About Us

Where people live has a direct impact on their opportunities in life. Expanding and supporting the housing choices for very low-income residents are the primary means to realize our goal: to be sure that all residents have to opportunity to live and thrive in safe, healthy neighborhoods, regardless of race, disability, ethnicity, income, or any other characteristic.

Mission

Housing Choice Partners aim to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and promote racial and economic diversity in housing.

Who We Are

With decades of experience, HCP is a leader in building housing mobility strategies that provide real options, resources, and support for families with rental subsidies to access financial, educational, and health opportunities.

HCP has grown considerably from its original staff of five. This growth is due in large part to HCP’s leading role in housing research programs, housing policy advocacy, consulting work on a national level, and continued strive to expand housing options for families with low incomes in Chicagoland and beyond.

Additionally, an increasing body of research has underscored the importance of neighborhood quality (based on factors such as crime rates, school rankings, and economic and racial integration) on an individual’s life outcomes. Compounded by current events that have drawn to the surface issues of ongoing systemic racial discrimination, and inequitable access to wealth and quality education, it is more apparent now than ever that where we live matters.

HCP is here to ensure that, until all communities are communities of opportunity, our participants have the knowledge and ability to live in the community that best meets their family's needs.

Our History

Housing Choice Partners (HCP) of Illinois, Inc. is a private non-profit organization created in 1995 by the Chicago-area fair housing community. Initially, HCP worked to promote racial and economic diversity in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program in suburban Cook County. Fair housing advocates noted extreme concentrations developing in where HCV-supported households resided, primarily in high-poverty, racially-concentrated communities of color, and the group sought to resolve the problem.

The solution was a housing mobility program for the Housing Authority of Cook County. HCP operated the program for eight years and assisted over eight hundred families with moving to low-poverty, well-resourced neighborhoods.

Today, HCP serves the City of Chicago and suburban Cook County. We assist over 1,000 low-income households each year who are interested in learning more about their housing choice and where they may be able to root their family for long-term stability.

Not everyone has had the same ability to live in the community of their choosing.

Help HCP support families with low incomes in their choice to live in safe, healthy neighborhoods.

Support Our Work

Housing Choice Partners stands for Black Lives.

Where we grow up has a direct impact on our lives, including our health, educational opportunities, and potential for economic advancement. However, due to racial and economic discrimination over time, not every community has been afforded the same resources, and not everyone has had an equal opportunity to live in the community of their choice.

Housing Choice Partners' goal is to expand the range of housing choices for families with low incomes so that no neighborhood feels "out of reach". We provide information, resources, and one-on-one support to those who are interested in renting in well-resourced, opportunity-rich neighborhoods throughout the Chicago and Cook County region.

Known as"housing mobility", HCP's programs are rooted in the belief that all residents, regardless of race, disability, economic situation, or any other characteristic, should have a chance to live in a safe, healthy neighborhood, provide their children with quality educational and future employment opportunities, and work towards reducing the cycle of intergenerational poverty.