HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge hits Chicago on Tuesday to promote President Biden housing agenda

WASHINGTON — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge visits Chicago on Tuesday to promote President Joe Biden’s “human infrastructure” agenda with stops highlighting HUD-assisted affordable housing apartments in the city’s Black and Latino communities.

This is the first time Fudge, a former Ohio Democratic House member, stops in Chicago as a member of Biden’s Cabinet. She is on the road, as are other Cabinet members, to build up public support for the Biden package, whose fate in unknown mainly because of two reluctant Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

Fudge will highlight Biden proposals connected to affordable housing in the sweeping measure. According to HUD, Fudge’s Chicago swing will “amplify the Biden-Harris Administration’s Build Back Better agenda and its investments in housing construction and rehabilitation, economic development, and community revitalization.”

Her first stop will be at a Resurrection Project affordable housing building, Casa Queretaro, 2012 W. 17th St. in Pilsen. She will be joined by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., and Resurrection Project CEO Raul Raymundo.

Fudge’s second stop will be at a low-income federally subsidized housing complex, Concordia Place, 13037 S. Daniel Drive. Lightfoot, Illinois Democratic Reps. Bobby Rush and Robin Kelly and the Rev. Jesse Jackson will appear with Fudge at the event.

Jackson has been leading a drive to pressure HUD and the Concordia Place building owners to make repairs to remove mold and rodent infestations from their homes.

In March, the Sun-Times reported, Jackson mediated a meeting between HUD, representatives from Capital Realty Group, the New York-based owners of the apartment complex and Concordia building residents.

HUD said “Concordia Place is a HUD-assisted property that recently underwent significant updates to improve substandard living conditions.”

“Secretary Fudge will stress her commitment to ensuring HUD-assisted properties offer safe, stable homes, and she will discuss the critical need for the Build Back Better agenda’s significant investments to rehabilitate and expand America’s affordable housing stock.”