Why we need Just Cause to end no-fault evictions
Just Cause allows residents the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.
1. No-fault eviction is a principle vehicle for escalating displacement.
- People are forced to leave their homes as landlords and property investors sell, rehab and flip old buildings for profit.
- There are 850,000 African Americans in Chicago, down from 1.2 million in 1980 largely due to gentrification and lack of affordable, accessible housing.
2. No-fault evictions discourage tenants from exercising their rights and mask illegal or questionable landlord conduct from eviction courts, a tactic used frequently against working class and low-income renters.
- Working class and low-income renters, 80% of who appear in eviction court without a lawyer, are the main targets of discrimination and questionable conduct such as failure to repair a unit and illegal lockouts.
- Just Cause allows tenants to live without fear of losing their home after exercising their rights or requesting needed repairs, preserving and improving housing quality.
3. No-fault evictions perpetuate discrimination by taking away the freedom to maintain housing anywhere.
- Majority Black areas have eviction filing rates two to four times higher than majority Latinx or White areas.
- Persons of color and households headed by women face disproportionate rates of eviction.
- According to Mashvisor, a website that helps investors find lucrative rental properties, "investing in Chicago real estate is a must in 2020." They list majority African-American south and westside neighborhoods Englewood, Le Claire Courts, Roseland, and Austin as the most profitable.
4. No-fault evictions threaten seniors, who are the most vulnerable to rising rents and evictions compared to any other age group. Just Cause supports aging in place by allowing residents the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.
- There are over 1 million residents age 65 and older in Chicago, a number expected to increase by 80% as baby boomers age.
- Renters over 55 account for 30% of the overall rental market.
- No-fault evictions disrupt a senior resident’s existing access to medical care and social services, family and friends, transportation, and food.