Get Help With Housing

If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, please visit this page.

ILHousingSearch.org, developed by the Illinois Housing Development Authority and other state agencies, provides detailed information about rental properties and helps people find housing to best fit their needs.

HUD Resource Locator is a map-based tool to connect with building managers, public housing authority representatives, and property management companies to inquire about housing availability and other housing-related questions.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development—Rental Housing in Illinois: Subsidized Housing, Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and other information.

Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA)

City of Chicago-Affordable Rental Housing Resource List

The Chicago Housing Authority: Housing Choice Voucher Program and Public Housing

USDA Housing Programs Illinois (rural areas only)

Map-based search for USDA affordable rental housing in rural areas

The Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCIL): A coalition of local Centers for Independent Living (CILs) that work with people who have disabilities. Click on the “Center Locations” link to find your local CIL.

Community Action Agencies don’t provide actual housing, but do provide a wealth of housing-related social services, such utility assistance, homelessness prevention and housing counseling. To find the Community Action Agency in your county visit the State of Illinois list of these agencies.

IllinoisLegalAid.org provides lower-income and vulnerable Illinois residents with information about their legal rights and responsibilities, referrals to free and low cost legal aid offices, multimedia training and education, and forms and instructions for representing themselves. They also run Legal Answers, a virtual walk-in clinic where you can get answers to your legal questions for free from volunteer attorneys.

Rentervention.com is a free resource for Chicago renters to help diagnose their legal issues, understand their rights, and choose the best option for solving their problem.

Metropolitan Tenants Organization offers online, telephone hotline and organizing support for tenants in Chicago to exercise their human right to affordable and safe housing.

Find a Housing Counselor through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): Housing counselors throughout the country can provide advice on buying a home, renting, defaults, foreclosures, and credit issues. Using this site, you can find one near you. The counseling agencies on this list are approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and can offer independent advice about whether a particular set of mortgage loan terms is a good fit based on your objectives and circumstances, often at little or no cost to you.

HomeSales.gov provides current information about single-family homes for sale by the U.S. Federal Government. These previously owned homes are for sale by public auction or other method depending on the property.

Illinois Housing Development Authority

City of Chicago: Affordable Chicago Initiative

USDA Housing Programs Illinois

Community Action Agencies don’t provide actual housing, but do provide a wealth of housing-related social services, such utility assistance, homelessness prevention and housing counseling. To find the Community Action Agency in your county visit the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies website and click on “Members.”

IllinoisLegalAid.org provides lower-income and vulnerable Illinois residents with information about their legal rights and responsibilities, referrals to free and low cost legal aid offices, multimedia training and education, and forms and instructions for representing themselves. They also run Legal Answers, a virtual walk-in clinic where you can get answers to your legal questions for free from volunteer attorneys.

Consumer Information on Reverse Mortgages: This consumer education information from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General can help when deciding whether a reverse mortgage makes sense for you. It’s important to fully understand the terms of the loan and what other options you might have.

If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, please visit this page.

Illinois Housing Development Authority: Saving My Home brings together the services and resources of various state agencies and qualified participating non-profit agencies to help you identify resources that could help you keep your home.

IllinoisLegalAid.org provides lower-income and vulnerable Illinois residents with information about their legal rights and responsibilities, referrals to free and low cost legal aid offices, multimedia training and education, and forms and instructions for representing themselves. They also run Legal Answers, a virtual walk-in clinic where you can get answers to your legal questions for free from volunteer attorneys.

HOPE Hotline: Find a Housing Counselor. Homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payment can call the HOPE HOTLINE at 1.888.995.HOPE(4673) or contact one of the many HUD-certified housing counseling agencies throughout the state. Chicago residents may call 311 to be connected to a local housing counseling agency.

Making Home Affordable is the federal government website for consumers seeking information about the Making Home Affordable loan modification and refinancing program.  The website includes information about program eligibility, how to determine if your loan is owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, how to find a HUD-certified housing counseling agency and other resources.

Circuit Court of Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program (Now Closed): The Circuit Court of Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program was an unprecedented partnership between the Circuit Court of Cook County and several state and local organizations who assist Cook County homeowners who have mortgages in foreclosure. The program has come to a close and is no longer accepting appointments. If you are a homeowner looking for foreclosure prevention assistance, contact a housing counselor to help you understand what options are available to you. To find legal aid resources for homeowners in foreclosure in Cook County, visit here.

Consumer Fraud Bureau is responsible for handling a broad spectrum of consumer protection activities. Its focus is to protect Illinois residents from fraudulent or dishonest business practices. It engages in investigations of possible fraud or deception and, when appropriate, files enforcement actions in state or federal court. Some examples of types of businesses the Consumer Fraud Bureau investigates are: home repair companies, auto dealers, mortgage and payday lenders, student loan and mortgage servicers, immigration consultants, and drug companies. In addition to litigation, the Consumer Fraud Bureau also drafts legislation, comments on proposed rules and legislation, and follows emerging consumer problems and issues.

People can file a complaint here. People can file a complaint against state regulated banks and related institutions with IDFPR (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation) here.

Find a Housing Counselor through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): Housing counselors throughout the country can provide advice on buying a home, renting, defaults, foreclosures, and credit issues. Using this site, you can find one near you. The counseling agencies on this list are approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and can offer independent advice about whether a particular set of mortgage loan terms is a good fit based on your objectives and circumstances, often at little or no cost to you.

Mortgage Information and Fraud Hotline: Homeowners who believe they may have been the victims of deceitful or fraudulent lending practices can get in touch with state mortgage fraud investigators by calling 1.800.532.8785 or the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at 1.877.793.3470 to file a complaint.

Additional Resources  

• Read tips for avoiding foreclosure here
• File a complaint against your lender with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• File a complaint against your lender with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
• Seek free or low-cost legal aid

Housing Action Illinois

Housing Action Illinois addresses the issue of foreclosure through training housing counselors and advocating for resources for their agencies; learn more about our Capacity Building for housing counselors here »

For questions related to home repair, home repair scams, finding and hiring a contractor, paying for repairs, and more, visit the Home Repair and Construction webpage on the website of the Illinois Attorney General. 

For information on financing and credit, predatory lending, and credit reporting, visit the Financing and Credit webpage on the website of the Office of the the Illinois Attorney General. 

For those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, find resources by region, local contacts, and more on our resources page here »

Find a fair housing organization near you and their contact information on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website page »