LCBH works to provide early warning foreclosure data to our community partners on newly filed foreclosure cases in order to help assist in keeping renters in their home and keeping buildings operational as affordable housing. As the landscape of foreclosure has changed and new laws have been enacted that provide stronger renter protections, the data most needed now by community organizers is foreclosure sales data.
Foreclosure sales data will enable organizers and tenant advocates to conduct targeted door-knocking and other outreach plans throughout Chicago, particularly related to the enforcement of the Keep Chicago Renting Ordinance (KCRO). The protections under the KCRO begin at the point of the confirmation of sale in the foreclosure court case; therefore, the new data will only show properties where there has been a foreclosure sale that has also been confirmed by the court.
LCBH hosted two trainings last month, at which organizers and tenant advocates gained access to the new foreclosure sales data, learned how it works, and had a dataset created and customized to their specific geographic needs. In addition to learning how to access the data, LCBH staff gave a presentation on the laws that affect tenants in foreclosure in the City of Chicago, so that organizers will be best equipped to leverage the new information as effectively as possible in their work.
