It can be hard to leave a house you’ve lived in for more than a quarter century. We make a lot of memories in our homes, but I think it’s even more difficult when you built the house yourself.
I can’t say for certain because I don’t have the skills to build a house, unlike my older brother, James. Last spring, he sold the house that he built nearly 30 years ago.
James has gone through two union apprenticeship programs. He has been trained as an operating engineer and as a carpenter, so he could operate the heavy machinery needed to move materials around and do the framing and woodwork.
That kind of skill runs in my family. We have relatives who work in many different trades. James had an uncle help with the plumbing, and another help with the HVAC and electricity.
Having worked in construction, he had friends to help with much of the work. They traded labor on their respective houses.
There is no doubt that James and I are brothers, although some people mistake me for being the older brother since I am taller and have more gray hair. When it comes to being handy, we couldn’t be much different. He was able to build his house. I have difficulty changing some modern lightbulbs.
I know a lot of people have trouble buying a new home today. That’s not because they don’t have the skills to build one, but because housing has become so unaffordable.
Although I don’t have the skills to build an actual house, I do oversee billions of dollars that my office invests. And we are putting that money to work to build more affordable housing in Illinois while generating a return for our state.
For the last few years, we have invested through our Illinois Growth and Investment Fund in companies building more affordable and workforce housing. This year we passed legislation allowing us to do even more.
We worked with lawmakers to pass a bill the governor signed that allows my office to invest in funds like the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust. The fund has invested in projects in Chicago, Aurora, Crystal Lake, Decatur, and East Moline. And now with our investments in the fund, we will build even more.
It’s no secret the price of housing has increased around the country. We have not built enough housing to meet the demand. Estimates say that we need to build another 140,000 or more units in Illinois to meet demand. That has made it difficult for many families. And when people do buy, the average age for a first home purchase is now 40. That is crazy to me.
In my office we cannot solve this problem by ourselves, but that’s not going to stop us from being part of the solution. With this new law, we are going to put more people like my brother to work. And we are going to put more people into houses where they will create a lifetime of memories.
Ahead of Labor Day, I think that’s something to celebrate.
Sincerely,
Michael