Greetings from 2026!
Working at LCBH, the importance of safe and stable housing is always on my mind. But, during weeks like these, when the temperatures dip well below zero, it becomes impossible to ignore just how essential our work is for neighbors facing displacement due to eviction.
In 2025, LCBH served more 17,000 renters at every phase of the eviction process by equipping them with tools to address unsafe housing conditions, defending their rights, and advancing policies that expand access to justice. I’m proud to say that through this work, 65% of clients who received extended legal services avoided displacement, meaning thousands more renters are safe and stably housed this winter. You can read more about our work in our 2025 Impact Report here.
One LCBH renter, Emily, shared that she had experienced homelessness before, and, after receiving a five-day eviction notice from her landlord last winter, she feared she’d find herself displaced again amid the frigid January weather.
After living in her Irving Park apartment for nearly seven years, Emily lost her job and fell behind on rent for the first time. Determined to stabilize her housing, Emily tried to negotiate a payment plan on her own. When her landlord refused to cooperate, she connected with LCBH through the Early Resolution Program. With an advocate by her side in eviction court, Emily presented proof of her rent payments and documented conversations with her landlord. As a result, her case was dismissed and sealed, allowing her to remain stably housed or avoid becoming homeless. You can read more of Emily’s story here.
This work matters far beyond individual displacement, too. Nearly 20,000 evictions are filed in Chicago each year, and studies show that as evictions rates increase, so do rates of homelessness, contributing to cycles of poverty, adverse health issues, learning delays among children, and more. Recently, a Chicago Sun-Times article highlighted new research found that higher eviction rates were also associated with increased gun violence in Chicago, underscoring what we see every day: when housing is destabilized, people and communities are too. You can read the article and find the link to the entire report here.
Preventing eviction isn’t just about keeping people housed; it’s about disrupting cycles of harm and building safer, more resilient communities. Thank you for standing with Chicago renters, and for helping make stability possible, even in the coldest moments.