The Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH) is a Chicago based nonprofit law firm which provides legal services for low- and middle-income renters. LCBH affirms that housing is a right and that the city of Chicago should invest more tax dollars into homes and neighborhoods for low-income people, should increase the city minimum wage, lift the rent control ban, and increase the time allowed for renters to catch up on back rent before eviction. ^{1 2}

The group is legally a corporation called the “Lawyers Committee for Better Housing.” Although the group is a corporation, it is tax exempt and the group releases its nonprofit information, such as tax documents, under the name “Law Center for Better Housing.” ³

History

Law Center for Better Housing was founded by 10 attorneys in 1980. In 1986, the group helped write and pass its first major piece of legislation, the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance. Key points from this Ordinance made lockouts illegal, forbade landlords to charge more than a $10 per month late fee resulting from late rent payments, and made it illegal for landlords to retaliate against a tenant who has complained or testified against the landlord. In 1996, it came out with its first research piece about eviction data in Chicago, which it keeps up to date. In 2022, LCBH announced it will change its name to Law Center for Better Housing. ^{4 5}

Programs

Rentervention

Rentervention is an artificial intelligence tool which was made in response to the lack of legal aid and pro bono attorneys to help with housing issues. The program is free and allows users to type in their problems on the AI interface to get answers to their questions. The AI will give options for how to solve problems on their own, like giving users proper legal documents to fill out based on their situation or direct people to a social service agency. ⁶

Right to Counsel

In 2022, the Chicago Department of Housing granted LCBH $7.1 million to help pay for tenant representation in eviction court. It is a three-year grant which is part of the Right to Counsel Pilot Program, meant to help people of low-income in Chicago. This program was created because of an estimation that 90 percent of landlords nationwide have legal representation while only 10 percent of tenants have legal representation. LCBH was selected for this grant because it already had an established pro bono program providing the services this program intended to grow. ⁷

Advocacy

Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance

The founders of Law Center for Better Housing helped to write and advocate passage of the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance. This ordinance was meant to give more power and more options to low-income renters. This ordinance made lockouts illegal, forced landlords to provide tenants with a security deposit receipt, allowed tenants to file suit against a landlord if the landlord did not fix defects on the property, and allowed tenants to sublet without the landlord charging additional fees. ⁵

Keep Chicago Renting

The Keep Chicago Renting Ordinance was originally passed in 2013 and was put in place to help tenants in foreclosed buildings and buildings under new ownership. According to the original ordinance, if a building was under new ownership the new owners had to offer tenants a new lease with a maximum rent of 102 percent of the original rent or give the tenant $10,600 in relocation assistance. In April 2022, the Illinois Appellate Court ruled that the 102 percent rent rate was a violation of an older document and the court was going to strike the ordinance all together. The LCBH and other housing groups helped rewrite the ordinance to comply with the court order. ⁸

1. ^[1] Law Center for Better Housing. (2019, May 1). Most families forced out for less than $2,500 back rent. Most Families Forced Out For Less Than $2,500 Back Rent | Chicago Evictions. https://eviction.lcbh.org/reports/forced-out-for-less-than-2500
2. “Most Families Forced Out For Less Than $2,500 Back Rent.” lcbh.com, May 2019. https://eviction.lcbh.org/reports/forced-out-for-less-than-2500.
3. ^[1] Law Center for Better Housing,  Form 990, 2022, Section C
4. ^[1] “History | Law Center for Better Housing – LCBH.” lcbh.com. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://lcbh.org/about-us/mission-history/.
5. A message about porch safety: Chicago rents right – city of Chicago. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dcd/general/housing/RTLOEnglish.pdf.
6. “Get Legal Help | Law Center for Better Housing – LCBH.” lcbh.com. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://lcbh.org/get-legal-help/.
7. Chicago Department of Housing Awards LCBH $7.1 million to provide … Accessed January 18, 2024. https://lcbh.org/chicago-department-of-housing-awards-lcbh-7-1-million-to-provide-lawyers-to-renters-facing-eviction/.
8. LCBH helps save the KCRO | law center for better housing. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://lcbh.org/lcbh-helps-save-the-kcro/.