Some Chicago residents want a citywide rent freeze, saying the coronavirus outbreak has caused extreme financial hardship.
More than 13,000 have signed an online petition started by a tenants union calling for protections including a freeze on rent, mortgages and utility payments, according to The Chicago Tribune. Some are prepared to strike April 1.
Among them is 23-year-old Theodore Bourget, who lost two jobs because of the outbreak. He and his partner are having a hard time affording rent on their South Side apartment.
“It was beyond stressful," Bourget told the newspaper. “We were just operating at a level where panic wasn’t even an option anymore.”
City officials didn't directly respond to questions about a freeze, pointing to other relief. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced a grant program offering $1,000 payments to 2,000 residents who've lost jobs or been affected by “the economic fallout.”
But the Autonomous Tenants Union said it's not enough.
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Landlords also face hardships. Bigger companies say they have to pay staff, while individual landlords say that's how they make a living.
Arpan Shah, owns property in Chicago and a suburb, said he offered one couple a $300 April discount.
“If I get some kind of relief, I’m happy to pass it on,” he said. “But if they’re asking it of me, they’ll be straining me in a few months.”
