Chicago Housing Authority chief executive officer Tracey Scott will step down from her role as of November 1, the agency’s Board of Commissioners announced Monday afternoon.
She will be replaced for the time being by Angela Hurlock, current chairperson of the board, as CHA searches for her replacement. Scott served as the head of the organization for four and a half years.
“The CHA Board of Commissioners would like to thank Ms. Scott for her leadership during this crucial period when the demand for affordable housing is more pressing than ever,” wrote CHA Vice Chairman Matthew Brewer in the news release. “CHA is well-positioned for continued growth as we enter this next chapter.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote Monday that he extends his “gratitude to CEO Tracey Scott for her steadfast leadership and dedication to CHA – and its 135,000 residents – over these past four years.”
“Under her leadership, today’s CHA serves more Chicagoans than ever before,” Johnson wrote. “My administration will continue to partner closely with the agency to realize my vision of a vibrant city where every resident has access to safe, quality affordable housing.”
Former mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Scott to head CHA in 2020.
Scott, who will serve her final day as the agency’s leader on Friday, wrote in the agency’s announcement that in her time at the helm, she had “focused on encouraging innovation to expand and improve housing in strong communities, while supporting families and seniors in reaching their goals.”
“I am proud of the accomplishments of an incredible CHA team, and I know their commitment and passion for our residents will continue to carry the mission forward,” she wrote.
The chief executive has faced public pressure over her tenure from residents and advocates, including CHA Board of Commissioners member Francine Washington, who told the Tribune just over two weeks ago, “she should have been gone yesterday, that’s how much she needs to leave.”
A key moment in Scott’s tenure was the decision she made for CHA to hand over 23 acres of land for the Chicago Fire Football Club’s new training facility, a months-long controversy that was initially blocked by City Council and faced a lawsuit and criticism from members of Congress, housing advocates and public housing residents. The project broke ground last year.
During Scott’s tenure, at least 16 employees were fired when they submitted falsified Paycheck Protection Program applications to receive COVID-19 relief funds they were not entitled to. Other local government agencies faced similar allegations.
In early September, property management firm The Habitat Co. moved to end all of its management agreements with CHA, which accounted for 16 buildings and approximately 3,400 units of public housing. Habitat Co.’s president Matthew Fiascone wrote to the CHA citing how “in recent years, we have observed significant changes” that led them to terminate their partnership.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, chair of the City Council’s Housing Committee, recalled hearing calls for Scott’s resignation. The agency’s public housing waitlists sometimes stretch two decades long, he said.
He called on Scott’s yet-to-be-named permanent successor to invest in fixes for deferred maintenance and be more willing to attend Housing Committee oversight hearings.
“We need to have alignment to have CEOs that actually believe in investment in public housing and not privatizing public land that has been designated for public housing use,” Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, said. “We need to invest in public housing.”
Don Washington, director of the Chicago Housing Initiative, said he looks forward to working with the Johnson administration to find a replacement for Scott who can fulfill the agency’s “Plan for Transformation,” its 2000 pledge to tear down and rebuild tens of thousands of units of public housing for Chicagoans.
“I think this is an opportunity for the Johnson administration to protect the public housing footprint and put someone in place who has a vision for how they can actually help people have housing that no market can ever hope to house,” Washington said. “There is no market-based solution to this public policy problem, and the Johnson admin has a chance to do something that is truly progressive and innovative here.”
The Tribune’s Lizzie Kane and Jake Sheridan contributed.