FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: 312-804-1142, feedback (at) chicagohousingauthority.net

CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN

Chicago, May 27 2005 - Earlier today, concerned citizens throughout the
city challenged the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) by launching a massive
city-wide advertising campaign designed to combat common myths about the
state of public housing in Chicago. The ad campaign, “This is CHAos�,
is viewable at various bus shelters, on CTA trains, and at the website
www.chicagohousingauthority.net.

In late 2004, the CHA initiated a public relations campaign to put a new
face on their Plan For Transformation, a plan that is drastically reshaping
the state of public housing in Chicago. The CHA’s PR campaign, authored
by the advertising firm Leo Burnett, fused the Chicago Housing Authority's
acronym CHA with the word 'change,' resulting in a new brand identity:
CHAnge.

There are undoubtedly big changes happening with public housing in Chicago,
including massive organizational restructuring within the CHA, and the
systematic demolition of all high-rise public housing buildings. While the
CHAnge campaign has attempted to put a ‘resident empowerment’ spin on
the Plan for Transformation, in reality the majority of public housing
residents have been adversely affected by the massive restructuring. If
you are a working mother displaced by the demolition of your home, waiting
over 6 months for a voucher to relocate, as your children are shifted from
school to school, CHAnge feels a lot more like CHAos.

The new campaign features testimonials for five of the power brokers
involved in the Plan for Transformation. These individuals represent the
political and economic interests that are driving the Plan, profiting off
of public lands and privatizing social services.

Soon, a second phase of the CHAos campaign will be initiated. It will
highlight a series of resident testimonials that reflect different
perspectives from those portrayed by Leo Burnett. These will detail
personal experiences from current and former residents of Chicago public
housing, and illustrate the CHAos caused in people's daily lives under the
Plan For Transformation.

As homes continue to be torn down and real estate prices continue to rise,
it is urgent that there is a larger public dialogue about the direction of
affordable and public housing in this city. The voices of those negatively
affected by the massive demolitions and relocations must be part of this
dialogue. These stories must be heard if we are to have a balanced picture
of the current state of public housing and its troubled history. It took
$600,000 worth of public money for the CHA to whitewash its history. Today,
a handful of resourceful citizens have taken the matter into their own
hands.

For more information visit www.chicagohousingauthority.net
or contact feedback (at) chicagohousingauthority.net

PHOTO / VIDEO:
Broadcast quality B-Roll footage and high-resolution images of the CHAos
campaign are available to the press. Please contact feedback (at) chicagohousingauthority.net or call 312-804-1142 to have these materials delivered to your newsroom.