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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN GRATITUDE TO DIANE LIMAS FOR HER INCALCULABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO COOK COUNTY'S COMMUNITIES AND THEIR RESIDENTS
WHEREAS, Diane Limas, a daughter of immigrants in a family of 12, grew up in Humboldt Park, witness to her parents struggle to find and keep affordable rental housing in the neighborhood, which made her understand, at that time, that the City was not well-suited for low-income families; and
WHEREAS, Diane Limas worked at the Chicago Election Board for 33 years subsequently taking her childhood experiences and catalyzing her passion for service by co-founding the former Albany Park Neighborhood Council, now known as Communities United; and
WHEREAS, Diane Limas has dedicated herself to working on housing issues for over 17 years, engaging with elected officials to approve and implement fair and just housing policies; and
WHEREAS, through her "boots on the ground" community involvement, she has collaborated with housing leaders and coalitions to approve critical housing policies in Chicago including the Affordable Requirements Ordinance; the Sweet Home Chicago, which allowed TIF money to be used towards affordable housing; and the Keep Chicago Renting Ordinance, which protects tenants in foreclosed rental property; and
WHEREAS, Diane Limas was also key in the development of Renters Organizing Ourselves To Stay (ROOTS) which works to prevent the displacement of low-income families through the development of a model to preserve affordable housing in neighborhoods across Chicago, a program that successfully put over 400 units in the preservation pipeline to become long-term affordable units, with a new 50-unit affordable housing development soon to be completed in Albany Park; and
WHEREAS, in 2009, Diane was given the Chicagoan of the Year award by Chicago Magazine for her housing work. She was also awarded the Senior Citizen of the Year award by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel in 2018; and
WHEREAS, at the County and State levels, Diane ...
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