Greetings from May! It’s hard to believe we’re already in the second quarter of 2026. Over the past few months, we’ve been busy meeting with community and government partners, donors, and volunteers across the city, sharing strategies to improve housing outcomes for renters through service and education.
Just last month, LCBH hosted our 2026 Town Hall, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance (RLTO). We were proud to offer two panels covering the history and impact of the RLTO, and the current efforts to ensure its utility for 40 years to come. You can still hear all the insights in the full recording linked here and on our YouTube channel. I think you’ll find it worth a watch!
We also joined forces with DePaul College of Law to host a community-based Eviction Sealing Clinic earlier this year! More than 50 volunteers helped tenants draft 63 motions to seal old eviction records, which can create a harmful barrier to future housing. We are so grateful for partnerships like these that allow us to increase our capacity to serve renters. Learn more about the impact of pro bono on law students and young attorneys from clinic co-sponsor and Director of the Pro Bono and the Community Service Initiative at DePaul, Elizabeth Boe, and DePaul Law Student, Finn Brent here.
Also in the community, we teamed up with Counter Stories Productions to host three screenings of “Evicting the American Dream,” which explores the impact of eviction on children and families in Dayton, Ohio. On May 1st, we were fortunate to host the documentary’s award-winning Director, David Barnhart, for a discussion in our office, where we highlighted the similarities between Dayton and Chicago prior to the pandemic, and the changes implemented by LCBH to make eviction court more equitable. You can watch the trailer here. If you’d like to host a screening for your friends, workplace, or church, contact LCBH’s Development and Communications Director, Allen Hailey, at [email protected] to learn more.