115 - Amplifying Tenant Voices: A Qualitative Evaluation of Chicago's Single Room Occupancy Preservation Ordinance

Abstract Information: Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) housing is a low barrier form of affordable housing in the private market due to its limited accommodations – including limited space ranging from 70 – 275 square feet, shared bathrooms, and occasional cooking facilities (Shannon et al., 2006., Sullivan & Burke, 2013). As homelessness rates escalate throughout the United States (Gynn et al., 2019), SROs serve as a final buffer against homelessness for economically marginalized tenants, including low wage workers, seniors, and people with disabilities. However, SRO buildings in many cities are being lost to luxury redevelopment, leading to the displacement of tenants with few alternative housing options (Kasinitz, 2017). To combat the loss of affordable housing stock, the City of Chicago enacted the SRO Preservation Ordinance in 2014 to maintain SRO buildings as affordable housing and provide relocation assistance to tenants who are displaced when their buildings are sold. To date, research and evaluation have not explored the administration of relocation assistance provided through the ordinance. This qualitative evaluation examines displaced SRO tenants’ experiences with receiving a) adequate notification to surrender their unit, b) financial relocation assistance, and c) provider support in finding housing. A diverse sample of seventeen individuals who were displaced from four Chicago SROs were recruited to participate in a community-based, practical participatory action evaluation. Participants engaged in 40 – 120 minute interviews regarding their displacement and rehousing. Data relevant to the SRO Preservation Ordinance was examined using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings suggest that tenants did not receive adequate notice to relocate, there were benefits and challenges working with the relocation team, and the financial assistance was difficult to access. We anticipate that study results will uncover the multifaceted challenges tenants face in utilizing landlord-provided relocation support services as outlined by the ordinance, financial assistance, and highlight critical reforms in the SRO Preservation Ordinance and its implementation, such as requiring more comprehensive services that allow for tenants to transition into alternative housing more easily. By centering the perspectives of SRO tenants with a history of displacement, this evaluation aims to amplify community voices to assess the ordinance’s efficacy. Finally, this evaluation has suggested the need for future, rigorous process evaluations of the SRO Preservation Ordinance to better understand the services mandated by local policy and the ways in which they are delivered.