Activists Hold 'Funeral' For Affordable Housing On Humboldt Boulevard
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jun 1, 2015 5:00PM
A 44-unit apartment building overlooking Humboldt Park has become the epicenter of a complicated fight over the city's gentrifying West Side neighborhood.
After years of operating as relatively-affordable rental units, the building at 1627 N. Humboldt Blvd. was purchased for about $2.8 million by Hanover Hamilton Investments LLC in March, according to public records. The real estate company has slowly begun renovating the property, raising rents and notifying longtime residents that they face eviction.
It is not uncommon for landlords to evict tenants as a first step in plans to upgrade a building's amenities and in-unit fixtures and then dramatically raise rents, according to local real estate experts.
About 40 people from 1627 N. Humboldt Blvd. rallied outside the building Friday, according to DNAinfo, and in a symbolic gesture held a "funeral" for the "death" of affordable housing in Chicago with the help of organizers from the Metropolitan Tenants Organization. The protesters marched along North Avenue with a black casket.
Tenants say they are demanding relocation assistance to help them weather the eviction, which could be particularly challenging for the building's elderly and disabled residents.