WBEZ/91.5 FM

To some people, the Cook County Annual Tax Sale is a necessary evil, raising revenue for school districts and local governments, but also putting the lowest-income and most vulnerable residents further into debt, WBEZ/91.5 FM reports.

Treasurer Maria Pappas has intensified efforts to reach homeowners who are at risk of having their taxes sold, the station finds.

Homeowners often make their way to the Treasurer’s Office with a stack of bills that they struggle to pay for utilities and other expenses.

“For a lot of people who come to this counter and lay out their receipts, $1,000 is $1 million to them,” Pappas said. “And they stand at the counter and they cry and they weep because their home is sacred to them.”

Listen and read the report.