Senior Home Repair as an Economic Engine for Chicago
Senior home repair took the spotlight in Chicago on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. We chose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday for a reason: senior home repair is a matter of justice.
More than 60 people gathered at Dawson Technical Institute, 3901 S. State Street, for a free town hall and lunch. Older homeowners joined foundation representatives, community groups, and home repair organizations. Coalition partners including H.O.M.E., Housing Action Illinois, M.O.V.E., and DePaul's Institute for Housing Studies hosted the event.
The theme was "Senior Home Repair as an Economic Engine." The case is straightforward. Repair funds work as an ounce of prevention. They cost far less than building new housing or treating the health problems seniors face after displacement. Repair is also more humane.
Why Senior Home Repair Strengthens Whole Communities
Gail Schechter of Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.) coordinates the coalition. She described senior home repair as "social infrastructure" that builds and sustains communities, beyond bricks and mortar. Repair services, especially those run by local agencies, engage entire neighborhoods. They reach seniors, other residents, and local businesses alike.
Every panelist focused on the ripple effect of a single repair. Repairs strengthen local economies and create jobs. They stabilize neighborhoods and help close the racial wealth gap.
Caring for the homes of older people and people with disabilities, many of whom live on fixed incomes, is both social and physical infrastructure. It's also core to racial equity in a deeply segregated city and region.
Before the panel, Ella Montgomery, a Kreisman fellow at the University of Chicago, set the stage. She shared her research on existing home repair resources for older Illinoisans. Her inventory of those resources is available in our services directory.
The Senior Home Repair Panel
Rev. Robin Hood of the Illinois Anti-Foreclosure Coalition served as emcee. Sonseriya Williams of Teamwork Englewood deftly moderated the panel:
Home repair service for seniors: Leslie Rodriguez, Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity
Workforce development: Dean Inesha Kelly, Dawson Technical Institute of Kennedy-King College
Neighborhood stabilization: Rev. Robin Hood, Illinois Anti-Foreclosure Coalition
Preventing financial fraud, preserving housing, and promoting generational wealth: Eva Adams, Center for Disability and Elder Law
Real estate, law, and housing policy: Kimberly Chase Harding, REALTOR, attorney, and housing policy advocate, Chicago Association of Realtors
Watch the full Chicago town hall on YouTube.
What Attendees Want From Senior Home Repair Policy
Attendees raised additional issues that shape daily life for older homeowners. These included insurance companies cancelling coverage, bank foreclosures, and the need for more vocational programs like Dawson Tech.
The day also brought major news. Rev. Hood announced that State Sen. Lakesha Collins will sponsor the coalition's reformulated bill in 2026.
That bill builds on earlier progress. In 2024, State Rep. Kevin Olickal sponsored HB 5506, the Senior Home Preservation Program Act. It earned unanimous bipartisan support at a hearing in the House Human Services Committee.
Taking Senior Home Repair Statewide
The coalition plans to host future town halls in other parts of Illinois in 2025. The goal remains statewide legislation to expand home repair resources.
You can help by watching the town hall video and sharing it with your network. You can also share your story to show lawmakers what's at stake. To stay informed about future town halls and the 2026 bill, join the Fix Our Homes Illinois Coalition.