Wallace v. Chicago Housing Authority

No. 03 C 0491 (N.D. Ill. June 2, 2005) ; Clearinghouse Number: 55072

Description

Chicago Housing Authority and Housing Advocates Settle Lawsuit over Resident Relocation

Abstract

The parties settled this action challenging public housing residents’ displacement from public housing into high-poverty, segregated neighborhoods. Plaintiffs had alleged that defendant Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) had a policy and practice of not providing adequate relocation services or providing relocation services that steered plaintiffs into racially and economically segregated neighborhoods. The parties agreed to two relocation programs for current and former CHA residents: (1) CHA’s current relocation program, encouraging moves to racially integrated areas of metropolitan Chicago and providing for case-managed social services, would be applied to families initially moving from public housing; and (2) an agreed-upon modified program run by CHA’s voucher administrator, CHAC Inc., would encourage former CHA residents to relocate to economically and racially integrated communities as well as give them increased access to social services. While CHA would have discretion to change existing or future programs, that discretion would be subject to its commitment to use “best reasonable efforts” in helping class members move to economically and racially integrated neighborhoods. Plaintiffs’ counsel would have ongoing access to information regarding relocation and social service programs for public housing families. Although the case would be voluntarily dismissed as a result of the settlement, plaintiffs would retain the right to reinstate the lawsuit within three years of the effective date of the settlement if they believed that CHA was breaching the agreement.

Additional Information

Attorney Information
Plaintiffs represented by William P. Wilen, Katherine E. Walz, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, 111 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60602 (312.263.3830); Alexander Polikoff, Julie Elena Brown, Adam Gross, Eloise P. Lawrence, Business and Professional People for the Public Interest, 25 E. Washington St. #1515, Chicago, IL 60602 (312.641.5570); Clyde E. Murphy, Sharon K. Legenza, Charles R. Petrof, Lisa T. Alexander, Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 100 N. LaSalle St., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60602 (312.630.9744)
Docket Date
2005-06-02 00:00:00+00:00