The Homeless Situation Around Chicago In most Chicago communities in the 1990s, rents rose faster than incomes despite the fact that, on the whole, Chicago's median income rose faster than rent. Nearly one-third of Chicago renters were paying more than 35 percent of their income for housing in 2000; another 20 percent were paying more than half. Compared with Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC, Chicago saw the highest percentage change in median rent (28 percent) from 1990 to 2000. The Chicago region is not adding new housing where it is adding new jobs. The communities that added the most jobs between 1990 and 2000 added only a fraction as much housing. Compared to 10 other major U.S. cities, Chicago had the lowest percentage increase (8 percent) in rental units between 1970 and 2000, which is less than half of the next lowest ranking city, New York (19 percent). Since 1995, 16,068 units of public housing have been demolished, and only 1,296 new units have been created. The wait for Section 8 vouchers in Chicago is 84 months. The waiting list for housing choice vouchers has been closed in Chicago since 1997 and is not expected to open again until 2005 at the earliest. In Chicago, only 10 percent of affordable-housing need is met. Source: Chicago Coalition for the Homeless website