On Saturday, October 4, over thirty community members and advocates came together at the Lincoln Library in Springfield, IL for the Fix Our Homes Illinois Town Hall — a powerful afternoon of stories, data, solidarity, and solutions.
Fix Our Homes Illinois gained new momentum in Springfield thanks to the assistance of John Herring of the Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCIL) and Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County.
Thousands of older and low-income homeowners across Illinois continue to live in unsafe conditions due to the inability to afford critical repairs.
At the Town Hall, facilitators Gail Schechter of Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.) and Rev. Robin Hood of the Illinois Anti-Foreclosure Coalition and Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere (M.O.V.E.) generated excitement around the Senior Home Preservation Program Act, a bill that the Fix Our Homes Illinois coalition is drafting for introduction in the 2026 legislative session. The concept for this streamlined home repair infrastructure for Illinois, which received a bipartisan thumbs-up in the Human Services Committee of the Illinois House in 2024, is a “one-stop shop” in which low-income senior homeowners of one- to four-unit homes could easily apply for and receive repairs and modifications, which would be effected by local delegate agencies. This Act would also provide for workforce development by supporting training and stipends.
Seniors from Englewood and Springfield at the Town Hall underscored the racial inequities that serve as a backdrop for why Black older homeowners today are at the greatest disadvantage.
Teresa Haley, President of the Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County board of directors, welcomed the group by sharing the grim history of lynchings and all the racially discriminatory obstacles in mortgage lending and access to credit that underpin the vast need for an infusion of resources to address the slew of older homeowners having to live in unsafe housing.
Rev. Hood added that fraudulent reverse mortgage brokers and scam contractors targeted Black senior homeowners who were asset-rich but cash-poor. This led to these homeowners’ tragic loss of homes they owned for decades, or whose forebears had handed down. Those who did not lose their homes have been unable to secure credit to make repairs. Others, like the 200 homeowners that Princess Shaw of Light Up Lawndale is assisting on the west side of Chicago, are suffering from mold and other problems still not addressed by FEMA that were caused by flooding two years ago.
Geoff Smith, director of the DePaul Institute for Housing Studies in Chicago, underscored this housing crisis that disproportionately affects Black seniors, sharing data he disseminated at the Town Hall. Statewide, 60% of Black older homeowners have low and moderate incomes, which is higher than the proportion for other racial groups (57% of Latine, 52% of white, and 44% of Asian). In Springfield, nearly 82% of Black older homeowners have low and moderate incomes.
Overall, Illinois’ population is aging along with the housing stock they live in. The number of households headed by someone aged 65 or older grew dramatically between 2012 and 2023 – by 31.4%, compared to 6.3% for all households. As the chart below illustrates, most low-income senior homeowners live in very old homes.
Several homeowners added a human dimension to this history and these statistics. An 80-year-old Chicagoan, who is devoted to staying in her home, is determined to stay: “I’m not going anywhere.” She has the ability to live independently, but the condition of her home is an obstacle.
“It’s not that I need a lot done, but the little bit I do need done is all over the place. I just want to take care of myself.”
Candace Silas, the new director of Habitat for Humanity in Sangamon County, understands the need for workforce education too, having focused on this issue in prior roles at Lincoln Land Community College and the Springfield Urban League. She said, “We have to lay that foundation for the next generation. If enough of us join together, we can build homes, we can repair homes, and we can change lives.”https://newschannel20.com/news/local/advocates-push-for-better-housing-resources-for-low-income-seniors-in-illinois
Join the Fix Our Homes Illinois coalition to get on our mailing list, or call Gail Schechter at H.O.M.E. at (773) 295-2711 for more information. Stay tuned for action in Chicago, Springfield, and elsewhere in Illinois as the coalition works with legislators to introduce the Senior Home Preservation Program Act. Thank you!
Catch the report on our Town Hall on Springfield ABC NewsChannel 20! Advocates push for better housing resources for low-income seniors in Illinois (October 4, 2025)
