Open Communities (formerly Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that advocates for fair and

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...

in 17 northern suburbs of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Open Communities' mission is to educate, advocate, and organize to promote just and inclusive communities in north suburban Chicago. Open Communities works with current and prospective residents and local groups to promote economically and culturally diverse communities. Free services include fair and affordable housing

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of c ...

services, community education, advocacy, and organizing for welcoming communities.

History

Open Communities has its roots in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. A group of young mothers in Wilmette were worried that their children were growing up in a community that lacked diversity, and they began to discuss how they could organize for change. There were no fair housing laws at that time, and housing discrimination was common. But although local housing ads often stipulated, "No

Negro In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

es, Orientals or

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

," the women, joined by local clergy, believed that many community members shared their concerns about

housing discrimination Housing discrimination refers to patterns of discrimination that affect a person's ability to rent or buy housing. This disparate treatment of a person on the housing market can be based on group characteristics or on the place where a person liv ...

. In 1972, a fair housing conference organized by local clergy in 1972 resulted in the creation of the North Shore Interfaith Housing Council, which became the North Suburban Housing Center in 1977, then Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs in 1986, and Open Communities in 2012.

Service programs

Fair housing and discrimination complaints

Open Communities helps individuals who report illegal

, predominantly the

Civil Rights Act of 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a Lists of landmark court decisions, landmark law in the United States signed into law by President of the United States, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots. Titles ...

, which makes denying housing to anyone on the basis of their race, color, national origin illegal. Additionally, the law protects those with disabilities, as well as families with children. Open Communities is an operating member of the National Fair Housing Alliance. In addition to pursuing individual cases, Open Communities works to settle cases for building that systemically discriminate against seniors or people with disabilities.

Homesharing program

The Homesharing program is a free service which matches renters with residents in need of additional income, or who desire assistance with housekeeping chores. It often benefits residents at risk of foreclosure as well as the elderly and individuals with disabilities. The program has been lauded by the Retirement Research Foundation, and has received positive press in Chicago's northern suburbs. As of June 2015, the program had facilitated over 700 matches in the North Shore and Chicago.

Landlord–tenant advice

Both

landlord A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...

s and

tenants A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land or property in which a lessee or a tenant has rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord. Although a tenant does hold rights to real property, a lea ...

have rights and responsibilities toward one another, their neighbors and their homes. Landlords' and tenants' rights are protected under state and local laws, which establish requirements about

security deposit A security deposit is a sum of money held in trust. In leasing, security deposits, also known as "rent deposits", are required most often by lessors of automobiles, residential property, and commercial real estate. Security deposits in the Un ...

s, heating,

property maintenance Property maintenance relates to the upkeep of a home, apartment, rental property or building and may be a commercial venture through a property maintenance company, an employee of the company which owns a home, apartment or a self-storage pastime ...

, entry, and eviction.

Housing counseling and foreclosure prevention

The foreclosure crisis is one of the nation's most pressing housing issues, and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

continues to have one of the highest rates of foreclosure fillings. The crisis has been particularly hard on immigrants, people of color, and lower-income families who became north suburban homeowners in the last two decades. More than 14,500 homes were foreclosed in Chicago's northern suburbs between 2005 and 2013, according to an Open Communities' analysis of Woodstock Institute foreclosure filings data.

Advocacy and community organizing

Open Communities was founded on the belief that making housing available to people of all incomes and backgrounds makes the northern suburbs a better place to live. That's why they collaborate with and build local and regional coalitions to advance fair and affordable housing programs, policies and legislation, and provide support for bricks-and-mortar housing developments that meet a wide range of local needs. In 2016, Open Communities joined the #Fightfor15.

The Justice Project

Launched in 2015 to not only commemorate Dr. King's visit to Winnetka in 1965, but to challenge our community to become even more welcoming, The Justice Project: The March Continues is a grassroots

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

movement to inspire the communities in the northern suburbs of Chicago and beyond to be welcoming, inclusive and diverse, and to offer them a framework for doing so.

#StandWithMuslims

Dozens of community groups, led by Open Communities and

Jewish Voice for Peace Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP; ) is an American Jewish anti-Zionist and left-wing advocacy organization. It is critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign ag ...

, stand against the many ways in which anti-

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and

xenophobic Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

hatred manifests itself, including hate speech and hate crimes; institutionalized racism and state-sanctioned violence; racial and religious profiling in all its forms; and prejudice that targets refugees and immigrants of all backgrounds.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Open Communities Non-profit organizations based in Illinois Housing rights organizations in Chicago Community-building organizations Civil liberties advocacy groups in the United States 1968 in American law Winnetka, Illinois Companies based in Cook County, Illinois Interfaith organizations based in the United States Housing in Illinois