Ordinance passes jan. 1970  8.5 x 12.25

Chapter 13: Federal and Local Fair Housing Laws

On July, 7th 1967, Wheaton, IL became one of the first cities in DuPage County to pass a local fair-housing ordinance. The HOPE Fair Housing Center was established the following year upon the discovery of a family in need living inside a garage. Community members came together to buy and renovate a home for them. HOPE would go on to develop an innovative housing plan which was publicized in the national media. Through private contributions, HOPE began buying and renovating houses. These properties were then made available to families at affordable rents. 

On April 11th, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson requested the presentation and passing of the Fair Housing Act. This was to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who had been assassinated a week prior, and to calm associated civil unrest. After this act’s enforcement on January 1, 1969, the adoption of local fair housing ordinances soon followed in alliance.

In Elmhurst, Illinois, Mayor Charles Weigel led proposing such an ordinance to the city. Alderman Donald Ames (3rd Ward) and Alderman Marvin J. Voelz (4th Ward) drafted their version by using research from other cities, including Wheaton, IL. The first proposed version of the ordinance was voted on January 5, 1970. It resulted in a 7-7 aldermanic vote split to pass it into law. Town residents were similarly split on the issue. Mayor Weigel held the deciding vote and with his ‘yea’, the final vote was 8-7 and it passed. Yet, this did not satisfy Weigel. He felt the ordinance could be re-worked to find positive compromises and get a more decisive vote on the final law. With adjustments to the two sections, the final ordinance was finally passed on February 5, 1970.

HOPE Fair Housing Center’s mission became challenging the policies and practices of a system that worked to the disadvantage of people protected by the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. In 1970, HOPE became a full-service fair housing organization with professional staff. Bernard Kleina was HOPE’s first Executive Director and served in this position from 1970-2011. Today, the organization serves 30 counties in Northern and North Central Illinois to create greater housing opportunities for all.

In Focus: The Chicago Freedom Movement & the Fight for Fair Housing exhibition tour
  1. Chapter 1: Chicago in the 1950s/1960s
  2. Jennetta Pegues, National Public Housing Museum, interview
  3. Byron Dickens, National Public Housing Museum, interview
  4. Chapter 2: White Flight
  5. Dorothy Tucker, HistoryMaker interview
  6. Chapter 3: Preventative Practices
  7. Art Minson, HistoryMaker Interview
  8. Chapter 4: Welcome to Elmhurst
  9. Chapter 5: Selma, The Turning Point
  10. Chapter 6: Focusing on the North
  11. Chapter 7: Grant Park to City Hall
  12. Chapter 8: Soldier Field
  13. Chapter 9: Summer of '66 Marches
  14. Chapter 10: Marquette Park
  15. Reverend Evan Clay, HistoryMakers interview
  16. Chapter 11: Remember Why You're Here, Brother
  17. Chapter 12: Escalation and Agreement
  18. Chapter 13: Federal and Local Fair Housing Laws
  19. Chapter 14: Depth of Field, Teens Project
  20. Chapter 15: The Movement is Not Over