Housing | WGLT

Maloof Reaches Into Bloomington-Normal Housing Market With Crowne Merger

By Ryan Denham • Jan 16, 2020

The leaders of a newly combined real estate company are bullish on the housing markets in Bloomington-Normal and Peoria, despite slowing sales and a dip in prices in 2019.

Bloomington Picked For National 'Healthy Housing' Initiative

By Ryan Denham • Dec 10, 2019

Bloomington city officials are traveling to North Carolina this week for the first gathering of a national initiative aimed at improving public health through housing.

Housing Matters: Affordable Housing And The Middle Class

By Mary Cullen • Oct 30, 2019

Larry Pusateri speaks — Mary Cullen / WGLT

Editor's note: This is part of a five-story series reported at the Housing Action Illinois conference in Bloomington on Oct. 24-25. The stories ran Wednesday, Oct. 30, on WGLT's Sound Ideas.

Housing Matters: Pushing Landlords To Look Beyond A Criminal Record

By Ryan Denham • Oct 30, 2019

Nancy, Marketta, and Maria — Ryan Denham / WGLT

Editor's note: This is part of a five-story series reported at the Housing Action Illinois conference in Bloomington on Oct. 24-25. The stories ran Wednesday, Oct. 30, on WGLT's Sound Ideas.

Housing Matters: City of Peoria, Salvation Army Program Works To Prevent Homelessness

By Breanna Grow • Oct 30, 2019

Speakers at the conference — Breanna Grow / WGLT

Editor's note: This is part of a five-story series reported at the Housing Action Illinois conference in Bloomington on Oct. 24-25. The stories ran Wednesday, Oct. 30, on WGLT's Sound Ideas.

Planning Commission Director: 'Affordable Housing' May Not Mean What You Think

By Breanna Grow • Mar 5, 2019

Vasu speaks to council — Breanna Grow / WGLT

Vasu Gadhiraju knows when she says “affordable housing,” many people think about low-income housing.

B-N Section 8 Housing Voucher Waiting List Nears 700

By Colleen Reynolds • Feb 27, 2019

Man and woman sitting at a table with screen behind them at Normal Public Library Community Room — Colleen Reynolds / WGLT

There are more than 700 people waiting for placement in a popular Section 8 public housing program called "Housing Choice," which issues vouchers for tenants to live anywhere in McLean County and pay 30 percent of their income toward rent.

ISU President To Talk Over Housing Plans With Landlords

By Charlie Schlenker • Feb 22, 2019

Illinois State University President Larry Dietz said he's in favor of better communication with student landlords.

Dietz said he will meet next month with apartment owners concerned the university is building up to 1,200 new student beds in a pod format.

Normal To Seek Public Input On Community Development Spending; Property Tax Levy Approved

By Breanna Grow • Dec 3, 2018

Chemberly during a meeting — Cindy Le / WGLT

The Town of Normal has a new plan in place to get more residents’ input on Community Development Block Grant spending.

Peoria Area Home Sales See Increase Over 2017

By Mary Cullen • Oct 26, 2018

Sold sign — Credit Brandi Michel / Facebook via Creative Commons

Peoria Area Association of Realtors President Suzanne Miller says it’s a good time to get into the housing market.

Aldermen Approve Tougher Landlord Rules, Incentives For Packaging Company

By Breanna Grow • Sep 25, 2018

Firefighters at a burning apartment — Charlie Schlenker / WGLT

Bloomington aldermen took formal steps Monday night to discourage chronic housing code violations with more fines and a new classification for repeat offenders.

Homebuilders Adapt To New Reality In Bloomington-Normal Market

By Ryan Denham • Aug 8, 2018

Construction worker at a home project — Charles Krupa / AP

Ten years after the Great Recession, a new housing crisis has developed in America. You’ve been hearing reports all week on Morning Edition and All Things Considered, about those who’ve been shut out of the housing market. Here's a look at how the homebuilding slowdown is playing out in Bloomington-Normal.

Sales Tick Up As Housing Market Tries to Shake State Farm Uncertainty

By Ryan Denham • Jul 18, 2018

You know what’s not good for a real estate market? A ton of uncertainty at the market’s biggest employer.

Housing Inequality Still Plagues Minority Communities

By Judith Valente • Jan 15, 2018

The president of the Illinois chapter of the NAACP says that more than 50 years after the federal Fair Housing Act was enacted, African-Americans still face housing discrimination, predatory mortgage lending practices, and other obstacles to moving into racially diverse and affluent neighborhoods.

Landlord v. Tenant: Each Day A Struggle For Mother Seeking Affordable Housing

By Judith Valente • Oct 23, 2017

It’s been a tumultuous couple of months for Moesha Tyner and her six children.

Can McLean County Overcome Its Low-Income Rental Housing Crisis?

By Judith Valente • Oct 23, 2017

In September, the GLT investigative series Landlord v. Tenant revealed increasing tensions between landlords and lower income tenants, who are often forced to rent substandard housing.

March B-N Home Sales Defy Corporate Cutbacks

By Jim Browne • Apr 19, 2016

Brandi Michel / Facebook via Creative Commons

Bloomington-Normal home sales were unchanged last month compared to last year with 221 homes being sold. That comes despite the loss of a major employer.

Karen Stailey-Lander is president of the Bloomington-Normal Association of Realtors. She says layoffs at Caterpillar in Peoria, and the closing of the Mitsubishi plant in McLean County are having minimal effects.

Bloomington's Administrative Court Could See Changes

By Michael Hill • Apr 18, 2016

Some new things could be added to Bloomington’s Administrative Court that are expected to improve the process. The court was established last year to make it easier for the city to enforce property and behavioral code violations. Deputy Corporation Counsel Angela Fyans-Jimenez said the court has been “very successful” since its creation last April.

Affordable Housing Needs Rise In Bloomington-Normal

By Charlie Schlenker • Oct 19, 2015

Finding affordable housing is a growing problem in Bloomington Normal. Laura Furlong is the CEO of MarcFirst and a member of a study panel on the issue for the League of Women Voters.

A McLean County League of Women Voters study suggests home ownership is declining and the amount of money people pay for rent is more stressful now than it was fifteen years ago. There has been an 18% increase in the share of income needed to afford a three bedroom apartment over the last fifteen years.