Springfield, Illinois — the Land of Lincoln — is supposed to be the heart of America. It’s a city that carries the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and everything he stood for: fairness, equality, and unity.
You’d think a place with that kind of history would lead the way in social justice and strong communities. But there’s something we’re not talking about enough — a housing crisis that’s punishing people for being poor, and a system that isn’t doing nearly enough to fix it.
One only has to walk in downtown Springfield to see all of the history for themselves. The monuments, the old buildings — this is where Lincoln lived, worked, and wrote his First Inaugural Address. A once powerful figure, in a city that he loved and grew up in. If he could see the city today, would he be proud of what it’s become? Honestly, I’m not so sure.
Abraham Lincoln knew what it meant to struggle — born into poverty, raised in hardship, and largely an autodidact who educated himself through sheer will and hard work. If he were alive today, would he accept that thousands of families in Springfield — the city that honors his name — have no stable place to call home?
According to the Springfield Housing Authority (SHA), more than 3,000 families in Sangamon County are currently on the waitlist for affordable housing, with no clear timeline for when their needs will be met. Over the past five years, the average rent in Springfield has surged by nearly 20%. I can personally relate — I pay $1,400 a month for a 3-bedroom, 1,300 sq. ft. apartment. This increase has far outpaced wage growth, which has consistently lagged behind inflation. What this means is simple: people are struggling to make ends meet, and affordable housing remains incredibly scarce.
Residents are often forced into expensive leases because they don’t qualify for mortgages, while the safer neighborhoods (mainly on the West side of Springfield) — those where families might hope to build a better life — are priced out of reach. This forces many into unsafe living environments, where conditions are often subpar and the stress of living paycheck to paycheck takes a toll on both physical and mental health.
Take Sandra, a single mother of two in Springfield. She’s been on the SHA waitlist for over a year while working two jobs. She can’t afford the rent in safer neighborhoods, so she stays in an area where she doesn’t feel safe letting her kids play outside.
So what can we do? First, affordable housing needs to be at the forefront of policy discussion.
Safe, affordable and accessible units in communities that provide access to quality schooling and affordable healthcare. Policy priorities that focus on housing as a fundamental human right—one that everyone, regardless of income, should have access to without fear of homelessness. Housing is a human right.
Expanding housing voucher programs is one critical step. When SHA is overwhelmed and underfunded, it’s up to lawmakers to step up. What this comes down to is public representatives pushing for more funding in the public housing sector to address chronic housing instability that plagues so many Springfield residents. Building a strong and more inclusive community within Springfield would prioritize people over profit—one that Lincoln may actually recognize as just.
If you want a community that thrives and is representative of all, and not just those privileged few, then it starts with us. Write to your local representatives and let them know that you want affordable housing as a top priority. Go to the Capitol building and request an audience with them.
The benefit of living in Springfield is that our representatives are only minutes away at any given time. Be the voice that won’t let this issue get pushed to the back burner.
As the Land of Lincoln, Springfield should be a beacon of justice and equality — just as it was in Lincoln’s time. Let’s make sure that when people think of Springfield, they don’t just think of history, but of a city that stands up for its people. Springfield should be a leader, not a follower — and that starts with you and me.
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