Sendy Soto, a former official with the city’s Department of Housing and the co-chair of the housing committee in Johnson’s transition team, will take on the job next week. [WBEZ Chicago]

A leader in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transition team was named Chicago’s first-ever chief homelessness officer on Monday.

Sendy Soto, a former official with the city’s Department of Housing and the co-chair of Johnson’s housing transition committee, will assume the role next week.

“My ask to each of you is simple: Share your ideas and hold me accountable,” Soto said Monday during the re-opening of an affordable housing complex in the Gold Coast. She officially starts next week.

“It is an immense honor to undertake this vital role on your behalf and gaining and keeping your trust is important to me.”

Among her first tasks will be developing a five-year plan in partnership with other city agencies to address the city’s homelessness crisis. But Soto did not offer up any specifics on how she would handle the issue.

Johnson created the position in October. It is funded by a grant from the Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness.

Soto was a head of Johnson’s transition housing committee last year, which released a report during the summer that included recommendations for addressing and preventing homelessness. It set a goal of putting Chicago “on a path” to being a city “where housing is a human right,” though one of the steps — increase the real estate transfer tax and use the proceeds to address homelessness — was derailed when the Bring Chicago Home referendum was voted down last month.

More>