“Donna,” a Chicago Public Schools teacher, had lived in her Logan Square apartment for more than a decade when she learned that her landlord’s adult children were selling her building.
“I was close with this family for a very long time, almost 15 years. I was told by them more than once, that the house would never be sold or given to another landlord,” Donna said. “So, you can imagine my surprise when they texted me to leave my door unlocked so a photographer could take photos of my unit. When I confronted them about it, they confessed they were selling my building.”
As a young teacher, Donna considered herself lucky to find a well-maintained, affordable unit right down the street from her school—a feeling that continued over the next decade as her landlord kept her rent relatively the same, despite skyrocketing rents across Logan Square.
“I really built my own community, both professional and social in my neighborhood. I knew all of my neighbors despite how gentrified my street had become. All of us were very working-class people. One of the tenants is an adjunct professor and a student himself. Another one was a server in a restaurant,” Donna said. “None of us had saved money for this. None of us expected it. I can’t express enough how much it came out of the blue.”
A few days after learning her building would be sold, one of her landlord’s children came to Donna’s unit and asked her to sign a moveout agreement stating if she left within 30 days, they would give her $500. Having done some research into her rights, Donna knew her landlord was legally obligated to give her four months’ notice, so she refused to sign. As soon as they left, she started rallying her neighbors to form a tenant’s union.
“I immediately warned my neighbors downstairs and, from that point on, if they wanted to meet with any of us, they would meet with all of us. I also got in touch with Chicago Union of Tenants (CUT) and Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO). They referred us to Sam at LCBH,” Donna said.
LCBH Supervisory Attorney, Sam Barth, supports renters in building‑wide cases with community organizers and tenant groups where they address repairs, mass evictions, and tenant unionization. When needed, he represents tenants in building and eviction court to help them achieve fairer outcomes.
“LCBH was highly recommended and I was immediately relieved to have someone to talk to,” Donna said. “At first, Sam gave us some basic guidance, but as things became more tense and serious with our landlord and his attorneys, Sam took our case. I’m so appreciative of him.”
Donna and other union members met with Sam and a representative from CUT to review their options. When it was clear that the building would be sold and demolished within a few months, they worked with Sam to make the transition easier by demanding money and extra time to move out.
“Our landlord started threatening to evict us, but thanks to Sam, we had the confidence to pursue our needs. We were able to fully trust everyone we spoke with right away. Everyone’s demeanor was so calm and confident, and everyone, including Sam, had so much experience that I knew that this was going to get handled,” Donna said.
After a few months of negotiation between Sam and the landlord’s attorney, Donna and the other remaining tenant in her building each got $4,600 toward their moves and an additional 60 days in their units. Today, she’s living in a new Logan Square apartment, and hopes warm weather will help her meet her new neighbors and begin rebuilding her community.
“Though we couldn’t ultimately stay in our building, we knew we could trust Sam to try his best to get the best outcome possible. I never had any doubt that we were represented in the best way possible, that really provided my neighbor and I peace and confidence as we went through this,” Donna said.