Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt
The CBF is a lead partner in the groundbreaking Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt (CCLAHD) program, an innovative public/private partnership between Cook County, the Circuit Court of Cook County, the City of Chicago, and many other government, legal, and community partners. Since the program’s launch in November 2020, CCLAHD has directly assisted more than 50,000 people facing eviction, foreclosure, or consumer debt cases and has helped many thousands more connect to other resources like rental assistance.
CCLAHD Provides Free Legal Hotline and Assistance for Chicago Residents Facing Eviction, Consumer Debt, and Foreclosure Issues
Through a network of legal aid and mediation partners, CCLAHD provides a central legal hotline and free legal assistance, case management, and mediation for residents and landlords dealing with eviction issues, individuals with consumer debt issues, and homeowners facing foreclosure and tax deed issues. Services are available in a number of languages including Spanish and Polish. CCLAHD also includes a court-based rental assistance program for landlords and tenants in eviction cases. In addition to the above partners, this project is supported by two dozen community outreach grantees. You can learn more about them here. CCLAHD partners include:
• CARPLS
• Center for Conflict Resolution
• Center for Disability & Elder Law
• Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
• Greater Chicago Legal Clinic
• Law Center for Better Housing
• Legal Aid Chicago
• Legal Aid Society
In 2023, the CBF will administer approximately $5 million in grants to support this program in partnership with Cook County.
More information about the initiative and how people can connect to legal help is available at https://www.cookcountylegalaid.org/. If you are interested in volunteering with CCLAHD, please contact Elise Tincher at etincher@chicagobarfoundation.org to learn more.