Mask mandates may began lifting in the State of Illinois, but the lingering pandemic has brought about a crisis in housing, according to Catholic Charities, creating an increase in the number of families in need of housing and a decrease in the number of rental units available.

“Right now, the biggest challenge is for housing. This was a pattern that started developing very early in the pandemic,” according to Maggie Snow, director of communications for Joliet Catholic Charities.

“We started to see the number of rental units decline as property owners began to sell their properties in the midst of the expanding housing market. That created a dramatic decrease in the number of houses and apartments for rent. We have far more families who need housing than we have units available for them to live in.”

Increases in food and energy costs, while having some impact, have created less of a crunch. “Gov. Pritzker has increase assistance to families for food and other basic necessities, so we’re not seeing as much of a need for that in terms of assistance. Overall, the real need is for more housing.”