Living in Chicago: April

Hi Honors students!
As summer is approaching, and apartment leases are ending, some of us are looking to find a new
housing situation. Here at DePaul, the city is truly our campus. This often creates a very competitive
market making it difficult for students to find affordable housing near Lincoln Park, especially since it’s
one of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago, making it a very desirable location. Finding housing near
LPC can be difficult and finding housing in the loop campus is even more difficult because of how
expensive and limited it can be. So where do all these students go to find housing?

To give you some background knowledge it’s important to know that only 14% of all DePaul
students live on campus, and the majority are freshmen living in dorms. DePaul does offer some housing
options for upperclassmen but it has very limited space and has many restrictions. Making the majority of
students commuters and off-campus residents, these students are located all over the state of Illinois. This
wide dispersion of students highlights the need for accessible and affordable housing options near
campus. Especially since in popular neighborhoods like Lincoln Park prices are rising rapidly, forcing
students to move farther away. For many commuter students the commute can range from 30-60 minutes
without taking into consideration traffic hours. While the majority of students rely on CTA to get to class
some students drive, making the commute longer during business hours. This commute often takes away
from the full college experience that many students struggle with.

Overall, this demand for off campus housing has led to a rise in students using platforms like
Facebook groups, Zillow, and other housing websites. Most importantly students use each other as a
source to find different outlets, causing students to rely on word of mouth, group chats, social media, or
through friends. This shows the bigger issues: lack of institutional support for housing resources.

So what can be done? It’s evident that more support and resources are needed to help students
navigate Chicago’s housing market. Some options to mitigate this include: expanding partnership with
local landlords or property management companies, offering guidance and educating students to find
affordable housing on their own. We can start by creating a more accessible university-hosted platform for
students to connect, share listings and offer advice that could help create a stronger sense of community.
Not only would this support students now, but it would also prepare them for future responsibilities like
renting or buying a property after graduation. Until then, students will rely on each other and find ways to
make it work.