» Links to Resources

Check out our 6-page Resource Guide developed in 2008 with readings and referrals for learners of all ages. This compilation lists children’s books, adult non-fiction, journals, community organizations, videos that teach about housing justice and living in diverse neighborhoods.

Fair Housing:

• HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity which enforces the Fair Housing Act. This site provides information on the Act and an on-line discrimination complaint form.
• The Illinois Department of Human Rights administers the Illinois Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, credit, public access and education.
• The Illinois Fair Housing Network provides an extensive list of fair housing resources.
• List of disability assistance agencies and offices that provide information and services in Illinois.
• The Bazelon Center for Mental Health has created fact sheets on housing issues for people with mental disabilities.
• The Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance is an alliance of organizations in the Chicago area that strive to eliminate discrimination and harassment, and work to promote racial diversity and fair housing.

Affordable Housing Advocacy:

• The Illinois Housing Development Authority is responsible for increasing Illinois' affordable housing stock; includes homebuyer re sources and a few resources for renters.
• The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated to ending the affordable housing crisis.
• Housing Action Illinois (formerly Statewide Housing Action Coalition) works to increase and preserve the supply of affordable, accessible housing in Illinois.
• The National Housing Conference is an advocacy for affordable housing, operating at the national level to conduct and publicize research on housing policies and issues related to affordable housing.
• List of private housing agencies that service Illinois.
• Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI) seeks to increase the supply of affordable housing for moderate- to very low-income families, with a priority on broadly dispersing such housing throughout the region and integrating it with market-rate housing in healthy communities.
• HousingMatters.net mobilizes support for quality, fair, accessible, affordable housing in Illinois. Provides periodic action alerts and a quick way to send e-mails to elected officials.

Governmental:

• HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, which is a rich source of housing information and resources, including information on housing laws and the rights of homebuyers and tenants.
• List of local government agencies that have an interest in housing.

Community Resources:

• Senior Resource is the "E-cyclopedia" of housing options and information for retirement, finance, insurance and care options.
• Greater Chicago Housing and Community Development provides a wealth of information about the housing environment in Chicago and other communities throughout the region.
• Help is phone call, Internet search away: Determining where to get help is first step in the Chicago Tribune (February 10, 2008) provides a comprehensive set of organizational contacts for older adults with housing concerns in the Chicago area.

Homesharing:

• National Shared Housing Resource Center provides resources for setting up homesharing arrangements in every region of the U.S.

Tenant Rights:

• The Metropolitan Tenants Organization operates a tenants rights hotline, trains community-based organizations, organize buildings and participates in affordable housing advocacy campaigns.
• Prairie State Legal Services offers free legal services for seniors and low income persons.
• Illinois Legal Aid has a form in which you can enter a question related to legal issues, such as housing discrimination, landlord/tenant disputes, or predatory lending.

Predatory Lending:

• Housing counseling agencies outside the northern suburbs.
• Special alert about predatory loans and mortgages from Ocwen, CitiFinancial and Fairbanks.
• National Training and Information Center has compiled a list of predatory lending practices.
• Tips from AARP on how to avoid bad loans.
• ACORN has a campaign to prevent predatory lending.
• The Center for Responsible Lending provides comprehensive information on predatory lending practices.

Back to Top

Web site designed by Karleen Stevens McAllester