $333,000....CHA officials said 70 percent of residents are current on their utility bills. The problem of unpaid bills has been particularly thorny for the CHA in recent months as it seeks to relocate residents from public housing high-rises slated to be demolished. CHA officials said residents with outstanding electric bills would not be eligible for a federal housing voucher to move out of public housing until those debts are paid. Residents who can't pay their bills will be relocated to other public housing apartments...."

Thanks to Connie Chung