Members of the Illinois REALTOR® community joined lawmakers, civil rights organizations and other supporters last week in Geneva for the HOPE Fair Housing Center’s annual meeting, themed: “Meeting the Moment in Housing Justice.”
“Homeownership has long been seen as the major component of the ‘American Dream,’” said Illinois REALTORS® Director of Local Advocacy Tom Benedetto during opening moments of the program. “It is one of the most important financial investments any of us can make. But Illinois REALTORS® recognizes that while these are worthy goals for all, they are not equally attainable for all. Therefore, we are actively taking steps to ensure that EVERYONE has the opportunity to own a home or commercial property regardless of where they live, their historical socio-economic background or their ethnicity. By investing, educating and advocating, our mission is to fight to make homeownership a real opportunity for everyone.”
Illinois REALTORS® is committed to breaking down the remaining vestiges of housing discrimination by funding research on appraisal discrimination, providing consumers homebuying and financing information, as well as offering diversity, equity and inclusion grants and scholarships.
Panel discussion
During a panel discussion titled, “Evictions Without Convictions: The Problems with Crime Free Housing Ordinances,” Illinois REALTORS® Local Governmental Affairs Director Neeley Erickson spoke against local ordinances that impede civil rights and violate fair housing laws. Though often referred to as “nuisance property” and “crime free” ordinances in cities, villages, counties and towns, the measures impose penalties on landlords who refuse to evict certain tenants.
“As we work together to improve housing at all levels, ‘crime free housing ordinances’ are landmines that disrupt efforts. These ordinances place the responsibility of law enforcement on the backs of housing providers that go far beyond the tenant-landlord relationship and mandate housing providers to evict tenants without a conviction, which violates the Illinois Human Rights Act, Fair Housing, and the bedrock principle of our legal system: ‘innocent until proven guilty.’”
Illinois REALTORS® was the top financial supporter of the event, securing a $7,500 NAR Grant. The Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® and the Heartland Organization of REALTORS® also served as sponsors.
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National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) DuPage Chapter President Mabél Guzmán attended, too. In addition to her NAHREP responsibilities, Guzmán has represented the interests of REALTORS® and private property owners on the local, state and national levels for many years. She’s a former REALTOR® of the Year and president for the Chicago Association of REALTORS®, served as the 2020 NAR vice president of Association Affairs and testified in 2014 before the U.S. Senate’s Housing, Transportation and Community Development subcommittee in Washington, D.C. about inequality, opportunity and the housing market. With Illinois REALTORS®, she is the State Legislative Contact for Illinois State Rep. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, and has served on numerous state committees annually since 2008.
REALTOR® and Illinois State Rep. LaShawn Ford of Chicago was honored as a 2023 Fair Housing Legislative Champion.
About HOPE Fair Housing Center
Last week’s annual meeting – the first in-person since 2020 – commemorated HOPE’s founding and the 55th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act in 1968. HOPE was created after a family was discovered living in a garage in Wheaton, and local individuals bought and renovated a home to provide a place for the family to live.
In 1970, HOPE became a full-service fair housing organization with a professional staff. HOPE’s mission became challenging the policies and practices of a system that worked to the disadvantage of people protected by the Federal Fair Housing Act.
