The Section 8 Rental Voucher Program (now called Housing Choice Voucher) increases affordable housing choices for very low-income households by allowing families to choose privately owned rental housing. More than 1.4 million households in the United States are assisted in paying their rent through these vouchers, including 41,000 in the Chicago area.

Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST is a new initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to promote compliance with the Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements.

If you are a landlord, understanding the rules and regulations around reasonable accomodations for tenants with disabilities is incredibly important. Fair housing lawsuits can be lenghty and expensive; understanding the law is a critical way to limit your liability. The below video from the Housing Rights Center is a good introduction to reasonable accomodations.

The Illinois Safe Homes Act
 
The purpose of the Safe Homes Act is to enable victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, dating violence, or stalking and their families to flee existing dangerous rental housing or make their current rental housing safe.  This law allows tenants and members of their households who are survivors of violence to:

Own rental property in the Chicagoland area?
Help reduce your taxes by participating in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Tax Savings Program!

What is the tax savings program? 
The Housing Opportunity Tax Savings program is a tax abatement for landlords who rent to Section 8 tenants in "opportunity areas."