Chicago Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Chicago Housing Choice Voucher Program, (which replaces Section 8 ) will be accepting registration forms beginning Thursday, April 17 for those who wish to be on the wait list for vouchers to rent units in the city of Chicago.  Any resident of Cook County is eligible to apply, but must relocate to Chicago to use the vouchers.  Voucher applications can be submitted until May 15 via the website www.rentbetter.org .   Mail-in paper forms (must be postmarked by May 15) are available at all Chicago Public Library branches, Chicago Park District Fieldhouses, city colleges, offices of the Chicago Department of Human Services, and the Illinois Department of Human Services; they can also be printed from the above website.  After the May 15 deadline, 40,000 applicants will be randomly chosen in an electronic lottery and assigned a place on the wait list.  For further information, go to the above website (applications and info in Spanish, Russian, Polish and Chinese are available) or call the Rent Better Hotline 312 786 3676.

Homeowner Assistance/Avoiding Foreclosure

Services are available to homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has a web page designed to assist Illinois homeowners, including information on housing counseling services currently available: http://www.hud.gov/local/il/homeownership/foreclosure.cfm. 

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (ILDA) also has information to assist homeowners facing foreclosure: http://www.ihda.org/.  The ILDA has scheduled "Homeowner Outreach Days" in April and May at various locations throughout the state where homeowners will be able to meet one-on-one with representatives of lenders and officials from state and local agencies: http://www.ihda.org/ViewPage.aspx?PageID=250. 

The Illinois Statewide Forclosure Prevention Network provides phone counseling: call 888 995 HOPE for more information. 

Tax Rebates/Economic Stimulus Payments

The IRS has released an economic stimulus payment calculator to assist taxpayers in determining the precise amount of their tax rebate:  http://www.irs.gov/app/espc/.  The distribution of these payments will begin in early May with the exact date dependent on the last two digits of social security numbers.  Tax filers who opt to have their 2007 tax refunds direct deposited will be the first to receive their payments direct deposited; otherwise, paper checks will be distributed in mid-May through July.   For more information and the payment schedule for taxpayers who file their 2007 taxes by April 15, 2008:  http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=180247,00.html.