Uptown just lost one of its last single-room-occupancy lifelines. By court order, the Northmere was vacated on Friday, leaving dozens of low-income residents suddenly displaced or scrambling for a place to land.
Tenants and advocates say the warning signs had been there for years: no heat during cold spells, leaking ceilings, collapsing tiles, roach infestations, and even bricks falling from the facade. City inspectors and a Cook County judge ultimately agreed the building was too dangerous to stay open.
The judge ordered all residents out by 10 a.m. Friday and put the Northmere into receivership under CNR Advisors LLC, according to Block Club Chicago. The receiver is offering $2,500 in relocation assistance per household, with $1,500 upfront and $1,000 upon move-out. The Department of Buildings has informed Block Club that relocation checks have already been issued.
Why The Northmere Was Emptied Out
Advocates and city officials say the closure follows years of failed inspections and hundreds of code violations that left the Northmere unsafe to live in. The 48th Ward office noted in a press release that the building had been placed into receivership and warned that its loss is part of a broader pattern: a 2024 University of Illinois Chicago study found nearly 40% of Chicago’s SRO stock has closed since 2014, according to the ward’s statement (48th Ward).
Tenants Race The Clock For New Housing
Roughly 70 people called the Northmere home before the court’s vacate order. Advocates say about 42 residents managed to move out before Friday’s deadline, but dozens were still scrambling for housing as the clock ran out.
Those who stayed the longest described a building where basic habitability was in question: no heat, heavy roach infestations, ceiling tiles giving way, leaks dripping onto stairways, and bricks dropping from the exterior. Some residents lack IDs, making it more difficult for them to cash their relocation checks, according to Block Club Chicago.
Legal Tangles Behind The Scenes
The building is held in a land trust, and succession questions that arose after a beneficiary died complicated the situation. With title and tax issues in limbo, a judge put a receiver in charge while the legal knots get worked out.
Bryan Higgins of the Uptown People’s Law Center has alleged that owner Ken Iscra continued to collect rent checks from tenants in recent months, despite the ongoing problems. Tenants and advocates say they want the city and the court to look into those claims, and the law center has been representing residents in related legal matters (Uptown People’s Law Center).
Fewer SROs, More Pressure On Uptown
Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth has warned that losing the Northmere will be “devastating for the community,” stressing that preserving what is left of Uptown’s affordable housing is critical, according to the 48th Ward office. Local organizers argue that without stronger tools and funding to preserve or subsidize SROs, more low-cost units will vanish and pressure on shelters and social services will keep mounting (48th Ward).
With two of the five remaining unsubsidized SROs in Uptown now closed or at risk, advocates say the city is running out of time to prevent further displacement. Tenant groups are pushing for long-term solutions and funding streams that keep the most affordable homes from disappearing altogether.
