SECTION V.
FAIR HOUSING PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, AND OUTREACH
Fair Housing Program and Activities
Over the decade since the last completed Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
Choice, in 2004, Lake County leadership and staff completed the following activities to
affirmatively further fair housing:
With its Consortium partners the cities of North Chicago and Waukegan, it
developed and financed the Fair Housing Center of Lake County, which was in
operation until March 2011.
The Lake County Board’s Regional Framework Plan goals and policies include
affordable housing development, one of the recommended action steps.
The Consortium developed an Affirmative Marketing Policy for its HOME Housing
Fund projects in 2008. All rental and homebuyer projects containing five or more
HOME-assisted housing units are required to develop and to follow affirmative
marketing procedures.
Staff incorporated equal opportunity standards into its grant agreements.
Local housing authorities and partner nonprofit housing organizations have
provided services to families seeking housing outside of areas with low-income
and minority concentrations.
In 2004, Lake County began funding a local affiliate of a national nonprofit organization,
SER Jobs for Progress, Inc., to operate a new Lake County Fair Housing Center based
in Waukegan. Between its founding in 2004 and its closure in 2011, the Fair Housing
Center of Lake County performed the following program activities:
Provided fair housing support services (for example, handling discrimination
complaints and/or problems with landlords) to numerous clients.
Recruited numerous fair housing testers.
Expanded outreach and education activities in the western communities of Lake
County.
Presented to County leadership periodically on
interpretation and implementation of fair housing law.
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APPLIED REAL ESTATE ANALYSIS, INC.
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS