Public Housing for People with Disabilities

Good afternoon,
On behalf of CHA I am responding to your FOIA request dated and received by CHA on August 8, which is detailed below. At this time, pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/3(e), we seek an extension of an additional five business days for the following reasons:

 the request for records cannot be complied with by the public body within the time limits prescribed by paragraph (c) of this Section without unduly burdening or interfering with the operations of the public body;
 there is a need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another public body or among two or more components of a public body having a substantial interest in the determination or in the subject matter of the request.

CHA will respond to your request no later than August 22.

Sincerely,

Nathaniel Tortora
FOIA Office
Chicago Housing Authority

Dear Sarika,
This email is concerning your FOIA request in which you asked CHA for:

1) Any policies related to providing accessible housing for applicants with disabilities valid from January 1, 2017 to the date this request is processed
2) Any documents detailing the number of housing units that are adaptable for people with disabilities or permanently include accessibility features (i.e. wider hallways, lower countertops, visual fire alarms) for people with disabilities under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Housing Authority
3) Any floor plans and images of housing units that are adaptable for people with disabilities or permanently include accessibility features (i.e. wider hallways, lower countertops, visual fire alarms) for people with disabilities under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Housing Authority
4) Any complaints of discrimination submitted to the Chicago Housing Authority between January 1, 2017 and the date this request is processed including the following words:
a) 'disability'
b) 'disabled'
c) 'accessible'
d) 'accessibility'
e) 'wheelchair'

Your request has been granted and attached to this email find responsive documents for items 1 and 4. Please note we are still working to compile responsive records for items 2 and 3. Concerning item 4, CHA has made redactions pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(b) and 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(c), pertaining to private and personal information contained within public records. Additionally, CHA has made redactions pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(a) for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) under HUD regulations, guidance and other federal laws and regulations. These include the Federal Privacy Act, Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 44 U.S.C. § 3541, et seq., and various Housing and Urban Development regulations that prohibit the disclosure of personally identifiable information such as names. See, section 6 of the Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. § 1437d, section 208 of The E-Government Act, 44 U.S.C. §101, the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987, 42 U.S.C. § 1437d (q)(4), 42 U.S.C. § 1437d (t)(2), 42 U.S.C. § 3543, and the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1988, 42 U.S.C. § 3544.

Sincerely,

Nathaniel Tortora
FOIA Office
Chicago Housing Authority

Dear Sarika,
This email is concerning your FOIA request in which you asked CHA for:

1) Any policies related to providing accessible housing for applicants with disabilities valid from January 1, 2017 to the date this request is processed
2) Any documents detailing the number of housing units that are adaptable for people with disabilities or permanently include accessibility features (i.e. wider hallways, lower countertops, visual fire alarms) for people with disabilities under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Housing Authority
3) Any floor plans and images of housing units that are adaptable for people with disabilities or permanently include accessibility features (i.e. wider hallways, lower countertops, visual fire alarms) for people with disabilities under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Housing Authority
4) Any complaints of discrimination submitted to the Chicago Housing Authority between January 1, 2017 and the date this request is processed including the following words:
a) 'disability'
b) 'disabled'
c) 'accessible'
d) 'accessibility'
e) 'wheelchair'

As you know, on August 29 CHA provided you with records responsive to items 1 and 4 of your request. Attached to this email, find CHA's record responsive to item 2 and using this link, https://we.tl/t-jSHLUqJEvR, find CHA's records responsive to item 3. Please note that CHA does not maintain a database of "Adaptable" units, and the attached record reflects CHA's Accessible units. An Accessible unit is a Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) Mobility-Accessible or UFAS Sensory-Accessible unit.

Sincerely,

Nathaniel Tortora
FOIA Office
Chicago Housing Authority