New Partnership for Eviction Relief
In collaboration with the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, Greater Chicago Legal Clinic will provide legal aid services to low-income individuals and families facing eviction in Cook and Kane Counties, with a particular focus on members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
In Illinois, 246,000 households are behind on rent according to recent survey data, and face the imminent threat of eviction. These families are overwhelmingly low-income households experiencing COVID-related economic disruptions.
Housing insecurity is particularly problematic in low-income immigrant and refugee communities, an issue further complicated by information gaps resulting from language difficulties.
To address this need, Greater Chicago Legal Clinic (GCLC) partnered with Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMAA) to establish the Eviction Help initiative, which focuses on providing culturally competent legal aid assistance to individuals and families in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community who are facing eviction—in their native languages.
The goal is to make eviction-related legal aid services accessible to speakers of languages such as Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Lao, Nepalese, Hindi, Burmese, and Tagalog, among others.
A community-based, nonprofit social services agency with locations in Chicago and Elgin, Illinois, CMAA serves the needs, promotes the interests, and works to enhance the well-being of low-income immigrants and refugees from all countries.
“Threats to housing security are complicated issues, difficult to discuss even without a language barrier,” said Adam Salzman, GCLC’s Executive Director. “CMAA’s intake and support staff possess deep cultural and language competencies. Through this initiative, they will work closely with program attorneys to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients: housing security.”
CMAA’s Eviction Help program staff will participate in the Argyle Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, February 5, 2022, by sharing program information with community members.
This initiative provides free legal aid services to low-income residents of Cook and Kane counties who have current eviction cases filed against them, are delinquent on rent, or are concerned they may soon become delinquent due to COVID-related economic disruptions. It is made possible by a grant from the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, the organization responsible for administering government funds designated for response to the eviction crisis resulting from the public health pandemic.
Program information is available on the Chinese Mutual Aid Association website, or by emailing: evictionhelp@chinesemutualaid.org.