Remaining Cabrini Green Families Given 10 Days to Leave

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 1, 2010 10:13PM

It's an inglorious end to an infamous era: the two remaining families in Cabrini Green have been ordered by a federal judge to leave their home at 1230 N. Burling within 10 days. The two families, who were among seven still living at the Burling high rise, backed out of a plan to move out of the building yesterday when moving trucks arrived to take them to their new, temporary homes provided by the Chicago Housing Authority. An attorney for resident Annie Ricks said the new housing was unacceptable for her family of seven, saying the windows to the house were boarded up and it was located in a crime-ridden neighborhood.

Oooo-kay. Ricks's attorney said she preferred to move to the mixed-income Parkside of Old Town complex built on Cabrini Green Property, but there was a waiting list to get into the building. CHA opposed the move, saying it would be unfair for Ricks to leapfrog over families already on the list.

CHA sought the closure order, citing the inherent dangers of having two families living in a structure intended to house 134 families, as well as the costs to maintain basic utilities for the building for only two families. Residents at 1230 N. Burling were given 180 days or until Jan. 4, 2011 to leave.