On Saturday, September 13th, 2025, Open Communities gathered with community partners and neighbors near the Evanston Ecology Center for our second annual Walk the Redline event. This event is held each year to raise awareness, funds, and activation for housing justice in Northern Cook County.

A partnership between CPAH, Open Communities, and the City of Evanston creates a Community Land Trust and transforms a long-vacant property into perpetually affordable housing for the future.

Open Communities supports zoning reform as one step on the long road to fair and abundant housing for our communities.

Learn common myths and facts about homebuying and how a HUD certified housing counselor can help you.

A Fair Housing Associate shares her experience of the 2024 National Fair Housing Alliance Conference in Washington DC.

See how the historic discriminatory practice of redlining created segregation and still impacts us. Learn ways to take action for change.

"Crime-free" and nuisance ordinances harm communities. See why we're advocating for the Community Safety Through Stable Homes Act instead.

In the intricate landscape of fair housing, testing is a tool in the fight against discrimination. Let’s try to demystify the world of testing through the exploration of its process, the advocacy and enforcement that it supports, and the challenges that come with it. Testing 101      Testing in fair housing is not just the investigation itself; it's a controlled process involving individuals posing as prospective home-seekers. The Department of Justice defines testing as, “t

We are encouraged by the advocacy and leadership of high school students in our Chicago Northshore communities. New Trier High School and Evanston Township High School students are learning about and advocating for solutions to existing housing and economic inequities. New Trier students are attending meetings to advocate for mixed-income housing in their towns: Kenilworth, Glencoe, Wilmette, Northfield, and Winnetka. Village officials, town trustees, commissioners, and comm

What do inclusive communities mean to you? How can we ensure our communities are genuinely open to all? At Open Communities, we know one critical component for inclusivity is the ability for everyone to access housing without the fear or barrier of discrimination. September 15-October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month , when we celebrate the history and culture of Latine and Hispanic communities in the U.S. Unfortunately, rather than being celebrated, some Latine renters and ho

The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination due to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. What you don't see on that list but what we see at Open Communities is discrimination against age. Fortunately for our clients, we serve Illinois, and the Illinois Human Rights Act extends federal housing protections to include age (defined as 40 and over). Many of the age-related housing discrimination calls we get are disability-

July is Disability Pride Month, celebrating the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, 33 years ago. On July 26, 1990, Congress passed the ADA with bipartisan support that we cannot even imagine today. House support included 248 Democrats, 155 Republicans, and nine not voting. The Senate had 44 Democrats, 32 Republicans, and 16 not voting in support of the ADA. The Disability Pride Flag A Brief Hi

June is Pride Month , and June 28th is Pride Day in honor of the first Pride march in 1970 in New York City. Fifty-three years later, we still see things like this in the housing context: A same-sex couple asks a realtor to see rental units throughout the city but is only shown rental units in a part of the city known for having many LGBTQ residents.* The leasing manager at a 55+ community rejected a male tenant's request to add his same-sex partner to his lease stating, in w

On Tuesday, May 22, we will be at the Evanston City Council meeting “All Inn” in support of the work Connections for the Homeless is doing at the Margarita Inn . The fight for fair housing is intrinsically linked to the fight for housing solutions for all . We are proud of the work that our partner, Connections for the Homeless, is doing through their Housing First shelter program at the Margarita Inn. Housing first models like the Margarita Inn are proven best practices . L

April is National Fair Housing Month. This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Unfortunately, housing discrimination continues today. It is a persistent problem in Chicago's north and northwest suburbs and across the country. For Fair Housing Month, we asked our Board members why fair housing matters to them and why it should matter to

April is National Fair Housing Month, a time to celebrate the passage of the Fair Housing Act signed 55 years ago on April 11, 1968. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, and familial status. We have several workshops and events scheduled throughout the month. Read below to learn how you can participate in our National Fair Housing Month ac

This year, Evanston's City Council is considering ways to upgrade the current RLTO, the Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance. The RLTO is the law that sets the fundamental rights and responsibilities for both landlords and tenants in Evanston. It establishes rules such as: the amount landlords can charge for security deposits what they can and cannot write in their leases how much notice landlords must give for rent increases or non-renewals of someone's lease which repai

Recently we were excited to see the White House release its Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights to promote fair housing for renters. The administration collected input from people around the country over six months. The participants included tenants, housing providers, legal associations, and advocates. They held listening sessions, roundtable discussions, and stakeholder meetings across the United States. "Over 44 million households, or roughly 35 percent of the U.S. pop

Open Communities celebrates 50 years of fighting for fair housing on Chicago's North Shore. This post explains why and our future plans

Redlining still exists - but now it is digital redlining. What is digital redlining, and how is Open Communities fighting it?