The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) have partnered to develop a statewide legal aid and mediation response to the impending eviction crisis.  Grant applications are now open and guidelines are available HERE.

Grant Process Details

With a budget of $2M to be spent by June 30, 2021, this grant process will be expedited in nature.  Applications are due by close of business on March 5, 2021.  Funds will be primarily focused on locales that have NOT already established and funded an eviction mitigation program.  All applicants must be GATA-certified, 501 c 3 organizations in good standing.

A Question & Answer session will be held with members of both the IEJF and IDHS on Thursday, February 25 at 3:30 pm via Zoom.  An FAQ will be prepared from the content of the meeting and posted under FAQs. Please contact Leslie Corbett at lcorbett@iejf.org for details on the Q&A session.

The Need for a Statewide Response

Decades of housing and income inequality combined with the fallout from the pandemic has placed millions of renters under the threat of eviction.  And communities of color face the greatest risk of losing their homes.   Even before the pandemic, a study found that Black and Latinx renters—particularly women—were overrepresented among eviction defendants.

While Illinois still has an eviction moratorium in place, it’s temporary and without additional protections and services, is not enough to protect tenants over the long run.