HOPE, NCR, Four Black Women File Lawsuit After Investigation Reveals Source of Income Discrimination by Fulton Grace Realty

HOPE Fair Housing Center (HOPE), Northside Community Resources (NCR), and four Housing Choice Voucher (Voucher) holders filed a lawsuit against Fulton Grace Realty for source of income discrimination against renters who use Vouchers. Plaintiffs Nancyann Adams, Shavon Ellis, Belinda Williams, and Lakendra Johnson are all Voucher holders who were searching for rental housing and interacted with Fulton Grace Realty agents. Once the women mentioned their Vouchers or included them in application materials, Fulton Grace Realty stopped communicating with them, denied them applications, or used irrelevant income and credit criteria to reject their applications. HOPE, NCR, Legal Aid Chicago, and Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights investigated and found Fulton Grace Realty agents routinely ghosted Voucher holders, misrepresented information to Voucher holders, and prevented Voucher holders from applying or outright refused to provide them an application at all. These women, HOPE, and NCR are being represented in this lawsuit by Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Legal Aid Chicago, and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP.  

Read our press release here, and read the full complaint here.