In This Week’s Newsletter

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Eviction Moratorium Extended in Illinois

As you may have heard, last night the Supreme Court’s conservative majority struck down the CDC’s eviction moratorium, putting the health and safety of millions of families in jeopardy. 

However, a ban on enforcement of evictions is still in place in Illinois through Sept. 18, after Gov. Pritzker extended protections last week.While landlords can serve tenants with notice of eviction for unpaid rent, court hearings and enforcement cannot proceed until after this date. 

Remember: only the sheriff can evict, and it is illegal for landlords to remove your belongings, change the locks or otherwise attempt to force you out of your home without a court order. Please alert our office if your landlord is attempting or threatening to evict you illegally. 

If you have been served an eviction notice by your landlord or fear that you may, you can use a tool developed by the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Better Housing and Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO): https://rentervention.com/. This tool creates an Illinois Moratorium Declaration to protect you and your household from eviction for nonpayment of rent. You can also visit EvictionHelpIllinois.org, or call (855) 631-0811 for free legal aid, landlord-tenant mediation services, and connections to rental assistance programs.

If you know that multiple tenants in your apartment building are at risk of eviction and you are interested in creating a tenants’ union to collectively negotiate with your landlord, you can contact the Autonomous Tenants Union at 773-657-8700 or housing.atu@gmail.com. 

Dealing with an old eviction on your record that makes it difficult to find new housing? A new Illinois law makes sealing old eviction records less difficult for tens of thousands of tenants statewide. You can use the website https://rentervention.com/ to help with this process. 

Mortgage Assistance Program – Applications Ongoing

The Mortgage Assistance Program, provides assistance to low-to-moderate-income homeowners who have suffered an economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are having difficulty paying their mortgage.

The maximum amount of assistance available is $3,300. Grant amounts awarded will be based on the amount needed to bring your mortgage current.

Please note: Eligible homeowners will have the assistance paid directly to their mortgage servicer. If you received assistance in 2020 you are not eligible for this round of funds.

To be eligible you must:

• Be a resident of the City of Chicago
• Live in the home (single-family up to 4 units) for which you are applying for assistance. It must be your primary place of residence.
• Demonstrate your total household income was 120% or below the Area Median Income (AMI) prior to March 1, 2020. (Click to see table)
• Have a mortgage on your home that was current as of March 1, 2020, and is now delinquent. You may be on a forbearance plan.
• Have experienced a change in your financial status after March 1, 2020, due to the COVID-19 crisis

If you need assistance applying for mortgage assistance, you can also contact Neighborhood Housing Servicesat 800-831-7949 or email EmergencyAssistance@nhschicago.org.

Amazon Lockers Update

An Amazon locker blocking the sidewalk in Brands Park has now been removed, after neighbors alerted us to the issue. The city has paused installation of the lockers after 33rd and 39th Ward residents raised concerns about their presence in our public spaces. 

While I’m glad that the immediate issue has been resolved, I was extremely troubled to learn that the city signed a contract last year allowing one of the world’s largest corporation to set up shop in our parks–for as little as $90,000 a year. This is the continuation of a decades-long failed strategy–exemplified by Chicago’s disastrous parking-meter privatization deal–where, instead of properly taxing corporations to fund public services, the city rents our resources out to the same corporations for pittances. I will be continuing to follow this issue. 

Covid-19 Updates

Vaccine mandates for state and city workers My staff and I have all been fully vaccinated since this spring, and I support new requirements for vaccinations in Chicago and Illinois. The state will now require all preschool through 12th-grade teachers and staff to receive a vaccine. Higher education personnel, higher education students, and healthcare workers are also subject to the new vaccine requirements. Those unable or unwilling to receive a vaccine will be required to get tested for COVID-19 once a week beginning September 5. 

In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that all City of Chicago employees will be required to be fully vaccinated effective October 15. The city’s vaccination mandate does have exemptions for health and religious reasons.  As a reminder, everyone regardless of vaccination status must wear a mask while indoors in public settings, including bars and restaurants, gyms, common areas of condos/residential buildings, and private clubs. As with previous mask mandates, masks can be removed during certain activities that require it, and in offices not open to the public, when you can distance.

The new public health order does not include capacity limits at public places, and masking remains optional in outdoor settings, where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is lower. Masks are recommended for unvaccinated individuals in crowded outdoor settings.

You can also walk in to Swedish Hospital during their vaccine clinic hours, Mon – Fri from 7AM – 3PM.

Let’s take care of ourselves and each other. As always, if you need help getting more information on where to get tested or vaccinated you can call us at 773-840-7880 or email us at info@33rdward.org

Aug. 29: Global Gardens Open House

Global Garden Refugee Training Farm will be hosting a summer open house at the farm on on Sunday, August 29th from 4-6 PM! Neighbors are invited to connect with your neighbors and learn more about this wonderful project. This event is open to the public, but donations are encouraged! RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/…/ggrtf-summer-open-house… Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/1dep64pQ5

Aug. 29: Avondale Gardening Alliance Fair

The Avondale Gardening Alliance Fair is back! From noon to 5 pm on Sunday the 29th, the community is invited to visit a number of yards and other locations in a walkable area of East Avondale. These sites offer demonstrations of an array of agricultural and gardening skills specifically tailored to urban living. Facebook event here. At 5 pm, the community will gather for an after party in Chief O’Neill’s garden to celebrate a growing and thriving hyper-local network of Avondale gardeners, urban farmers, and sustainable living enthusiasts. Facebook event for the after-party. Fairgoers can get a virtual map at https://avondalegardeningalliance.wordpress.com or can pick up a paper map at Concordia Place at 3300 N. Whipple during fair hours. 

Sept. 1: Property Tax Appeal Workshop

One of my biggest policy priorities is a fairer way to fund our city–we need to need to push for new, progressive forms of revenue instead of relying each year on property tax increases that hurt working-class homeowners and push out longtime residents. 

This year in particular, I’m hearing from many 33rd Ward residents who are struggling with property tax increases as they try to get back on their feet from the pandemic. 

There’s no substitute for larger reforms, but I’m looking into instances where neighbors have reported big assessment increases in our area, and I’d encourage you to attend our property tax appeal workshop with the Cook County Assessor’s office next Wednesday, September 1, from 10AM – 2PM. 

To participate in the workshop, please call us at 773-840-7880 to make an appointment and be prepared to come with your property tax installment and an ID. 

Small Business Updates

Apply for a Back to Business Grant

The State of Illinois’ Back to Business(B2B) Grant Program opened on Wednesday, Aug. 18th. The program will award a total of $250 million to businesses across the state that experienced losses in 2020.

Grants ranging from $5,000 to $150,000 can be used to cover operational expenses and offset losses due to COVID-19. Businesses with revenues of $20 million or less in 2019 and a reduction in revenue in 2020 as a result of the pandemic are eligible to apply.

The application portal is now open. For more information, please go here. With questions and for help applying, please contact Steve Simmons, 773-929-5552 x2226, steve@northbranchworks.org

Business Recovery Payment Plan Program In accordance with the City’s plan to provide critical financial relief to Chicago’s business community, the Department of Finance is excited to launch the Business Recovery Payment Plan Program. Through this program, eligible business license holders can enter into a payment plan with as little as $25 down with terms up to 60 months. This will remove barriers for business owners that owe City debt and allow them to resolve holds on their business licenses with minimal burden. The Business Recovery Payment Plan Program is available through June 30, 2022 for most debt types. Learn more here.

Construction Updates

Summer is construction season, and we know residents want to be able to plan ahead for street closures and parking disruptions. As a periodic reminder, we keep a map of the ward updated with all the information we’ve received to date from city agencies, utility companies, and other project managers. You can check out the construction map here. 

You can also use the city’s ChiStreetWork portal, where you can search by address. Irving Park Bridge Project Good news, the shared use path is open as of today!  Wilson Bridge Closure Today is the estimated completion date we received from CDOT for this project, but as of this afternoon, we do not yet have an update on reopening. We know that this is a significant inconvenience to neighbors who live on either side of the bridge, and we’ll continue to follow up and convey updates.  Street Resurfacing

West Irving Park Road from North Ravenswood Avenue to North Kolmar Avenue. 

The work will include ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal and replacement as needed for ADA and drainage compliance, bus pad construction, pavement patching, milling and paving the existing asphalt pavement, and striping.

During construction, temporary “No Parking” signs will be periodically installed as required for each activity listed above.  These temporary signs will restrict parking during working hours, while adhering to rush hour restrictions, for the completion of the work.  All work on this corridor is scheduled to be completed November 30, 2021.North Sacramento Avenue from North Elston Avenue to North Milwaukee Avenue  

The work will include ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal and replacement as needed for ADA and drainage compliance, pedestrian refuge island, pavement patching, milling and paving the existing asphalt pavement, and striping.

During construction, temporary “No Parking” signs will be periodically installed as required for each activity listed above.  These temporary signs will restrict parking during working hours, while adhering to rush hour restrictions, for the completion of the work.  All work on this corridor is scheduled to be completed October 29, 2021.

Filming in Avondale Monday 8/23 to Saturday 8/28

Crews will be filming scenes for the show “Ripple Effects” in Avondale next week. In order to park essential vehicles and equipment, streets in the area will be posted with “No Parking” signs during the following times:

 8PM Tuesday 8/24 to 8AM Saturday 8/28 on the Northside of Diversey (Sacramento to Kedzie), Southside of Diversey (Albany to Whipple), Southside of Diversey (Kimball to Kedzie), both sides of Albany (Diversey to 2820 N Albany) and East side of Albany (Diversey to Schubert)

 8AM to 6PM Saturday 8/28 on the Northside of Diversey (Albany to Whipple)New Residential Lighting Construction

New Residential Lighting Construction

A residential lighting project on Campbell from Belmont to Barry is part of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Residential Roadway Lighting Improvement Citywide Program. City Lights LTD is the general contractor for this project.

The work will include new underground conduit, cable, new davit arm light poles with piggybacks, foundations, LED fixtures, Smart Lighting Nodes, and  streetlight controllers.

During construction, temporary “No Parking” signs will be periodically installed as required for each activity listed above. These temporary signs will restrict parking during working hours, while adhering to rush hour restrictions, for the completion of the work. All work on this project is scheduled to be completed in a few months.

New Bike Lanes on Montrose Ave. 

Good news, cyclists: The Montrose Ave. bike lanes that 33rd Ward residents voted for in our most recent participatory budgeting cycle are ready to go! Wishing everyone a fun, safe ride to your destination.

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Summer Concerts & Markets in the 33rd Ward

Have you checked out our area’s newest pop-up market yet? Join us again tonight at 4433 N Kedzie! 

Night Out in the Parks

This great tradition has returned for 2021! We compiled a list of the events in the 33rd Ward–including at Brands, River, and Horner Park–here. Check out the full list of events at www.nightoutintheparks.com.

Lot Jams

Join us this summer for evenings of free, family-friendly entertainment in our community. Mark your calendars and check back for more details soon! ALL SHOWS take place between 7:00pm-9:00pm. Thanks as always to the North River Commission for coordinating this great series of events, and to our local businesses for hosting. Find more info on the line-up here.

Next lot jams is this Thursday, Aug. 5!

Farmer’s Markets

The Horner Park Farmers Market has now kicked off its 7th season! The market will be at the corner of California and Montrose every Saturday, open from 9:00am-1:00pm. Come by for fresh produce, baked goods, coffee, meat, live music and more! For more information, check out the Facebook page, follow them on Twitter and on Instagram, or go to the webpage.  The HPFM is every Saturday morning through October 2.

While you’re there, explore the flora and fauna of Horner Park with a great audio tour for families! From Block Club Chicago:

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Monday: 12:00 PM – 7 PM

Tues – Thurs: 10 AM – 5 PM

Friday: 9 AM – 4PM  

️E-mail info@33rdward.org anytime for service requests or general queries

️ Call us at 773-840-7880 during business hours

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter

Check out our ward website for info on services and events: https://www.33rdward.org/

Best,

Rossana Rodriguez