IDHR and Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing Unveil Fair Housing Webinar Series

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing today announced the release of a new Fair Housing Webinar series funded as a partnership project by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. The series of webinars covers major fair housing issues and is designed to educate stakeholders and the general public about fair housing law under federal law as well as the Illinois Human Rights Act.

All the webinars are available as online videos that can be accessed at any time on the website of Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO).  The webinars will educate the public on their fair housing rights and provide information for housing providers on their responsibilities under fair housing law.  The topics include the housing rights laws for persons with disabilities, for LGBT individuals, for new Americans and immigrants, for condo and coop associations and a general fair housing overview. Three of the webinars are in both English and Spanish versions, and closed captioning is available.

“The Department of Human Rights is excited to announce the availability of this series of webinars on fair housing issues,” said IDHR Director Rocco Claps. “Housing law is a complex area of the law and our partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing and the support of HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity has made it possible for us to empower the general public with an easily accessible way to become knowledgeable about the fair housing protections that are offered by the Illinois Human Rights Act.”

The webinars are available at these links:

• Fair Housing Training for Individuals with Disabilities
• Fair Housing for Individuals with Disabilities: The Basics
• LGBT Rights & Fair Housing
• Your Right to Fair Housing: A Guide for New Americans
• Fair Housing Training: General Overview
• Fair Housing 101: Condo Associations & Cooperatives
• Vivienda Equitativa para Personas Discapacitadas
• Su Derecho a la Vivienda Equitativa: Una Guia para Nuevos Americanos
• Los Derechos en la Vivienda LGBT

For more information about fair housing law in Illinois, you can also go to IDHR’s website: http://www2.illinois.gov/dhr/FilingaCharge/Pages/Housing.aspx