Programs
LCBH believes that all persons have a right to safe, decent, and affordable housing on a non-discriminatory basis. To that end, LCBH promotes the availability of and access to such housing and supports low and moderate-income households in Chicago through legal representation, individual and public advocacy, supportive services, education and innovative programming.
TAP works with tenants whose problems with their landlords are not yet in eviction court. Its goal is to resolve tenant landlord conflicts over code and ordinance violations, and emergency situations such as lockouts and utility shutoffs, if possible without litigation. Last year, our Tenant Advocacy Project, aided by volunteers, served 1504 renters with housing issues by providing valuable information and negotiating with landlords on behalf of clients.
ATTORNEY OF THE DAY EVICTION DEFENSE PROJECT (AOD)
The AOD Project provides no cost legal services to low-income families facing eviction and would otherwise have no legal representation. When tenants are not represented by an attorney, they are evicted 95% of the time on their first court date. Last year, our Attorney of the Day Program provided eviction defense for 300 families and recovered over $650,000 in waived rent and damages for our clients.
TENANTS IN FORECLOSURE PROJECT (TFIP)
TFIP assists the innocent and often unseen victims of Chicago’s current foreclosure crisis – tenants living and renting in foreclosed buildings. TFIP provides information to tenants regarding their rights during foreclosure and aids in the preservation of affordable housing throughout Chicago. Last year, our Tenants in Foreclosure Intervention Project served 493 renters facing foreclosure, held 68 workshops with 1,271 people in attendance and distributed over 4,000 foreclosure brochures.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRESERVATION PROGRAM (AHPP)
AHPP works to maintain the supply of safe, decent and affordable rental housing by providing legal assistance to tenant groups living in unsafe building conditions. This is accomplished by informing tenants of their rights, negotiating with landlords and representing tenants in court or administrative hearings. Last year, our Affordable Housing Preservation Project improved 1744 rental units affected by deterioration and foreclosure.
LCBH’s Fair Housing work includes representing clients in housing discrimination cases and heading up the Fair Housing Education Consortium, funded by the Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development to provide fair housing training to landlords, tenants and the general public. Last year, as part of the Fair Housing Education Consortium, LCBH provided 48 fair housing trainings and drew in over 700 attendees, including renters and landlords alike.
LCBH provides supportive services to our most vulnerable legal client families by helping them create a comprehensive plan to move from crisis to adequate housing, employment and financial stability. Supportive Services assists clients in this process by connecting them with the specific resources that can enable them to reach their goals and stabilize housing beyond the short term. Last year, our Supportive Services Department worked to stabilize the homes of over 100 of our most vulnerable clients by assisting in the search for new housing and other essential services.
To read more about each of our programs, hover your cursor over the program button on the navigation bar for the drop down menu.
