Section 8

Will Chicago Section 8 be Affected by Government Shut-Down?

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sec8stadThe Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development released a contingency plan for procedures in the event of a government shut-down.  The 67 page document is complex but it does address, in some small regard, what might happen to Section 8 programs during the government shut down.

In the section related to multi-family housing, the document indicates that HUD will “Make payments under Section 8 contracts, rent supplement, section 236, PRACS where there is a permanent or indefinite authority or multi-year funding.” and it goes on to say that HUD will “Renew/Fund Section 8 contracts and PRACS where there is budget authority available from prior appropriations or recaptures.”

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NEW LAW: Cook County landlords cannot discriminate based on Section 8 participation

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In a vote being celebrated by Tenant’s rights advocates, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted yesterday to amend the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance to prohibit landlords from discriminating against tenants who are participating in Section 8 housing choice programs.  Like landlords in Chicago before them, Cook County landlords governed by the Human Rights … Read more

UPDATE: Cook County Section 8 amendment

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On May 8, 2013, the Cook County Board will once again take up the topic of amending the Human Right’s Ordinance to make it a fair housing violation (for source of income discrimination) for a Cook County landlord to refuse to participate in the Section 8 housing choice voucher program.  The Illinois Rental Property Owners … Read more

Cook County proposes adding “Section 8” participants to Fair Housing protected classes

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See update

The housing provisions of the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance (Ordinance No. 93-0-13) are the county equivalent to the federal Fair Housing law.  Currently, the Cook County law prohibits discrimination in housing transactions (for those landlords covered by the law) for sixteen protected classes.  These are the fourteen protected classes from the Illinois Human Rights Act (race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military discharge status, source of income, housing status) plus two additional classes (housing status and source of income).  Although the Cook County ordinance includes source of income, it expressly excludes participation in a housing choice program (ie. Section 8).  Therefore, as of today, Cook County landlords may discriminate based upon a prospective tenant’s participation in Section 8.

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