50 Years of Fighting for Fair Housing
Open Communities celebrates 50 years of fighting for fair housing on Chicago's North Shore. This post explains why and our future plans
top of page
About
ABOUT
Open Communities advocates for fair housing and fights discrimination. We also provide housing counseling services, including foreclosure and default counseling, financial coaching, rental counseling, pre-purchase and homeownership education, mediation and consultations, and community education programs to make our communities in Chicago's suburbs welcoming for everyone.
MISSION
We seek to eradicate housing discrimination, in all of its forms and against all persons, because of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, disability, familial status, or source of income.
96
Open Communities has handled 96 complaints of housing discrimination
105
Conducted 105 fair housing testing investigations
289
Assisted over 289 families prevent foreclosure
Since 2018:
PROTECTED CLASSES
Programs
Housing discrimination is illegal under many different laws, including federal, state and local laws. If a person falls into one of the protected classes, certain housing related actions taken against them may be considered discrimination.
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Our fair housing and Certified HUD Housing Counseling programs are provided free of charge in Chicago's Suburbs.
HOUSING COUNSELING & EDUCATION
Our Housing Counseling department works to help families stay in their homes, stabilize housing, and educate the community about housing rights and services. We do this through Housing Mediation, Consultations, Foreclosure and Default Counseling, Rental Counseling, Financial Coaching, Older Person Counseling, AND Pre-Purchase and Post Purchase Counseling.
FAIR HOUSING TESTING & ENFORCEMENT
Open Communities can investigate the allegations of discrimination through fair housing testing. And as a private enforcer of the fair housing laws, we can choose how to enforce fair housing laws when it does uncover evidence of discrimination.
Volunteer
GIVE
We cannot do this work without you. Please join us by supporting our efforts to provide resources and information to empower clients to move from participants to advocates to fight unlawful housing discrimination and stay in their homes.
bottom of page