Legal Action Chicago

08/21/2026

Access to water is a human right, but, unfortunately, that right is often only afforded to the people who can pay for it.

Since 2024, we have campaigned with the Water for All Coalition to expand access to Chicago's utility billing relief program and improve communities' access to water.

The goals of the Water for All Coalition are to:
- Increase income eligibility for the program from 200 to 250% of the poverty line
- Open up the program to people living in buildings with up to 5 units
- Ban the use of liens on real estate as a water debt collection tool

These changes, supported by a coalition that includes Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Blackroots Alliance, would help to ensure more families in the City can afford an essential service.

Currently, Alderman Daniel La Spata is carrying this ordinance, which we hope will be heard by the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy on September 1, 2026 at 10am.

08/13/2026

Yesterday, along with Illinois PIRG and the City of Chicago, we asked, in a brief, that the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) reject Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas’s proposed 10.10% return on equity (ROE), which is the authorized profit it earns that is baked into all customers’ natural gas bills.

Instead, we are asking the ICC to set the utilities’ ROE at 8.90%, which would save customers millions of dollars per year. It’s more than enough for People's Gas and North Shore Gas to attract investment and be financially stable without unfairly burdening customers by making them pay for excess profits that only benefits shareholders.

Affordability matters now more than ever. Customers ultimately take on the financial burden of paying for the cost of these public utilities’ authorized profits. We believe that there should be an equal field, where utility companies get a fair return, but never so high that it makes it harder for consumers to afford necessary utilities.

Read the brief here:

08/12/2026

Check out this article on the tangible impact of Kidd v. Pappas -- the federal class action lawsuit we filed challenging Cook County's failure to provide just compensation for individuals who lose their homes, through predatory tax-buying, for failing to pay property taxes. The court found that the County's failure violated the fifth amendment and that the County is financially liable for its constitutional violations.

Now, Illinois has a new law to phase out tax buying by 2030. Read here to learn more:

After Evanston homeowner Goyce Rates fell behind on her property taxes, two tax buyers in 2019 purchased liens on the home’s two parcels for a total of $9,025. By 2023, she was unable to redeem her property for the cost of back taxes and interest, enabling the buyers to win deeds for the property ...

08/06/2026

Thousands of Illinoisans lost their SNAP benefits this year due to expanded work rules, but a new program, FRESH, is providing benefits to help to families impacted. Learn more about this program in some of these recent articles:
- https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/thousands-of-illinois-residents-will-receive-400-in-benefits-in-a-matter-of-days/3968081/-
- https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-400-payment-snap-benefit-loss
- https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2026/07/30/illinois-snap-recipients-kicked-off-the-federal-food-program-are-getting-400-from-the-state

08/05/2026

Save the date! On October 15th, Legal Action Chicago will be hosting our 2nd Annual Reception. Join us for an evening of connection, conversation, and impact among supporters, partners, and advocates from across Chicago’s legal, civic, and advocacy communities. The program will feature remarks from keynote speaker David Axelrod, along with opportunities to connect with leaders across the legal and public policy sectors.

Light hors d’oeuvres will be served, along with an open bar. Registration is free, and all are welcome!

Register here! https://legalactionchicago.org/annual-reception/

07/29/2026

Last month, Legal Action's Of Counsel attorney Dan Schneider was interviewed in NBC 5's coverage of Kidd v. Pappas, a case we have worked on which held that Cook County’s property tax sale process resulted in unconstitutional wealth stripping of former homeowners. Check out the article here!

A new court ruling and a new law could help protect homeowners at risk of Cook County's tax sale system.

07/29/2026

Check out this article on the 7th Circuit's decision holding Chicago's tenant payout ordinance.

The Seventh Circuit held Wednesday that a Chicago ordinance requiring owners of foreclosed rental buildings to pay tenants $10,600 to help with relocation costs is not an unconstitutional taking of property, saying that state and local authorities have broad power to regulate landlord-tenant relatio...

07/22/2026

Housing stability can potentially still be within reach for working class Chicagoans under laws that offer tenants “a right of first refusal” to work together to buy their building before their owner publicly offers it for sale. Tenants in Logan Square are now enforcing that right. Read about our work on this case here:

The ordinance, passed by the City Council in 2024, requires property owners in parts of the North and West sides to give tenants an opportunity to buy their building.

07/21/2026

Check out this article on Cook County's Down Payment Assistance Program, which aims to help Cook County homebuyers!

The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development’s Department of Planning and Development today launched a third phase of the Cook County Down Payment Assistance Program. The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the funds earlier this year. The approved allocation of $2 million will assist....

07/20/2026

It may only be August, but our 2026 policy advocacy work has been packed! Check out our 2026 Policy Advocacy highlights here
https://legalactionchicago.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-Policy-Advocacy-Summary-Draft-1-2-smt-edits-djs-eds-7.8.26-1-1.pdf