Berwyn Housing Center
Subject: The Berwyn Housing Center Needs Your Support! Please send an email to your alderperson.

We at the Berwyn Housing Center just recently discovered that we may be in danger of losing our funding from the City of Berwyn. This loss would mean closing our doors permanently. We are asking now for your support so that we can continue to provide our services for you and other in the future. Here are some reasons why the Berwyn Housing Center is worth saving, followed by some ways you can show your support to the community and the voters.

The Berwyn Housing Center ensures strong rental demand for the community. In 2008, the Housing Center exceeded its goal of helping 150 clients make a move in Berwyn by 37%; 206 people used the Housing Center to rent in Berwyn. The Housing Centerʼs campaign to ensure demand in the rental market also complements the Berwyn Development Corporationʼs campaign to ensure homeownership demand in Berwyn. Indeed, rental market factors often affect the homeownership market in a community. Because rental activity has greater turnover and higher concentrations, the quality of rental demand has a significant effect on the demand for homeownership. Better quality tenants and better maintained buildings improve demand for adjacent homeownership.


The Berwyn Housing Center improves unit marketability and owner activity. The Housing Center promotes best practices and passes on expertise to owners regarding tenant selection, building appeal, unit marketability, and other factors driving tenant demand. In addition, the Housing Center promotes Berwyn and its rental market via advertising in media throughout Chicagoland.


The Berwyn Housing Center has a positive effect on crime deterrence. Our technical assistance to owners and managers of multi-unit buildings includes techniques on conducting thorough and effective background checks including criminal, credit, and reference checks. This ensures that fewer problem tenants will rent in Berwyn. In addition, the Housing Center also informs all of its clients of Berwynʼs Crime Free Multi-Tenant Housing Ordinance. This reassures law-abiding clients and discourages problem tenants.


The Berwyn Housing Center is a local employer and vendor. The Housing Center provides three full-time jobs in Berwyn, including one to a Berwyn resident. The Housing Center rents space in Berwyn and conducts business with Berwyn businesses. The Housing Center is also a member of several Berwyn civic organizations and participates in Berwyn festivals, fairs, and seminars.

Here are a couple of ways you can show your support:

By copying and pasting the above letter to the City Council members in an email and letting them know how important the Berwyn Housing Center is to our community.

These are the email addresses of the Aldermen and women:
aldchapmanward1@aol.com; 2ndward@berwyn-il.gov; 3rdward@berwyn-il.gov; 4thward@berwyn-il.gov; 5thward@berwyn-il.gov; 6thward@berwyn-il.gov; 7thward@berwyn-il.gov; joel@berwynfirst.com

You can also show support by attending the City Council meeting at 7:30 pm on Tuesday March 10th, 2009 located at 6700 W. 26th St.
- posted by Mark @ 4:38 PM