Rep. Cynthia Soto

Filed: 3/27/2012

 

 


 

 


 
09700HB4333ham003LRB097 15327 JLS 68144 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4333

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4333 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Housing Authorities Act is amended by
5adding Section 8.24 as follows:
 
6    (310 ILCS 10/8.24 new)
7    Sec. 8.24. Housing Ombudsman.
8    (a) A Housing Authority located within a municipality
9having a population of 1,000,000 or more shall establish a
10Housing Ombudsman to mediate disputes between housing
11authority residents and housing developments under the
12jurisdiction of the Housing Authority. The Housing Ombudsman
13shall have specific oversight over all housing complaints from
14housing authority residents, including housing complaints from
15residents residing in family developments, senior
16developments, and scattered site developments and residents

 

 

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1enrolled in a voucher program under Section 8 of the United
2States Housing Act of 1937.
3    (b) The Housing Ombudsman shall be hired by and report to
4the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners, not the Chief
5Executive Officer. The Board of Commissioners may hire
6additional staff necessary to carry out the duties of the
7Housing Ombudsman. The Housing Ombudsman, or his or her staff,
8shall be fluent in Spanish in order to communicate with
9Spanish-speaking residents. The Housing Ombudsman must also
10have a process in place to communicate with and address the
11housing complaints of residents who speak languages other than
12English or Spanish.
13    (c) The Housing Ombudsman shall publish a quarterly report
14and present it to the Housing Authority's Board of
15Commissioners at a public meeting. The report shall include and
16detail the following:
17        (1) The number of housing complaints made during the
18    reporting period.
19        (2) The types of housing complaints.
20        (3) The locations of the housing complaints.
21        (4) Any increase or decrease in the number of housing
22    complaints made in comparison to those made during the
23    previous reporting period.
24        (5) The manner in which the reported housing complaints
25    were addressed.
26        (6) The Housing Ombudsman's recommendations for

 

 

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1    improvements in operations to address housing complaints.
2    (d) The Housing Authority's Asset Management Services
3Department and all property managers, including contractual
4property managers, shall comply with the recommendations set
5forth in the Housing Ombudsman's report.
6    (e) The Housing Authority shall operate a hotline for the
7purpose of receiving phone calls from residents with housing
8complaints.
 
9    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10becoming law.".