Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance

05/28/2026

We are very proud of our colleague Andre Ruddock for sharing such a powerful and personal story with The TRiiBE, highlighting the realities many returning citizens face long after release. Your commitment to building community, restoring dignity, and creating pathways for successful reentry through (HB624) reflects what real community-driven solutions should look like: stable housing, wraparound support, and opportunities for people to rebuild their lives with hope and belonging. Click below to read more.
Kahunda Verteese

NEW — Nonprofit leader Andre Ruddock is advocating for Illinois lawmakers to pass Home for Good (HB624), legislation that would expand rental assistance, develop more reentry housing units, and create community-based organizations who can develop and operate reentry housing.

Spring session ends on May 31.

"Home for Good is community-driven and was crafted with input from formerly incarcerated people and housing providers who have identified flaws and gaps in the current system based on their own experience," Ruddock wrote.

Read the full piece: https://thetriibe.com/2026/05/perspective-home-for-good-will-create-for-others-the-community-i-needed/

05/21/2026

Know Your Rights Opportunity!

05/20/2026

Special thanks to Block Club Chicago for reporting on the subsidized housing crisis resulting from HUD's phasing out of the federal Emergency Housing Voucher Program. People who have to give up their emergency vouchers will go to the front of the line for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. More than 16,000 households are already on the CHA’s waitlist for those Section 8 vouchers. “I’ve been working on housing issues for almost 15 years now, and that number has not really changed a lot. It’s certainly never gone down. The waiting list is a very tangible measurement of how far behind we are.” - Adam Ballard, CAFHA Executive Director
Read more at the link below:

Thousands of people were already on the Chicago Housing Authority's waitlists when Congress failed to extend funding for an emergency voucher program. Families will now have to wait even longer for housing assistance, advocates say.

05/20/2026

As the feds back away from enforcement of fair housing and community reinvestment measures, state and local versions may grow more important.

04/23/2026

See you soon! There's still time to join us!

Please join CAFHA for a timely discussion on the Chicago Healthy Homes Ordinance! Just 3 weeks ago, the Chicago Healthy Homes Coalition celebrated the passage of the Proactive Rental Inspection Working Group Ordinance. What will this mean for Chicago's tenants, landlords and building inspectors? Register to learn more about the Coalition's longstanding efforts and what lies ahead.

Meeting Moderator: Adam Ballard, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance
Panelists:
Martin Cozzola, Impactforequity
Suni Kartha, Impactforequity
Gordon Dymowski, Metropolitan Tenants Organization
Sam Barth, Law Center for Better Housing

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6UZp2R64QcObistJX_po4A #/registration

04/23/2026

🎉👏Congratulations to Patricia Fron, Former Executive Director and Former Co-Executive Director of CAFHA, for earning the Fair Housing Good Trouble Award.
Thank you Patricia for all of your wonderful contributions to countless committees and campaigns!
Patricia will receive this award from S@south South Suburban Housing Center (SSHC) at their annual Fair Housing Month Reception: "Keys to Equity" next Wednesday 4/29/26. To learn more about the event, go to: https://southsuburbanhousingcenter.org/2026-keys-to-equity/

04/13/2026

Please join CAFHA for a timely discussion on the Chicago Healthy Homes Ordinance! Just 3 weeks ago, the Chicago Healthy Homes Coalition celebrated the passage of the Proactive Rental Inspection Working Group Ordinance. What will this mean for Chicago's tenants, landlords and building inspectors? Register to learn more about the Coalition's longstanding efforts and what lies ahead.

Meeting Moderator: Adam Ballard, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance
Panelists:
Martin Cozzola, Impactforequity
Suni Kartha, Impactforequity
Gordon Dymowski, Metropolitan Tenants Organization
Sam Barth, Law Center for Better Housing

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6UZp2R64QcObistJX_po4A #/registration

04/09/2026

More than smart policy, is a compassionate policy that fosters equity and opportunity for people returning from incarceration. Learn more: https://homeforgoodillinois.com

"I’m urging lawmakers to pass Home for Good, legislation that would create a comprehensive statewide strategy to improve housing and support services for people returning from prison," Bethany Little writes.

04/09/2026

Fair Housing Month provides an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to work on policies that promote equal access to housing and remain vigilant in responding to discrimination wherever we find it. Please consider attending the events listed below to learn more about various issues pertaining to housing justice and housing access.

4/9: National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) State and Local Tenant Protections Network Call
https://ow.ly/TNLS50YFfIq

4/10: Chicago Family Housing Community (CFHC) Housing Cooperative Virtual Info Session
https://linktr.ee/cfhc_coop?fbclid=IwY2xjawREtW1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeI7wK92l6zX7ICW0YlJZF3yYefUPPONfQNlZ63qSv9q4GZUFvF16hvSIkLHI_aem_J4lQl3Hso_Jhp2suv_QbWg

4/13: Cook County Assessor Alma Anaya Property Tax Exemption Event
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14Wa2rTBSsm/

4/15: Housing Choice Partners (HCP) Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Mobility Counseling Virtual Orientation Sessions
https://www.thecha.org/resident-programs-services/mobility-counseling-services-program

4/16: Open Communities Fair Housing Month Webinar
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17AHCi1rhe/

4/21: Open Communities Fair Housing & Disability Rights Presentation
https://mppl.libnet.info/event/15144277

4/23: Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Housing Resource
https://ctulocal1.org/housing

4/23: Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance (CAFHA) Virtual Meeting: Updates on the Chicago Healthy Homes Ordinance
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6UZp2R64QcObistJX_po4A #/registration

4/23: Housing Action Illinois (HAI) A Toast to Housing Justice Event
https://housingactionil.salsalabs.org/2026annu.../index.html

4/25: Housing Choice Partners (HCP) Fair Housing Resource Fair
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/housing-choice-partners-presents-hcv-fair-housing-resource-fair-tickets-1985771126896?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl&fbclid=IwY2xjawREtRdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFreER6Zk1vMTNTWGlNYVRJc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrFmZcTBE2X6shuysFrNr0FRlIdp_Rjc1IBZfhk7hcEkgpU7b0WzJDngBkc6_aem_M8jfSle2soXhZl7x9pDIqw

4/25: Open Communities Beyond the Redline Opening Event
https://www.open-communities.org/event-details/beyond-the-redline-opening-event?fbclid=IwY2xjawREt1NleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFreER6Zk1vMTNTWGlNYVRJc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkmvuOHpuh444OrThynWMZ5wsE_M36XgP2RzNYb7GlqWwFB1c8CjxKgJRkTv_aem_NK0EW6HVH8SJdQDMNSja4g

4/29: Cook County Bar Association CLE Program: "Protecting Access to Fair Housing: Racial Equity, Policy, and the Impact on Civil Rights Reform"
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1575816227877626&set=a.520335460092380

Take the Survey: The Illinois Housing Development Authority is leading a statewide housing planning effort this year: the Illinois Housing Blueprint. This community survey is now live and will help the planning team further understand the housing and development needs of your community. The survey is open to all current residents of Illinois, available in English and Spanish, and will take less than 15 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous, and results will only be presented in aggregate form. The survey can be found here: arcg.is/1qPjKP1.

04/09/2026

Across the country, families up and down the income ladder are being squeezed by rising costs, making it difficult to afford basic expenses like housing, hea…