The Chicago Housing Authority is planning to move all residents who live in a low-rise development on the city’s Southwest Side. The residents have fought those changes.

LeClaire Courts is sparsely populated so to save money the Chicago Housing Authority plans to give residents vouchers to live elsewhere.

But there are no redevelopment plans for LeClaire Courts. According to CHA documents, the low rises aren’t scheduled for any changes until 2012.

Charles Hillman is the housing authority’s senior vice president for asset management.

HILLMAN: Once we vacate a property, we definitely are responsible for securing the property to ensure it’s not a blight to the surrounding community. So we will definitely take every effort to make sure that it’s appropriately secured and maintained until such time as redevelopment activities begin.

But many residents are scratching their heads because they didn’t expect to be forced out so soon. They could be gone by year’s end.