News
In the media
Wage gap puts housing out of reach for many Illinois residents: Kendall County Chronicle, 6/10/16
Affordable housing out of reach for many in Illinois: Chicago Citizen, 6/7/16
Illinois Renters Must Earn Nearly $20 An Hour To Afford A Modest Two-Bedroom Apartment, Report Finds: Progress Illinois, 5/25/16
New Report by Chicago Urban League Highlights Housing Segregation: Chicago Examiner, 4/21/16
Judge Orders Compensation For Elderly Black Victims Of Reverse Mortgage Scam: Chicago Reporter, 01/28/16
ISU Grad Student Helps Others Find Affordable Housing: ISU News, 01/25/16
Latest News
Counting All Wins
Housing counseling is “almost like helping someone walk through the American dream—but it’s not all about homeownership,” says Kesha Chatman, the Division Operating Officer at Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. “You are counseling on their finances, you are...
From Furniture Bank to Food Bank: AmeriCorps 9/11 Day of Service
Each year, AmeriCorps members around the nation support September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance by participating in day-long, direct service projects. With 40 full-year AmeriCorps members serving throughout Illinois and in 6 other states, the Housing...
Announcing the Release of CMS Guide 3.0
Housing Action Illinois is pleased to announce the release of the latest edition of our Guide to HUD-Approved CMSs (version 3.0), which profiles HUD-approved Client Management Systems (CMSs) for housing counseling agencies. This digital resource is available for free...
What Tomorrow Looks Like for PADS Lake County
PADS Lake County, the primary emergency shelter serving Lake County, has been providing critical services for 50 years to people experiencing homelessness. The agency started simply as a hotline and has grown to offer a variety of programs with shelter being their...
Affordable Housing Is Out of Reach: Tell Congress to Increase HUD Funding
Affordable housing is out of reach for the lowest income renters in Illinois.We're joining the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) and allies across the county for a national Day of Action today, June 16, to urge Congress to approve and the...
Affordable Rental Housing Is Out of Reach In Illinois
Illinois renters must earn more than $24 per hour to afford rent for a modest two-bedroom apartmentFor Immediate Release: June 14, 2023Contact: Kristin Ginger, Manager of Communications & Development, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or...
2023 General Assembly Wrap-Up
New State Budget Makes Historic Investment in Ending Homelessness Increased ARPA Funding for Gap Financing of Affordable Rental Housing New Home Modification Funding Strengthened State Law on Local Planning for Affordable Housing Established Property Tax Payment Plan...
New Partnership: Bringing the Housing Counselor Career Path to Moraine Valley Community College
Housing Action Illinois is excited to partner with Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC) to present our Housing Counseling Career Path certification training program this summer. The training will be a three-day virtual series. For the first time, we will hold the...
Tackling Food Insecurity in Northern Illinois
When she first came to Northern Illinois Regional Affordable Community Housing (NI ReACH) in May 2022, Ezella thought she was just going to stay for a three-month internship. She was thinking about what she would do next when her supervisor encouraged her to apply for...
Uplifting the Community: HANA Center
HANA Center was created in 2017 when Korean American Community Services and Korean American Resource and Cultural Center merged, joining together with the goal of empowering Korean American and multiethnic immigrant communities through social services, education, and...
Press Releases
Nowhere in Illinois Can Low-Wage Workers Afford Rent, But New Investments Promise Brighter Future
Renters must earn more than $20 per hour to afford two-bedroom apartment, but fresh investments will begin to alleviate housing costs and address homelessness For Immediate Release: June 18, 2019 For more information contact: Kristin Ginger, Communications Manager,...
Build UP Illinois Applauds Governor Pritzker’s Proposal to Invest in Affordable Housing in Capital Budget
Proposal is a good foundation, but more is needed For Immediate Release: May 21, 2019For more information contact: Kristin Ginger, Communications Manager, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or 312-854-3333 SPRINGFIELD, IL – Community leaders and...
Just Housing Amendment passes, protecting over 1 million people in Cook County from housing discrimination
Amendment will ban housing discrimination against people with records and come into effect this November For Immediate Release: April 26, 2019 For more information contact: Kristin Ginger, Communications Manager, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or...
Advocates Call for Fair Housing Protections for People With Arrest & Conviction Records
Just Housing Initiative amendment will ban housing discrimination based on records, supporting over 1 million Cook County adults while reducing recidivism and strengthening families For Immediate Release: April 16, 2019 For more information contact: Kristin Ginger,...
Report: Housing Demand Has Outpaced Supply, Especially for Low-Income Illinois Families
A new report shows that Illinois has only 35 available, affordable rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income households.
CMS Guide 2.0 Released to Help Housing Counseling Agencies Replace HCO
Housing Action Illinois has just published an updated version of its Guide to HUD-approved Client Management Systems (CMSs). The digital resource, which is available for free online, helps users assess their options through an at-a-glance comparison chart and detailed...
Housing Action Illinois Awarded $1.2 Million in Housing Counseling Funds
33 Agencies to Receive Sub-Grants to Help Families Rent or Buy Affordable Homes CHICAGO – HUD has awarded $1,259,176 to Housing Action Illinois to distribute funds to local nonprofits whose housing counseling programs help families rent or buy safe,...
Report: Nowhere in Illinois Can Low-Wage Workers Afford Rent; Candidates Need to Address This Crisis
Every candidate seeking office should have a plan to address the fact that renters in Illinois must earn more than $20 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment For Immediate Release: June 13, 2018 For more information contact: Timm Krueger, Communications...
Congress Should Consider the Gap in Affordable Rental Homes for the Poorest Households as They Finalize This Year’s Federal Budget
The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, a new report released today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and Housing Action Illinois, finds a severe shortage of affordable rental homes for the extremely low-income (ELI) renter households...
Report: Eviction Filings Are Barrier to Finding Future Housing—Even for Tenants Who Are Not Evicted
39% of eviction filings do not lead to a judgment against the tenant, but these tenants still get rejected when applying to rent CHICAGO—A new report by Housing Action Illinois and the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing (LCBH) explores how an...