Chicago Housing Authority Knew of Lead Paint, Children Injured

A multimillion-dollar verdict has put the Chicago Housing Authority under scrutiny for its handling of lead hazards in public housing.

A Cook County judge ordered the CHA to pay over $24 million to two families following a lawsuit over lead paint poisoning in a Rogers Park apartment, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Shanna Jordan and Morgan Collins sued the housing authority in January 2022 on behalf of their children, Jah’mir Collins, 10, and Amiah Collins, 6, who suffered “severe lead poisoning.” The CHA was aware of hazardous lead-based paint in their unit at 7715 North Marshfield Avenue and failed to inform the residents, the jury in the case found.

The property had been under CHA ownership, managed by the Habitat Company from 2016 to 2019 and East Lake Management Group from 2019 to 2022. Environmental Design International conducted a lead-paint inspection for the CHA in 2017, confirming the presence of lead.

The lawsuit claimed the CHA had knowledge of lead-based paint in the property since 1992, which was documented in its property management system. But the families were not informed.

Lead poisoning causes permanent physical and mental injuries, and the children will have lifelong disabilities, the lawsuit said.

“What happened to these children was completely avoidable if only the CHA had followed the law,” the families’ attorney Matthew Sims said.

The jury held the CHA, led by then-CEO Tracey Scott, responsible for the children’s injuries but cleared Habitat Company and East Lake of liability. Scott, who earned $300,000 annually, resigned amid criticism last year. She was replaced in October by Interim CEO Angela Hurlock.

The CHA expressed disappointment in the verdict but noted sympathy for the affected families. Habitat Company — which severed ties with the CHA last year after decades of doing business together — commended the jury for finding Habitat not guilty, while East Lake declined to comment.

Chicago-based Habitat’s property management arm previously oversaw 3,400 public housing unit until its September announcement that it wouldn’t renew its contracts with the CHA, citing deteriorating relations between the groups.

In a Sept. 6 letter, Habitat President Matthew Fiascone criticized CHA for changes that undermined their once-strong partnership. Key grievances included CHA’s insistence that Habitat secure its own liability insurance — previously covered by the agency — and administrative mishandling of a contract extension request. Habitat’s decision marked a significant shift in its relationship with CHA, potentially affecting public housing management in the city.

— Andrew Terrell