The Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act (AHPAA) is an Illinois state law intended to encourage certain local governments to create more affordable housing. Housing Action recently advocated to strengthen this law.
In December 2023, for the first time in five years, the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) analyzed how much affordable housing exists in each Illinois municipality.
Under AHPAA, if the percentage of affordable housing units in a municipality–including both homes for rent and for sale–is less than 10%, the community is considered a “Non-Exempt Local Government,” or NELG (a term unique to AHPAA).
The 44 municipalities defined as NELG must create a plan to increase the amount of affordable housing in their communities, which provides an opportunity for local residents to engage their local elected officials to advocate for a strong plan that leads to tangible results.
Although all of Illinois’ 1,300 communities could benefit from more quality, affordable housing, AHPAA is an important state law intended to create more affordable housing in communities that should be playing an important role in creating affordable homes in areas near jobs and other economic opportunities.
All NELGs must submit an affordable housing plan to IHDA by June 14, 2025.
This provides an opportunity for residents to advocate for a strong local plan.
View our resource guide and toolkit to learn more and begin your advocacy efforts »