The Housing Authority of Cook County

What The Housing Authority of Cook County does

The Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) is a municipal corporation established on March 25, 1946, operating as the federally designated public housing authority for suburban Cook County, Illinois — covering 108 communities and serving more than 25,000 residents. HACC administers U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-funded programs, including the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, Project-Based Vouchers (PBV), and direct Public Housing across an owned portfolio of 2,191 units in 24 developments. Complementary programs include the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, Homeownership Program, Community Choice Program (with security deposit grants of up to $500), and veteran-specific housing through the VASH partnership with Hines VA Hospital.

HACC's technology stack centers on DocuWare for centralized tenant records, governance, and finance document management — a transition from paper-based workflows that supported a 73% improvement in HUD's PHAS performance score (from Troubled to Standard Performer). Operations also rely on RentCafe for online leasing and resident/landlord portals, KeyBank for utility reimbursement disbursement, and Constant Contact for email communications. Active development projects include Otto Veterans Square (82 veteran housing units in Chicago Heights, $30M), Sunrise Bergen (107-unit revitalization), South Blvd. (60 mixed-income units in Evanston), and Mt. Pisgah Apartments (33 affordable homes).

HACC's revenue model is entirely government-funded through HUD appropriations and tenant income-based rent contributions (typically 30-40% of monthly income). Major development projects are financed through syndicates of state (IHDA), county (Cook County Bureau of Economic Development), federal (FHLB Chicago), and private financial partners (NEF, BMO, Wintrust). Under Executive Director Danita W. Childers and Board President Wendy Walker Williams, the agency is executing a digital transformation, organizational restructuring, and development pipeline expansion.

Name

The Housing Authority of Cook County

Legal name

The Housing Authority of Cook County

Website

https://thehacc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Housing Authority of Cook County is a HUD-funded public housing authority, established 1946, serving 25,000+ low-income residents across 108 suburban Cook County communities through Housing Choice Vouchers and a 2,191-unit owned affordable housing portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Housing Assistance (HUD): HACC receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer public housing programs and housing choice vouchers. Revenue is government-allocated rather than commercially generated.
2. Tenant Rent Payments: Low-income residents pay rent based on income (typically 30-40% of monthly income), with the remainder subsidized through HUD programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Housing Authority of Cook County administers HUD-funded affordable housing programs and develops multi-family housing for low-income residents of suburban Cook County. Its core offerings include the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, Low-Income Public Housing, Project-Based Vouchers, and supportive programs such as Family Self-Sufficiency, Homeownership, and Community Choice. The agency owns 2,191 units across 24 developments, serving more than 25,000 residents in 108 suburban communities.

Product overview

The Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) operates as a portfolio of housing assistance programs and affordable housing developments. The core offerings include the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, Public Housing, and Project Based Voucher (PBV) programs, complemented by supportive services such as the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program, Homeownership Program, and Community Choice Program. HACC also develops and manages multi-family affordable housing properties including Otto Veterans Square (82-unit veterans housing in Chicago Heights), Sunrise Bergen (107-unit revitalization project in Chicago Heights), and South Blvd. (60-unit mixed-income development in Evanston). As of 2026, HACC owns 2,191 units across 24 developments, with 262 additional units under development at 5 sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program Federal rental assistance program funded by HUD that helps low-income households afford decent and safe rental housing by providing vouchers usable with participating landlords.
• Low-Income Public Housing HACC-owned residential units offering affordable housing for low-income residents of suburban Cook County, with rent set at approximately 30-40% of monthly income.
• Project Based Voucher (PBV) Rental assistance tied to specific housing units, where landlords commit a portion of their units to the program in exchange for long-term housing assistance payments.
• Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program Program designed to assist participants in improving their education and job skills for the purpose of becoming gainfully employed through additional education, job training, and career development.
• Homeownership Program Program allowing eligible HCV families to apply their vouchers toward mortgage payments, enabling potential first-time homeowners to achieve homeownership.
• Community Choice Program Program that helps families with vouchers move to Opportunity Areas, top performing neighborhoods in suburban Cook County, with security deposit grants of up to $500 for eligible participants.
• Otto Veterans Square 82-unit, four-story affordable housing development for veterans in Chicago Heights, Illinois, at 1440 Otto Boulevard on the former St. James Hospital site; includes exercise room, media room, walking paths, community garden beds, and parking for 82 vehicles including EV spaces.
• Sunrise Bergen Revitalization Project Urban revitalization project in Chicago Heights providing 107 affordable housing units for families at 30%-60% AMI, including new construction at 1310 Wentworth Avenue and rehabilitation of the existing Sunrise Apartments; features a community center and rooftop patio.
• South Blvd. Development Mixed-income housing development at 504-518 South Boulevard in Evanston, Illinois, with approximately 60 units available for households earning up to 80% AMI, located near CTA Purple Line station.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% improvement in HUD PHAS score (30 point increase)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026HODC led the Mt. Pisgah Apartments development in Evanston, creating 33 affordable homes for households earning below 60% of area median income, in partnership with HACC.
• Skender ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 May 2026Skender Construction served as the general contractor for the Mt. Pisgah Apartments mixed-use affordable housing development in Evanston.
• Mt. Pisgah MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Mt. Pisgah Ministries partnered through a land swap agreement enabling relocation to a new worship center while maintaining long-term affordable housing under HODC ownership at the church site.
• City of EvanstoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026City of Evanston partnered on the Mt. Pisgah Apartments development, transforming a church site at 1813 Church Street into residential units and commercial space.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73coreOthers · 17 February 2025SEIU Local 73 represents administrative and clerical employees as well as maintenance employees. HACC is in contract negotiations with the union representing its workforce.
• Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED)coreTechnology or Integration · 13 September 2024HED served as the design team for Otto Veterans Square, designing the 82-unit four-story veteran housing development in Chicago Heights.
• Alliance to End HomelessnesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2015HACC partnered with Alliance to End Homelessness to accept housing applications for Freedom Path housing community under the Hines VA Hospital program.
• Hines VA HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008HACC works in partnership with Hines VA Hospital for the VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) program, combining rental assistance with case management and clinical services.
• Brinshore DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHACC collaborated with Brinshore Development on the Sunrise Bergen Revitalization Project, a transformative initiative to preserve and expand affordable housing in Chicago Heights.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chicago Housing Authority: The municipal housing authority for the City of Chicago, HACC's closest geographic counterpart. Both agencies administer HUD-funded public housing and voucher programs in the same metropolitan region under different jurisdictional splits (CHA = City of Chicago; HACC = Suburban Cook County).
• Lake County Housing Authority (IL): Suburban-anchored Illinois PHA administering HCV and public housing programs just north of Cook County. Operates with the same HUD regulatory framework and is in HACC's competitive set for LIHTC allocations and state housing resources.
• New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA): The largest public housing authority in the United States. Operates under the same HUD PHA regulatory framework, administering public housing units and HCV programs, providing a benchmark for HACC's operational scale and PHAS performance standards.
• Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA): A large multi-county PHA administering tens of thousands of public housing and voucher units under HUD oversight. Directly comparable in mission, federal funding model, and tenant base to HACC.
• Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA): The county-level housing authority serving unincorporated LA County and participating cities. Closest analog to HACC's county-suburban position in a major metropolitan region, managing HCV and public housing portfolios of similar scale.
• King County Housing Authority: Suburban-anchored PHA serving the Greater Seattle metropolitan area. Comparable multi-jurisdiction county PHA model with mixed-income portfolio and HUD funding base.
• Houston Housing Authority: A major metropolitan PHA administering HCV and public housing programs under HUD oversight. Uses comparable government-entity operating structure and serves a similarly diverse low-income client base.

Broad incumbents

• Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA): State-level housing finance agency that administers federal LIHTC, bond financing, and HOME funds in Illinois. Active HACC partner (Otto Veterans Square financing) and broader incumbent in affordable housing capital deployment.

Others

• Brinshore Development: Affordable housing developer and HACC's co-development partner on the Sunrise Bergen Revitalization Project in Chicago Heights. Comparable developer in LIHTC-driven affordable pipeline work that complements HACC's operations.
• Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC): Mission-driven nonprofit affordable developer partnering with HACC on the Mt. Pisgah Apartments development in Evanston. Comparable to HACC in building subsidized rental housing and supportive services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thehacctweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/thehacc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housing-authority-of-the-county-of-cook
• Instagraminstagram.com/housingauthorityofcookcounty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Housing Authority of Cook County