62 - Voices for Illinois Children · Clay4.0% Randolph3.8% Pulaski 3.6% Greene3.4% lowest...

2019 ILLINOIS KIDS COUNT REPORT 62 2019 ILLINOIS KIDS COUNT REPORT 63

2019 ILLINOIS KIDS COUNT REPORT 63

In the United States, housing is one of the most important and historically contentious resources over which communities have fought. In many ways, housing impacts other facets of life including the school a student can attend, access to medical care, proximity to a grocery store, as well as the need and use of public transportation. Housing has also been central to the maintenance of racial and ethnic disparities in Illinois. A recent series of reports from Governing Magazine found that many communities in Illinois are still racially segregated, even outside of the state’s largest urban areas (which have tended to be the focus of local and national media reports).172 In the following pages, we outline issues related to housing in Illinois.

Financial barriers to housingOne of the most consistent barriers to housing that allows children, families, and communities to thrive is the cost of housing. In the period 2012-2016, Illinois’ median monthly housing cost was $1,060, or $12,720 in a single year.173 This is higher than the U.S. median housing cost, which is $1,012, as well as

the median monthly housing cost in the Midwest region at $882.174 Even for families who can make ends meet, $1,060 per month is a significant amount of money.

Historically, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has defined a family as being overburdened by the cost of housing if the family spends 30% or more of their income on housing.175 An Illinois family or household would need to earn more than $42,400 to no longer be considered overburdened by housing costs if they were paying the monthly median.

The cost of housing largely depends on the geographic area in which the housing is located. This is true both on the local and county levels. The counties in which the median monthly housing cost was highest in 2012-2016 are Kendall ($1,650), Lake ($1,478), DuPage ($1,453), Will ($1,442), and McHenry ($1,428), while the counties with the lowest median monthly housing cost were Gallatin ($444), Alexander ($454), Hardin ($475), Pulaski ($482), and Edwards ($512).176

Housing stability

housing stability

Monthly median housing cost (2012-2016)

$444 $1,650

Median Median Median Median monthly yearly monthly yearly housing housing housing housing cost cost cost cost

highest lowest

Kendall $1,650 $19,800 Edwards $512 $6,144

Lake $1,478 $17,736 Pulaski $482 $5,784

DuPage $1,453 $17,436 Hardin $475 $5,700

Will $1,442 $17,304 Alexander $454 $5,448

McHenry $1,428 $17,136 Gallatin $444 $5,328

Percent of median household income spent on monthly median housing cost

highest lowest

Cook 25.0% Putnam 13.6%

Jackson 24.1% Stark 13.3%

Kendall 23.1% Edwards 13.1%

Kane 22.6% Gallatin 12.9%

Will 22.3% Jasper 12.5%


Because median household incomes and median monthly housing cost vary significantly by county, the percentage of income spent on housing also varies quite a bit. If we calculate the percentage of median household income spent on the monthly median housing costs, the highest percentage of household income was spent on housing in Cook (25%), Jackson (24.1%), Kendall (23.1%), Kane (22.6%), and Will (22.3%) Counties, while the lowest was spent in Jasper (12.5%), Gallatin (12.9%), Edwards (13.1%), Stark (13.3%), and Putnam (13.6%) Counties.177

High housing cost burdens

As the chart above shows, people in the lowest household income groups had the highest rates of housing cost burdens, especially among renters. Although it was not nearly as high for people who owned their homes, owners in the lowest income groups faced higher rates of housing cost burden than those in the highest income groups.178

Again, these rates vary significantly across the state. The table on the next page shows the counties with the highest and lowest rates of those who pay 30% or more of their household incomes on housing.179

housing stability

5.914.2

23.06.5

4.65.4

5.02.6

4.00.7

Percent illinois residents paying 30% or more for housing, by type of housing and household income group (2012-2016)

LESS THAN $20,000

$20,000–$34,999

$35,000–$49,999

$50,000–$74,999

$75,000 OR MORE

Owned Rented

SOURCE: American Fact Finder, Financial Characteristics, 2012-2016 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S2503


Percent housing units (owner- and renter-occupied) where monthly housing costs are 30% or more of household income in the past 12 months (2012-2016)

Children living in households with high housing cost burdens by income status and race/ethnicityAs the data presented above suggest, people in lower income brackets are burdened by the cost of housing at higher rates than those in higher income brackets. From 2000 to 2008, the rate of children living in low-income households with a high housing cost burden increased significantly. Although this rate appears to have been in decline since 2008, it still has not returned to 2000 levels.180

All White Black Latinx Asian Multiracial

SOURCE: KIDS COUNT Data Center

60%

45%

30%

15%

2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

Children living in households with a high housing cost burden, by race/ethnicity

80%

60%

40%

20%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

SOURCE: KIDS COUNT Data Center

Percent illinois children in low-income households with a high housing cost burden

housing stability

household income less than $20,000

highest owned highest rented

Alexander 15.8% Jackson 42.3%

Hardin 11.3% Massac 39.5%

Saline 10.3% Perry 38.4%

Hamilton 10.1% Coles 37.4%

Pulaski 10.0% Jasper 37.4%

lowest owned lowest rented

Woodford 4.7% Putnam 15.3%

Lake 4.6% DuPage 14.4%

Platt 4.6% Brown 13.3%

McLean 4.1% Schuyler 12.0%

Kendall 3.0% Kendall 11.1%

household income $20,000–$34,999


Boone 7.9% Kane 18.0%

Pope 7.8% Monroe 18.0%

Brown 7.7% McHenry 17.0%

Cook 7.3% Stephenson 17.0%

Mason 7.0% DeKalb 16.3%


Schuyler 2.8% White 4.8%

Ford 2.7% Perry 4.5%

Bond 2.7% Union 4.5%

Jasper 2.6% Ford 4.0%

Richland 1.7% Carroll 3.9%



Boone 6.2% Kendall 10.1%

Kendall 5.8% Lake 9.3%

McHenry 5.7% DuPage 8.8%

Cook 5.7% Will 8.0%

Kane 5.5% Kane 7.1%


Franklin 1.3% Iroquois 1.5%

Montgomery 1.1% Whiteside 1.4%

Hancock 1.0% Williamson 1.3%

Perry 1.0% Lee 1.0%

Stark 0.8% Vermilion 1.0%



Kendall 9.4% Kendall 5.6%

Will 7.1% McHenry 5.0%

Kane 6.9% Du.8%

McHenry 6.8% Will 4.5%

Lake 6.7% Kane 4.2%


Perry 0.9% Winnebago 0.8%

Mercer 0.8% Tazewell 0.8%

Vermilion 0.8% LaSalle 0.7%

Cass 0.7% Madison 0.7%

Franklin 0.5% Champaign 0.6%

household income $75,000 or more


Lake 7.1% DuPage 1.3%

Kendall 6.7% Lake 1.2%

DuPage 6.7% Will 1.2%

McHenry 6.1% Cook 0.9%

Will 5.9% Kane 0.6%

lowest owned lowest rented*

Henry 0.6% Rock Island 0.4%

Union 0.5% Winnebago 0.2%

Macon 0.5% — —

Knox 0.5% — —

Vermilion 0.4% — —

*Dashes indicate that there were not enough reliable data to populate this table.


High housing cost burdens are distributed quite unequally across Illinois, as the chart on the previous page shows. Children of color, particularly black and Latinx children, lived in households with a high housing cost burden at significantly higher rates than white children. While Asian and multiracial children lived in overburdened households at rates similar to that of the state overall, white children lived in these situations at much lower rates than those in other races/ethnicities, as well as the state rate.181

Housing vacancy ratesAcross the state, the rate at which housing vacancies exist vary significantly. The county with the highest overall vacancy rate in 2012-2016 was Pope County at 40.9%. Most counties with elevated vacancy rates appear to be clustered in the southern third of the state. The counties with the highest overall vacancy rates were Pope (40.9%), Alexander (36.2%), Hardin (32.6%), Calhoun (31.9%), and Jo Daviess (29.3%), while the counties with the lowest levels of vacancies were Kendall (4.4%), DuPage (5.2%), Monroe (5.4%), Woodford (5.6%), and Kane (5.6%).182

HomelessnessHomelessness is a serious issue in Illinois. One estimate from the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) suggests that the number of homeless people throughout Illinois on a given night in 2018 is 10,643, or roughly 8 out of every 10,000 Illinoisans.183, 184

However, the data are only from a single night. As previously noted, data from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) estimate that roughly 2.1% of Illinois public/charter school students are homeless, which totals to about 42,600 students. In addition, these counts do not consider people who do not have homes but are staying with friends and family (known as doubling up). The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless estimates that, if they count people who doubled up with family and friends, there were 46,425 individuals, 35,480 people in families with children, and 11,231 unaccompanied youth who were homeless in 2015 in Chicago alone.185 This suggests that available point-in-time data may be widely underestimating the percentage of Illinoisans who are homeless at some point during the year.

housing stability

oVerall

highest

Pope 40.9%

Alexander 36.2%

Hardin 32.6%

Calhoun 31.9%

Jo Daviess 29.3%

lowest

Kane 5.6%

Woodford 5.6%

Monroe 5.4%

Du.2%

Kendall 4.4%

residential vacancy rates

owner

highest

Hardin 4.0%

Clay 4.0%

Randolph 3.8%

Pulaski 3.6%

Greene 3.4%

lowest

Hancock 1.2%

Marion 1.2%

Coles 1.1%

McLean 1.1%

Sangamon 0.7%

rental

highest

Perry 21.1%

McDonough 17.2%

Bond 16.4%

Jackson 16.2%

Alexander 14.0%

lowest

Saline 4.2%

Grundy 4.2%

Logan 4.1%

Jefferson 3.6%

Woodford 2.6%

housing vacancy rates (2012-2016)

4.4 40.9


Data that are available suggest that large racial /ethnic disparities exist among the homeless population. In 2017, blacks were widely overrepresented among those who lived in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or were unsheltered.186

ContinuuM of Care (CoC)

Key areas served homeless on a given night

1 Aurora/Elgin/Kane County CoC 430

2 Bloomington/Central Illinois CoC 387

3 Champaign/Urbana/Rantoul/Champaign County CoC 188

4 Cook County/Chicago CoC 6,323

5 Decatur/Macon County CoC 161

6 DeKalb City & County CoC 100

7 DuPage County CoC 295

8 East St. Louis/Belleville/St. Clair County CoC 250

9 Joliet/Bolingbrook/Will County CoC 341

10 Madison County CoC 146

11 McHenry County CoC 179

12 Peoria/Perkin/Fulton, Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford County CoC 400

13 Rock Island/Moline/Northwestern Illinois CoC 198

14 Rockford/Winnebago, Boone Counties CoC 256

15 South Central Illinois CoC 92

16 Southern Illinois CoC 282

17 Springfield/Sangamon County CoC 271

18 Waukegan/North Chicago/Lake County CoC 277

19 West Central Illinois CoC 67

total 10,643

Continuum of care (2018)

19

13

14 11 18

6 1 7 4

9

12 2

35

17

15

10

8

16

housing stability

47.049.2

0.92.9

27.066.5

0.65.9

34.662.6

0.62.2

racial/ethnic demographics of homeless in illinois

EMERGENCY SHELTER

TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

UNSHELTERED

Black White Asian Other

SOURCE: Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HUD 2017 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs, Homeless Populations and Subpopulations

DATA AND MAP COURTESY OF: National Alliance to End Homelessness, available at: https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in- america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-report/illinois/


The persistence of racial/ethnic housing segregationIn an analysis of Illinois’ 19 most populous counties,(19) we find that many counties in Illinois are still moderately to highly racially segregated. The table below features dissimilarity indices (henceforth D)(20) for these counties. D measures the evenness of distribution of different racial/ethnic groups across Census tracts. The levels of segregation faced by different racial /ethnic groups depends on their distribution within the areas in question, as well as the number of people in each racial /ethnic group. Although D has several limitations, it can provide a bird’s eye view of the distribution of groups across large areas.187, (21) Some highlights are included below. For the purposes of this report, we are using the following cut-offs for determining levels of segregation:

d ≤ 0.3: well-integratedd > 0.3 and ≤ 0.6: Moderately segregatedd > 0.6: highly segregated

dissiMilarity indiCes

County total population white/black white/latinx white/asian black/latinx black/asian latinx/asian

Champaign 206,420 0.468 0.352 0.500 0.394 0.524 0.493

Cook 5,227,575 0.791 0.588 0.446 0.765 0.836 0.665

DeKalb 104,458 — 0.260 — — — —

DuPage 930,514 0.438 0.437 0.358 0.462 0.385 0.440

Kane 526,615 0.544 0.594 0.404 0.338 0.539 0.569

Kankakee 111,493 0.599 0.373 — 0.298 — —

Kendall 121,452 — 0.178 — — — —

Lake 702,890 0.629 0.563 0.383 0.420 0.651 0.609

LaSalle 111,935 — 0.285 — — — —

Macon 108,404 0.527 — — — — —

Madison 266,759 0.509 — — — — —

McHenry 307,083 — 0.270 — — — —

McLean 173,254 0.413 — — — — —

Peoria 186,818 0.602 — — — — —

Rock Island 146,536 0.481 0.342 — 0.476 — —

Sangamon 198,639 0.563 — — — — —

St. Clair 265,569 0.571 0.422 — 0.620 — —

Will 685,378 0.578 0.440 0.526 0.403 0.573 0.534

Winnebago 288,896 0.545 0.487 — 0.325 — —

Dissimilarity indices can range from 0 (lowest levels of segregation) to 1 (highest levels of segregation). Some data are suppressed because population totals of racial /ethnic groups were less than 10,000.

(19) Although Tazewell County is one of the top 20 most populous counties in Illinois, it was excluded from these analyses because low racial and ethnic group totals precluded reliable analyses.

(20) D ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 meaning no spatial segregation, while 1 means complete spatial segregation. A White/Black D of 0.5, for example, means that 50% of Whites or Blacks would have to move to decrease segregation levels. Although a dissimilarity index may be relatively low, there may be communities and/or neighborhoods within counties that are highly segregated.

(21) The dissimilarity index has rightly come under scrutiny for a variety of shortcomings. For example, it is a static measure while race categories and racism change over time. Decreases in segregation measured by D do not necessarily indicate that racism is “declining”, D does not take into account quality of housing or segregation within smaller neighborhoods, and “places a high value on the widest possible dispersal of non-white populations” (Quinn 2004, p.6). See endnotes for further reading.

housing stability


The highest D values come from Cook County for black/Asian, white/black, black/Latinx, and Latinx/Asian segregation, Lake County for black/Asian, Latinx/Asian, and white/black segregation, St. Clair County for black/Latinx segregation, and Peoria County for white/black segregation (all of these indices exceeded a D of 0.6). The lowest D values come from Kendall, DeKalb, McHenry, and LaSalle Counties for White/Latinx segregation, and Kankakee County for black/Latinx segregation (all of these indices were less than 0.3). It should be noted that, in some cases, the counties with the lowest D’s were still in the moderate range of segregation (as is the case with white/black segregation).

These numbers suggest that there are many counties and communities in which racial/ethnic segregation is still a major problem. This is not just the case in Cook County; a series of recent reports from Governing Magazine showed that downstate Illinois is also highly racially segregated, experiencing white flight, high racial inequalities in income, and school segregation.188

dissiMilarity indiCes: County highs and lows by raCe/ethniCity

white/black white/latinx white/asian black/latinx black/asian latinx/asian

highest highest highest highest highest highest

Cook 0.791 Kane 0.594 Will 0.526 Cook 0.765 Cook 0.836 Cook 0.665

Lake 0.629 Cook 0.588 Champaign 0.500 St. Clair 0.620 Lake 0.651 Lake 0.609

Peoria 0.602 Lake 0.563 Cook 0.446 Rock Island 0.476 Will 0.573 Kane 0.569

Kankakee 0.599 Winnebago 0.487 Kane 0.404 DuPage 0.462 Kane 0.539 Will 0.534

Will 0.578 Will 0.440 Lake 0.383 Lake 0.420 Champaign 0.524 Champaign 0.493

lowest lowest lowest lowest lowest lowest

Madison 0.509 Rock Island 0.342 DuPage 0.358 Will 0.403 DuPage 0.385 DuPage 0.440

Rock Island 0.481 LaSalle 0.285 — — Champaign 0.394 — — — —

Champaign 0.468 McHenry 0.270 — — Kane 0.338 — — — —

DuPage 0.438 DeKalb 0.260 — — Winnebago 0.325 — — — —

McLean 0.413 Kendall 0.178 — — Kankakee 0.298 — — — —

housing stability


These phenomena can be better illustrated by looking at the maps below showing the concentrations of racial/ethnic groups in Cook, Rock Island, Sangamon, and St. Clair Counties. These maps suggest that racial segregation is not just a problem associated with large, metropolitan areas.

Distribution of racial/ethnic groups in selected counties

Percent white population in Cook County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent black population in Cook County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent latinx population in Cook County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent asian population in Cook County by Census tract (2012-2016)

housing stability

0.0 95.8

0.0 99.2

0.0 89.7

0.0 100.0


Percent white population in sangamon County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent latinx population in sangamon County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent black population in sangamon County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent asian population in sangamon County by Census tract (2012-2016)

housing stability

Percent white population in rock island County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent latinx population in rock island County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent black population in rock island County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent asian population in rock island County by Census tract (2012-2016)

0.0 9.9

0.0 9.6

0.0 78.2

16.9 98.6

2.0 56.2

9.2 95.2

0.0 7.8

0.0 70.5


The data and maps presented above and on the preceding pages paint a stark picture that has been highlighted by social scientists, reporters, activists, and politicians for many years: Illinois is still highly racially segregated. Research suggests that although outright discrimination is not as blatant as it was in the 1960’s, people of color still face other, more subtle forms of discrimination. As Maria Krysan writes, “It is less that the door is slammed in the face of minority homeseekers and more that phone calls are not returned, fewer options are offered, less help is given, less enthusiastic follow-up is provided, more hurdles are placed in their path, they are given fewer options, and they are steered to communities where their own group dominates” (2009, p. 43).189 In addition, blacks, Latinxs, Asians, and Native Americans throughout the nation have all been found to have more trouble getting home loans than whites.190 The research shows that separate is not equal.191

This is a challenge not just to the state of Illinois, but for every municipality that still deals with segregated neighborhoods. There is a certain level of discomfort with discussing racial inequality, as has been noted by the journalists J. Brian Charles, Mike Maciag, and Daniel C. Vock.192 However, it is a subject we must face head-on if we are to create a better future for all of Illinois’ children.

Percent white population in st. Clair County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent latinx population in st. Clair County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent black population in st. Clair County by Census tract (2012-2016)

Percent asian population in st. Clair County by Census tract (2012-2016)

housing stability

0.0 97.9

0.0 82.8

0.0 99.4

0.0 9.0


SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

ⓦ The median monthly housing cost in Illinois in the period 2012-2016 was $1,060. The most expensive counties were clustered in the northeast portion of the state, while the least expensive counties were clustered in the western and southern ends of the state.

ⓦ People making the least amount of household income have high housing cost burdens far more than those in other income brackets, especially renters.

ⓦ In 2016, Illinois children lived in households with a high housing cost burden at a rate of 31%. For low-income children, the rate was 63%. Rates for children overall and for low-income children have been declining since the period 2008-2010.

ⓦ There are significant racial /ethnic disparities among children living in households facing a high housing cost burden. In 2016, black and Latinx children lived in overburdened households at the highest rates. Asian and multiracial children faced housing cost burdens more in line with the state rate, while white children faced the lowest rate of housing cost burdens .

ⓦ Housing vacancies were highest in counties in the southern third in the state, including some counties in the western and northwestern portions of the state.

ⓦ Homelessness in Illinois is a serious problem, and we may be undercounting the number of homeless people in Illinois in any given year.

ⓦ Although indices vary by county and by the racial /ethnic groups being considered, racial residential segregation throughout the state is still a problem.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

ⓦ Encourage counties and municipalities to increase the stock of affordable housing, particularly for low-income renters.

ⓦ The legislature approved a capital bill in its 2019 spring session that includes more than $200 million for affordable housing grants, loans, and investments. The state needs to continue examining means of enhancing affordable housing programs run by the Illinois Housing Development Authority and encouraging local governments to zone for or construct additional units of affordable housing. This examination may include consideration of additional tax credits or assessment reductions (as proposed in HB 2168) as well as an evaluation of the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act of 2003.

ⓦ Establish a state renter’s credit, similar to that of the Illinois property tax credit available to home owners. Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin are among the states that either offer a direct renter’s credit (which may have income guidelines) or a deduction of rent paid from taxable income.

housing stability

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