Sheriff’s Office helps Chicago residents secure affordable housing

Securing affordable housing can be a significant challenge in the Chicago area, where rents and home prices continue to rise.

But some are finding help in an unexpected place: The Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office is known primarily for law enforcement, operating the county jail, and protecting the courts, but Sheriff Tom Dart saw a need to help incarcerated people successfully re-enter society.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Housing Assistance Resource Program, or SHARP, help people find stable housing.

“What about all the rest of the folks in the community that we’re not really reaching out to, just because they’re not involved in the criminal justice system? This seemed absurd. We had already set this up in the community. And somehow, the only way you can access it is if you commit a criminal offense? No, this is dumb. If we’re in the communit,y let’s open it up to people who have those needs.”

Dart had one directive – that the program help people all the way through the process, from finding to furnishing their new homes. 

WGN’s Mike Lowe has more on the program and how it’s working for some.

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