Illinois Department of Human Rights Commemorates Fair Housing Month

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and the Chicago Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, Incorporated (CLCCRUL) marked the beginning of Fair Housing Month with a free training for housing providers and landlords on the Illinois Human Rights Act and best practices in avoiding discriminatory acts. The informative training session followed a proclamation by Governor Bruce Rauner, urging all Illinois residents to “to embrace diversity, recognize the importance of equal opportunity in housing and recognize the important work of equal housing advocates” throughout the month of April.

“Fair Housing Month recognizes the 47th anniversary of the passage of the U.S. Fair Housing Act and the 36th anniversary of the Illinois Human Rights Act,” IDHR Director Rocco Claps said. “Illinois truly has very progressive anti-discrimination laws that we want landlords to be aware of before potential discriminatory acts occur.”

The training, conducted by IDHR’s Institute for Training and Development (Institute) and CLCCRUL, was specifically aimed at educating landlords and housing providers about their responsibilities to protect the rights that applicants have to choose where they would like to live without experiencing discrimination. “Fair Housing Training for Landlords” will now occur quarterly as part of the Institute’s public training schedule.
           
“The training presents an excellent opportunity for landlords to learn about fair housing laws and risk management,” said Marian Honel, Manager of IDHR’s Fair Housing Division. “Our hope is that landlords are proactively compliant with the law before cases of discrimination are brought before the Department.”

IDHR created the Fair Housing Division in 2003 to independently process and investigate charges of discrimination related to housing. Of the 389 charges filed in 2014, cases alleging physical and mental disability are the highest percentage at 45% and alleged cases of housing discrimination based on race comprised 36% of overall cases. During the past year, there was a 24% increase in inquiries and a 5% increase in charges filed.

“The number of charges tells us that housing discrimination is still very real in our society and we can only assume that many more cases occur without our knowledge,” said Director Claps. “The proclamation sends a message that more work needs to be done to combat housing discrimination in Illinois.”

The proclamation from Governor Rauner reads as follows:

 Whereas, April 11, 2015 marks the 47th anniversary of the passage of the U.S. Fair Housing Act, which created a national fair housing policy to ban discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability; and,
Whereas, This year also marks the 36th anniversary of the Illinois Human Rights Act, which bars discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual harassment), physical or mental disability, familial status, age, ancestry, marital status, military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, sexual orientation, gender-related identity, or order of protection status; and,
 Whereas, acts of housing discrimination and barriers to equal housing opportunity are repugnant to a common sense of decency and fairness; and,
 Whereas, decent safe and affordable housing is part of the American dream; and,
 Whereas, economic stability, community health and human relations are improved by diversity and integration; and,
 Whereas, stable, integrated, and balanced residential patterns are threatened by discriminatory acts and unlawful housing practices that result in segregation of residents and opportunities in Illinois communities; and,
 Whereas, the talents of grassroots and non-profit organizations, housing service providers, housing professionals, financial institutions, elected officials, state agencies, and others must be combined to promote and preserve integration, fair housing and equal opportunity, and address the immense challenge of ensuring that every person in Illinois has access to affordable housing;

Therefore, I, Bruce Rauner, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby proclaim April 2015 as Fair Housing Month in Illinois in commemoration of the signing of the U.S. Fair Housing Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act, and I urge all Illinois residents to embrace diversity, recognize the importance of equal opportunity in housing and recognize the important work of equal housing advocates.

For more information on Fair Housing Month, anti-discrimination laws, and training opportunities, please visit www.Illinois.gov/dhr