For media inquiries, contact Dawn Raftery at dawnraftery@povertylaw.org. See our most recent press releases below.
Despite the challenging climate, our advocates are working tirelessly to win support for our legislative agenda for Illinois, which envisions a state where everyone can thrive. While it’s impossible to predict how the legislative and budget processes will play out, we’re ready to meet the moment.
Proposed budget cuts threaten fair housing enforcement, putting millions at risk of discrimination and instability. By slashing funding for frontline organizations and gutting HUD’s enforcement capacity, these changes would make it nearly impossible to hold bad actors accountable. At the Shriver Center, we’re fighting back — through legal advocacy, state-level solutions, and coalition efforts to protect people’s rights to safe, stable housing.
The Shriver Center on Poverty Law is taking action in the face of unprecedented threats to democracy and the social safety net. Our 2025 legislative agenda bolsters the anti-poverty programs and benefits residents rely on. From providing cash assistance to struggling families and increasing worker protections, to removing barriers to housing; our proposed legislation creates a fairer state where everyone can thrive.
Crime-free nuisance ordinances (CFNOs) are municipal laws and policies that single out properties where alleged nuisances occur. These activities can be noise disturbances or emergency service calls. CFNOs hold tenants responsible through fines and evictions, among other penalties. This puts domestic violence victims and people with disabilities at risk, who often seek emergency services and police assistance.
Recently, three unhoused individuals filed a complaint against the city, calling its anti-homeless laws unconstitutional. In Johnson v. Grants Pass, the Supreme Court will determine if the city is violating the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment when it arrests, fines, and even imprisons people without homes for sleeping outside.
Our 2024 Illinois advocacy agenda supports and protects workers, expands access to health care, promotes inclusive housing, and keeps families strong and stable.
The summit's three interactive panels examined housing, repairing the child welfare system, and entrepreneurism as a means to building Black wealth.
Before the Pulitzer prize and the MacArthur Genius award, the acclaimed author was a kid who grew up poor in Arizona.
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Under the current presidential administration, many racial justice advocates face high caseloads, job insecurity, and the trauma of fighting seemingly-intractable systems of oppression. If you’re exhausted from fighting battles on multiple fronts, this 2.5-hour webinar is your act of defiance.
