Two Chicago Housing Authority commissioners voted today against renewing a contract with an agency-affiliated nonprofit, saying that while its aims were worthy, it needed a clearer plan for accomplishing them.

Their view did not prevail. The board decided 7-2 to extend until Dec. 31 a $216,000 contract with Windows of Opportunity. The organization connects public housing residents to an array of  opportunities throughout the city.

The commissioners who voted against the resolution think the nonprofit should be self-supporting, and it’s not, says Robert Whitfield, attorney for the Central Advisory Council, which represents all public housing residents.

The split vote was a rarity for the board, which usually passes all resolutions unanimously. Whitfield says it was the first time he could recall the board disagreeing in public since the Plan for Transformation began in 1999.

Since January 2006 the CHA has given Windows of Opportunity almost $764,000, including the latest allotment.

"I clearly support the mission of Windows," said Commissioner Bridget O'Keefe at this morning's meeting. "I am not comfortable that they have a plan in place to adequately move the mission forward."

Commissioner Carlos Ponce joined O'Keefe in voting against the resolution, saying he wanted the nonprofit to produce "a more complete strategic plan," to provide more information on its future direction.

Commissioner Samuel Mendenhall said that while the nonprofit was “not perfect,” the CHA would “work with them to work out the kinks.”

Representatives of the nonprofit could not be reached for comment today.

Windows of Opportunity began in 1989 as a way for donors to make tax deductible contributions to the CHA, Whitfield says. It offers college scholarships, exposes children to classical music, funds Little League teams and has trained residents to manage their own buildings.

The nonprofit is closely tied to the housing agency, locating its staff in the same building at 60 E. Van Buren St. where the agency has its office.

The extension the board approved specifies that before the contract expires, "recommendations will be made regarding CHA's future funding, structure and role of Windows of Opportunity."

CHA will pay out the $216,000 it has earmarked as the nonprofit proves it is meeting fundraising and fiscal management benchmarks. The contract also requires that Windows of Opportunity start making quarterly reports on their progress toward those benchmarks.

"If Windows fails to meet the criteria above and specified in the Plan (for Transformation), funding may be withheld by the CHA at its discretion," the meeting agenda says.

In other business:

• The period to apply to the housing voucher wait list ended Thursday. CHA received 215,000 applications for the 40,000 slots, says CEO Lewis Jordan. Applicants will receive a letter by July 15 telling them if they made the list.
• The board agreed to pay the Chicago Police Department $6 million for supplemental police services around public housing developments. The housing agency began contracting with the police department in 1999 after it disbanded its own police force.
• The CHA helped almost 1,000 people pay off their electricity bills with a new program called AllClear. Residents paid half their outstanding balance, and CHA and ComEd matched the payment. About 40 percent of those eligible participated, Jordan says.

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