Michael Chavarria is the executive director of the HOPE Fair Housing Center.
He was the lead communicator for a coalition of organizations supporting Illinois House Bill 2775, a piece of legislation on the governor’s desk that would make it a human rights violation to reject potential renters because of their source of their income. Chicago and Cook County, as well as 19 states, have such legislation currently.
He spoke with Maureen McKinney.
The measure had opposition from many Republicans and organizations that included the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association.
That organization argued that the legislation could require landlords to enter into a non-negotiable, complex federal contract for the Housing Choice Voucher program or face an accusation of being in violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act.
