Following the 1966 Summit Agreement and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the housing market saw a slight improvement in the treatment of non-white home buyers. Black and Hispanic populations have increased in Cook, DuPage, Kane, and Lake counties throughout the last 50 years. Yet, there is still evidence of unfair housing practices throughout these areas.
While redlining, blockbusting, and contract home buying have been outlawed, their impacts continue to be felt to this day. These biased practices have affected potential generational wealth building, resulting in long-lasting financial effects to non-white households. One example of this is the emergence of predominantly white or black neighborhoods and towns. As of the year 2000, the Chicago metropolitan area is the fifth highest in the nation for Black-white segregation and 11th nationally in Hispanic-white segregation.
The white-Black homeownership gap in the Chicago metro area still sits at nearly 2:1. When applying for conventional loans in the Chicago metro areas, whites have a 77% approval rate and Blacks have a 59% approval rate. In 2019 in Chicago, white home-seekers were approved for $12.4 billion in total annual mortgages compared to $559 million for Black-home seekers.
Discrimination persists in a more subtle way than in the past. The following organizations provide many ways to learn more, get involved, and take steps towards a more inclusive community with equitable housing opportunities. Fair housing cannot be achieved without continued education, support, and advocacy. We greatly appreciate the efforts of our exhibition partners for helping us realize this exhibit, as well as the continued work of other housing organizations.
Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance
Chicago Housing Initiative
Dupage Habitat for Humanity
DuPage Housing Authority
DuPage Pads
Dupage Continuum of Care
HOME DuPage
HOPE Fair Housing Center
Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing
Lift the Ban Coalition
National Fair Housing Alliance
The National Public Housing Museum
Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago
South Suburban Housing Center
UIC John Marshall Fair Housing Center
UIC John Marshall Fair Housing Center Additional Resources
Woodstock Institute