Illinois lawmakers unveil plan to build more affordable housing

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Needing nearly 300,000 affordable rental homes and apartments, Illinois has one of the largest housing deficits in the U.S. according to the Illinois Housing Council (IHC), which estimates the state has lost about 20% of its low-rent apartments since 2011.

State lawmakers are proposing a new tax credit to help reverse that trend.

“Our housing crisis demands immediate attention. Illinois now has one of the highest deficits in housing across the country and it’s grown 64% in the last decade,” said IHC Executive Director Allison Clements.

The state’s housing deficit is why lawmakers have proposed the Build Illinois Homes State Tax Credit.

“Illinois needs to prioritize affordable housing,” said state Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook.

Avelar is sponsoring the plan in the state House of Representatives.

She said her constituents tell her buying and renting are getting too expensive.

“They are being priced out of their homes or apartments,” she said.