CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION OF BOARD CHAIRMAN

John T. Hooker (pictured) recently resigned from his position as Board Chairman for the Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Photo Credit: Chicago Housing Authority
John T. Hooker (pictured) recently resigned from his position as Board Chairman for the Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Photo Credit: Chicago Housing Authority

Chicago Housing Authority Announces Resignation of Board Chairman

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

In 2015, John T. Hooker was appointed by the Mayor at the time to serve as the Board Chairman for the Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. After serving a four-year term, Hooker announced his resignation which took effect on July 19. Hooker said that he simply felt that it was his time to step down.

“My term is up, and my time is up,” said Hooker at a recent Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meeting. “This was my decision alone.”

The Chicago Housing Authority is a public housing agency in Chicago that provides low-income households with affordable housing through the Section 8 Housing Voucher, Rental Assistance Demonstration, and Moving to Work programs, according to the Chicago Housing Authority website.

The Chicago Housing Authority vision is to “foster an innovative, diverse, dynamic, and productive team that works in a healthy, collaborative, and respectful environment towards a shared vision of excellence,” according to the Chicago Housing Authority.

“I want to thank my fellow commissioners, the Chicago Housing Authority staff and residents and everyone with whom I have worked for the opportunity to serve this great agency, the Chicago Housing Authority

residents and the people of Chicago,” said Hooker.

Under Hooker’s leadership, the Chicago Housing Authority saw the settlement of the 53-year-old Gautreaux lawsuit which sought to end the racial discrimination that existed in Chicago’s public housing system,

according to information provided by Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI) Chicago.

For 53 years, the Chicago Housing Authority worked under federal court-ordered oversight until January of this year when a U.S. District Court Judge finally declared that he was satisfied with the adjustments and progress that the housing agency had made over the course of five decades, according to information provided by Chicago Housing Authority.

The Gautreaux lawsuit played an important role in the Chicago Housing Authority’s transformation and through court-ordered oversight, numerous Chicago public housing projects were redeveloped to now include affordable and market-rate housing units, according to information provided by BPI Chicago.

Hooker noted that seeing the settlement of the Gautreaux lawsuit was one of his greatest accomplishments as chairman. He is also proud to have delivered more than 2,000 units of affordable housing in Chicago, supported investment in local parks, community centers, and grocery stores, and expanded workforce and scholarship programs that are available to Chicago Housing Authority residents.

“We have been a team for the last four years and have built the best housing authority in the nation, making remarkable progress. I know that Chicago Housing Authority, its residents, and our communities are better for John Hooker having been a part of this agency,” said Eugene E. Jones, Jr, CEO of Chicago Housing Authority.

Until another chairperson is appointed, Vice-Chairman Craig Chico will serve as Chairman.

Chico will return to serving as Vice-Chairman when the new Chairman takes office.

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