Disabled Residents in Jefferson Park Hope Controversial Building Comes Through

Apartment building with subsidized units for the disabled has drawn protest and support, Alex Nitkin talked to some of the people hoping to move into the apartments.

1 minute read

March 24, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Sandy Kleinhans was born with a joint disorder that makes it difficult for her to move. She worked as a bank teller for 36 years, until a health scare led her to take her doctor's advice and leave her job. Now Ms. Kleinhans is being evicted from her home in the Jefferson Park Neighborhood because her disability check is not enough to cover the costs of living in a neighborhood that's becoming more prosperous. "One of about 2,800 people with disabilities living in Jefferson Park according to U.S. Census data, Kleinhan got happier about the proposal the more she read about it, she said," Alex Nitkin reports for DNAInfo Chicago.

Not everyone is as excited about the proposal, which has faced protests from those who oppose low income housing in Jefferson Park. Ward meetings on the issue have been heated featuring "Chanting outside the building and opponents drowning out the program inside," Nitkin writes. When Sandy Kleinhan left a ward meeting she voiced frustration at not being able to get her story out over the shouting, asking police to escort her to her car. 

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 in DNAinfo Chicago

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