There are a lot of myths about affordable housing and for 51 years, we have been telling the real story. Join us! Share this information and help us by supporting our work.

Myth #1:  Affordable housing will drive down property values.

Reality #1: Research shows it has no negative impact on price or frequency of home sales. Sometimes, it increases surrounding property values.
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Myth #2: Affordable Housing will increase crime in the community and bring in undesirable residents.

Reality #2: Affordable housing is a key component in economic development and often helps to lower crimes rates.

Source: National Crime Prevention Council, Topics in Crime Prevention. “Strategy: Ensure Supply of Affordable Housing.”
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Myth #3: Affordable housing will look like “cheap housing.”

Reality #3: Affordable housing must comply with the same building restrictions and design standards as market rate housing.

Affordable housing is not affordable because it’s built with “cheap or sub-quality” materials; it is less costly to live in because it is supported by additional public and private funds.  In one Alderman’s Ward where Bickerdike builds, he was challenged by some worried residents who confronted him about the “expensive-looking, fancy condos that were going up in their neighborhood. The Alderman was happy to tell them that the attractive, luxurious-looking building was, in fact, one of Bickerdike’s affordable housing developments!
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Myth #4: Affordable housing reduces the quality of local schools and hurts standardized test scores.

Reality #4: When forced to move and change schools frequently because they cannot afford housing, students perform poorly overall and often drop out of school all together.

Source: Family Housing Fund, Kids Mobility Project Report, March 1998.  Available at http://www.fhfund.org/_dnld/reports/kids.doc  and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
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Myth #5:  Only very poor, unemployed people benefit from affordable housing.

Reality #5: Affordable housing improves commuting times, traffic congestion, and air quality. Employers, seniors, entry-level and service workers, teachers, firefighters, and police officers are just some of the many people who benefit from it.
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To read more about more truths about affordable housing download Myths and Stereotypes about affordable housing here.

You can be a part of telling the real story. Show your support by giving to an organization that has been busting these myths for 51 years: Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation.

Choose one of these three ways to give to us on this Giving Tuesday:

1): Send a check made out to Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation to 2550 W North Avenue Chicago, IL 60647

2) Online at http://www.bickerdike.org/index.php/donate-now or

3): Text BRC50 to 243725

Thank you!!