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

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

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

Learn about Cook County's Just Housing Amendment (JHA) and how it impacts housing providers and people with criminal records.

Open Communities is part of a settlement with Redfin, expanding access to real estate services in communities of color.

One of our newer housing counselors, Kayla Williams, explains what a housing counselor does, how she found her way to Open Communities,...

How Open Communities plans to enforce fair housing laws in 2022. Written by Fair Housing Department Director Chris Riehlmann.

Open Communities & Connections for the Homeless are partnering on an eviction prevention program.

The Open Communities staff gathered in person for the first time in many months, thanks to Covid-19, to make plans for the coming year.

Open Communities offers steps to take if you are facing eviction.