The city of DeKalb is putting together plans with NIU officials to gather housing data for the community. The research project would include information on factors such as foreclosures, vacancy rates, and code compliance. Bill Nicklas is NIU’s associate vice president for institutional planning and sustainability. He says the university is always concerned about the safety and quality of housing in DeKalb.
"Our students, faculty, and staff make up a big part of the residents of the city of DeKalb. So this sounds like a good, objective way to begin further discussions about some possible policy changes in the direction of higher quality, and more expectations in terms of property maintenance and so forth."
The research would be gathered by N-I-U's Center for Governmental Studies. The plan still needs to be considered by the DeKalb City Council which meets Monday, April 9th. The proposal coincides with ongoing efforts by the city's safe housing task force.