What is the Keeping the Promise Campaign?
The Keeping the Promise Campaign is an effort to drop homelessness in Chicago and dramatically increase access to affordable housing at no cost to Chicago’s City Government through reforming the Chicago Housing Authority.
Reforming the Chicago Housing Authority is the key to ending homelessness in Chicago by holding the Chicago Housing Authority to higher standards about CHA’s use of federal and city funds, we can literally provide housing to tens of thousands of Chicago families currently struggling to provide their children with a decent, stable home.
According to CHA’s latest financial report (FY2012), the Chicago Housing Authority is sitting on surplus cash of more than $432 million— To put that in perspective, CHA’s cash stockpile is larger than the whole City of Chicago’s budget deficit for 2014.
The CHA has accumulated this cash surplus by deciding to circulate 13,500 fewer housing vouchers than HUD has funded CHA to provide annually.
In addition, CHA leaves thousands of its physical public housing units vacant year after year, and CHA’s progress in rebuilding public housing has plummeted since 2011.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of families and seniors languish on CHA’s waiting lists. Many sleep in their cars or on the streets, find refuge in a homeless shelter, or double up with family members to survive—- all while public funding intended to help them continues to pile up, with no plan and no explanation.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
One detail that stands out is how the campaign connects funding decisions with the practical consequences of housing availability. A large budget or sizeable pool of unused resources does not automatically translate into better outcomes; there still needs to be a clear process for deciding how funds are allocated, tracking whether commitments are met, and addressing delays when expected results do not materialise. That accountability principle applies well beyond housing programmes. In any arrangement involving public funding, contractors, agencies, or service providers, clearly defined responsibilities can make it easier to identify where implementation is falling short. This is where the contract manager role can become relevant, particularly when agreements involve performance requirements, reporting obligations, and multiple stakeholders. Good contract administration is…
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This is such an important initiative—it’s heartbreaking to think of thousands of families waiting for housing while the CHA sits on over $432 million in surplus. Holding the agency accountable for underused vouchers and vacant units is a clear, practical step toward real change. I appreciate how the campaign frames reform as a no-cost solution for the city, which makes it hard to ignore. Stories like this remind me how creative tools can also help people express care and connection, even in small ways. For example, you can use an AI Kissing Video Generator to turn cherished photos into a romantic keepsake—a lighthearted way to celebrate the loved ones we fight to house and protect. Thanks for shedding light on…
The detail about CHA sitting on a cash surplus larger than the entire City of Chicago's budget deficit while families sleep in cars and shelters is the kind of statistic that should have generated far more public outrage than it did. The fact that 13,500 fewer housing vouchers were being circulated than HUD had actually funded is not an oversight that is a policy decision with real human consequences attached to it. I was researching public housing accountability frameworks for a university application essay last year, and while working through the material using a SOP Writing Service for University to structure my arguments clearly, this campaign kept coming up as one of the more straightforward examples of institutional failure hiding in…