How Many Section 8-Type Vouchers In Darien?

DARIEN, IL — A couple of weeks ago, Darien Patch posted a story about a proposed 66-unit apartment complex near Lemont and South Frontage roads in Darien.

One resident replied in the reader comments, "Just what we need, more Section 8 housing, right?"

Asked why he believed it was Section 8 housing, he said, "If it becomes rentable, then it's open for Section 8."

Actually, that's wrong.

In most states, including Illinois, landlords have the right to reject what are now known as federal Family Choice Vouchers, which have requirements such as inspections every two years. The program aims to help low-income families.

Compared to other towns in DuPage County, Darien has more than its share of voucher recipients. In 2019, 120 Darien families received vouchers, according to the DuPage Housing Authority. The city makes up 2.3 percent of the county's population, but 3.8 percent of its 3,192 voucher recipients.

Still, voucher holders occupy a minimal portion of Darien's housing stock — 1.3 percent of nearly 9,000 units.

Elmhurst is more than twice as large as Darien and has just 41 voucher recipients, who occupy two-tenths of 1 percent of the city's entire housing stock — or one of every 500 households.

Some towns considerably wealthier than Darien have far fewer voucher holders. Among them are Hinsdale and Burr Ridge, both of which are mostly in DuPage County. According to the authority's statistics, Hinsdale had four voucher recipients in 2019, while Burr Ridge had one.

In 2000, Naperville became one of the few towns around the country to ban housing discrimination based on source of income. A few years ago, it clarified that law to explicitly ban discrimination against recipients of Housing Choice Vouchers. No other town in DuPage County has such a rule.

As of 2019, Naperville had 540 voucher holders, occupying about 1 percent of the town's housing stock.

Nationwide, just 14 percent of families with children in the Housing Choice Voucher program live in neighborhoods where fewer than 10 percent have incomes below the poverty line, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The center largely blames that situation on the landlords who refuse to accept vouchers.

Kenneth Coles, executive director of the DuPage Housing Authority, said one of the reasons Elmhurst, Hinsdale and Burr Ridge have so few voucher recipients is they contain mostly single-family housing. Naperville, by contrast, has more than 13,000 rental units, he said.

Another reason is that the wealthier towns' housing is so expensive that the vouchers are often unable to cover rent, Coles said.

Even with a law such as Naperville's, Coles said, it's hard to determine how much discrimination exists against voucher holders. That's because while landlords may be required to take applications, they may later deny them, he said.

Coles encouraged voucher recipients to file complaints if they believe they have been discriminated against.

"Even if you feel it's a waste of time, please report it," Coles said. "If I were to feel discriminated against, I would file a complaint with HUD. Let them determine if it was discrimination. You never know unless you ask."

He noted the federal government pursues Fair Housing Act violations, citing the U.S. Justice Department's recent lawsuit against Hinsdale over the village's efforts to shut down a sober living house.

Coles said he did not understand the opposition to voucher holders. If the voucher program were eliminated, the county's housing court would still be plenty busy with all the other landlord-tenant issues, he said.

During the pandemic, Housing Choice Vouchers have become more popular among landlords, Coles said.

"If the voucher holder loses income, all the rent will still get picked up," he said.