Planning, Building & Development | Page 94

Association, which absorbed the Lake County Apartment Owners’ Association, and is comprised mostly of landlords.  For landlords, PSLS training includes information on building requirements under the Fair Housing Act and other related laws and on tenants’ right to reasonable accommodations and modifications. It is crucial for landlords to receive education on the issue of reasonable accommodations and modifications because properly implemented accommodations make housing available and accessible to people with physical and mental disabilities. Studies show that many landlords have an insufficient understanding of their responsibilities not only to grant reasonable accommodations and modifications but also to engage in an interactive process when presented with a request for an accommodation with which they disagree. PSLS confirms the results of those studies from its daily experiences with housing providers of all types.  Service Providers: Since May 2011 PSLS has provided trainings for advocates and clients at numerous coalitions or agencies that provide direct advocacy or services for the most vulnerable residents of Lake County. Some of the agencies where PSLS has conducted training include but are not limited to RESPOND (a coalition of social service agencies from North Chicago, Waukegan, Zion, Benton, and Shields townships), the Lake County Homeless Coalition, Lake County Housing Action Coalition, Lake County Center for Independent Living, YWCA of Lake County, Lovell VA Health Center, Urban Muslim Minority Alliance Center, St. Vincent DePaul, Safe Place, Lake County Center for Independent Living, Child Serv, Family Network, Catholic Charities, Latino Coalition of Lake County, NAACP, Community Action Partnership, Consumer Credit Counseling Services, and the St. Vincent De Paul Society. PSLS has further educated service providers through a webinar presented for social workers and has addressed various support groups, including those for seniors, single mothers, and people with disabilities.  Direct Outreach: PSLS has conducted numerous fair housing and renters’ rights workshops and presentations to members of the community, including but not limited to Spanish-language radio programs, clients of the Lake County Housing Authority, groups of public school parents and guardians, high school student government classes, English as a Second Language classes, church groups, senior groups, and tenant groups. PSLS can provide any training in either English or Spanish. Each presentation is tailored to the needs of the audience. For example, PSLS tailors presentations for social service providers who work with female victims of domestic violence to include more information on the protected characteristics of sex, familial status, and order of protection status. PSLS emphasizes the additional rights of people with disabilities to a group such as the Lake County Center for 92 APPLIED REAL ESTATE ANALYSIS, INC. LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS