program specialist

associate general counsel

project manager

financial analyst

compliance officer

Chicago Housing Authority

The Chicago Housing Authority is not your average corporate America job.  Every day you learn something new and you utilize all of your educational and on-the-job skill sets to enhance your life as an employee and the lives of our residents.  The people that work for the CHA have a passion and have embraced the mission for betterment of the lives of the residents in which they/we serve.  Everyday, we try and make a difference one life at  time!  The part of the job that is most challenging is dealing with the style and change of middle & upper management in the culture, environment, and direction of the organization.  If you have never worked for a government agency in the Chicagoland area before and are not familiar with the brand of politics, it is very difficult to navigate through the different channels for career advancement which directly effects your daily job performance.  The most enjoyable part of the job is the flexibility, the exposure to new challenges daily, and the ability to service and see the rewards for the low or very low-income challenged population that requires our assistance, knowledge, and ability to serve them for survival.  Making their communities safer by enriching the lives of the residents we service through programs, and rehabbed housing.  It has made their lives much more enjoyable-just like living in communities with market rate real estate opportunities.

The environment is very relaxed, but also very serious.  Everybody knows when it is appropriate to talk and when it is not. 

A typical day is just coming in and looking over the documents and identifying what is missing or what needs to be updated. Co-workers might come to ask for assistance with a special project and I would help with that. The management is also very helpful and my supervisor is always there for me when I need her. 

The hardest part of the job is just learning all of the terms and what the documents. mean. It is also very detail orientated. For example, I could be uploading a document and at the end find that the online statement is not balanced. A small error in uploading and typing in information could result in the numbers being off/not accurate. 

On the other hand, the most enjoyably part of the job was just the people, the environment, and the work life balance.

TYPICAL DAYS WERE A CONTINUATION OF DIFFERENT ROUTINE ASSIGNED TASKS, AND FORMAL DUTIES TO THE OFFICE ATTORNEYS, AND AS AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL COUNSEL.  THROUGHOUT MY WORKING CAREER WITH CHA (CHGO HOUSING AUTHORITY) WHAT WAS PARAMOUNT WAS HOW TO WORK WITH THE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES THAT EXISTED PROFESSIONALLY.  THAT BECAME A LEARNING EXPERIENCE WHICH PROVE TO ENHANCE MY "PEOPLE" SKILLS.   YET, AT THE SAME TIME IT COULD BE VERY TRYING TO PLEASE ALL THE PERSONALITY TYPES IN SOME FORM OF DELIVERYING THE BEST POSSIBLE WORK PRODUCT TO THEIR LIKING.   NOT ALL ATTORNEYS APPRECIATE AND ARE AWARE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN HOW PROCESSING CAN AFFECT THEIR WORK PRODUCT AND OUTCOME.  NEVERTHELESS, WE ALL ENJOYED THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES FROM HARD AND TENACOUS WORK, THAT RENDERED GREAT PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES.

If you are not part of the clique, they let you know. Promotions are based on who is in the clique, not who is qualified. Nepotism is high here. Most people got their jobs because they are related to someone else. 95% of the people do not do their job and they will call on the few who do, to assist the lazy people. If you are part of the racial group that is not a majority here, it is seen as ok to discriminate against you. Also, they look the other way when clients are breaking the law and cheating the system. Those who work hard and are qualified are frowned upon and segregated from the group until they are needed to do the work of those napping, watching videos, showing up late, taking extended lunches/breaks or just not showing up for work.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Production, Endurance, Stability, Integrity, Positivity, Support & Success.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working during the Pandemic, whereas some clients were uncomfortable, uncertain, uncooperative or unresponsive.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There was a positive work environment together with positive energy.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
All of the Seniors and their families, Medical Professionals as well as Visitors loved me and were very welcoming.  It was a Joy working at The Chicago Housing Authority.

The environment in which i work is a rapidly changing one. It is often very diffult for those whom are slower to keep up. I am a fast efficiently fast paced worker. I value the fact that my job allows for new knowledge and room for growth as far as the job knowledge is concerned. We have a really heavy case load depending on the season. Normally during the summer the moves rapidly increase, which in turn makes me work harder. One of my favorite quotes is "Success only comes before work in the dictionary." I live by that quote.

Non-stop productivity in assisting to meet goals and deadlines in the best interest of the Chicago Housing Authority and it's clients.
You learn to prioritize in getting the job done and to work smarter while working together for improvements while also attending on the job trainings.
The hardest part of the job is when you are in doubt and do not ask questions to better serve in the population.
The most enjoyable part of the day is the end of the work day when goals are met and completed while preparing for the following day.

A typical day at work was just like any company, you work to accomplish something. Being an inspector was great liked assisting into nice safe homes. although I like being and inspector, the Family Self Sufficiency program was the best because I actually helped people in their lives. I miss doing that.
I learned how to appreciate people of different cultures
Management was great, like anything needed some work
Co-workers were the best.
Most difficult part was leaving the company
My clients and co-workers was the enjoyable part of the job, every time I helped a client it was the best.

This was a challenging job to say the least.Upon arriving in the morning @ a central location each two man team was issued two way radios & a list of elevators that were down.Each team consisted of a mechanic & assistant.After restoring the outtages we started on the maintenance of the elevators.If we received a call for an outtage we had to stop & restore that outtage.These were crime ridden CHA high rises & low rises.I worked the night shift & day shift.I relied on God to protect me from harm.

A typical day at work is a  full day of work orders for residential clients from water leaks to furnace problems.  I learn to be a team player and leader, besides other necessary maintenance and preventive maintenances. Management is respectful, of the employees, all co-workers carry themselves professionally. The hardest part of the job but not impossible are the on call week, because I am on call for emergency maintenance for the residents after work for all hours after evening, late night and early morning for a week once a month. The most enjoyable part of the job is getting the work done for the residents.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Program specialist 3 salaries reported	$70,833 per year
Associate general counsel 4 salaries reported	$105,483 per year
Project manager 3 salaries reported	$84,167 per year
Financial analyst 6 salaries reported	$82,500 per year
Compliance officer 3 salaries reported	$75,833 per year

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