HOPE Fair Housing Center, Four Black Women File Class-Action Lawsuit After Investigation Uncovers Policy of Voucher Discrimination by Mac Properties
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
CONTACT:
Zindy Marquez
Director of Communications
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
312.202.3657 (office)
zmarquez@clccrul.org
HOPE Fair Housing Center, Four Black Women File Class-Action Lawsuit After Investigation Uncovers Policy of Voucher Discrimination by Mac Properties
Four mothers lost housing opportunities after Mac Properties denied them tours and applications, steered them towards outdated apartments with fewer amenities in the Hyde Park neighborhood
CHICAGO, IL: HOPE Fair Housing Center (HOPE) and four Housing Choice Voucher (Voucher) holders filed a class-action lawsuit against property management company Mac Properties for systemic source of income discrimination against renters who use Vouchers. Plaintiffs RySheena Moore, Cadeidga Coleman, Janishia Fleming, and Sheliah Thomas Ayanwale are all Black Voucher holders who were searching for rental housing in the Hyde Park neighborhood and contacted Mac Properties about newer or renovated listings with amenities. Mac Properties refused to rent to all four women at these buildings, even though they had apartments available and advertised within their budget. Instead, Mac Properties steered them toward properties they had not expressed interest in which had not been recently updated or had fewer amenities. The women and HOPE Fair Housing Center are being represented in this lawsuit by Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd.
The Voucher program helps low-income families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities afford safe and stable housing in the private rental market, particularly in “opportunity areas” like Hyde Park that would provide participants with better access to jobs, schools, and other resources. Participants pay 30% of their income toward rent, while the Voucher covers the remaining cost.
Hyde Park is one of the only opportunity areas on the South Side of Chicago. The rental market in this area is competitive and Mac Properties currently owns and manages around 100 buildings—with over 5,000 apartments—in and around Hyde Park, essentially dominating the market in this area. All four women sought to rent from Mac Properties and were denied available apartments within their Voucher budgets.
“Voucher program participants deserve the opportunity to secure homes in opportunity areas without facing illegal barriers,” said MacKenzie Speer, Program Counsel at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee. “These challenges undermine the purpose of the Voucher program, which is to promote housing stability and access to neighborhoods of opportunity. Landlords and management companies must comply with the law for the program to work as intended.”
Ms. Moore lives with her 15-year-old son. Ms. Moore contacted Mac Properties in February 2023 about renting a two-bedroom apartment in Regents Park Apartments near 51st Street and the lake front. Ms. Moore is a United States Army veteran with a service-related disability. She was excited to have a pool in her building for rehabilitation and was also interested in the safe neighborhood. Mac Properties refused to even show Ms. Moore an apartment at Regents.
“I was excited about the opportunity to move my family to a more affordable neighborhood closer to the lake and with a good school for my son,” said Ms. Moore. “Instead of helping me find a home that fit my needs, the leasing agents kept steering me to older apartments in buildings that didn’t have any amenities. It felt like because I was using a Voucher, they thought I didn’t deserve to live in their nicer buildings.”
Ms. Coleman, Ms. Fleming, and Ms. Ayanwale had similar experiences. Mac Properties refused to give them tours and applications after learning about their Vouchers, steering them away from amenities buildings and toward outdated rentals in locations they did not seek to live in. These women represent four of many Voucher holders to whom Mac Properties has denied access, steering them away from specific quality housing in Hyde Park or refusing to rent to them at all. Discrimination against Voucher holders is prevalent in the Chicago area. And, since 89 percent of Voucher holders in Chicago are Black, source of income discrimination reinforces both racial and economic housing segregation. It also violates Federal and state law, as well as Cook County and City of Chicago ordinances.
In response to ongoing reports from Voucher holders about Mac Properties, HOPE Fair Housing Center initiated an investigation of Mac Properties’ treatment of Voucher holders in 2023. HOPE sent several trained fair housing testers posing as applicants to contact Mac Properties about available apartments. Some testers mentioned using a Voucher and others did not. Once testers mentioned using a Voucher, Mac Properties did not provide applications for specific buildings, falsely stated apartments were not available, steered testers with Vouchers towards rental properties that were older, lower priced, and/or had fewer amenities, and stopped following up with them. Testers with the same budgets that did not mention a Voucher were quickly shown or offered more options including newer, renovated apartments in buildings with amenities, and received repeated follow ups from leasing agents after the tours.
As we continue to see skyrocketing rental prices lock families out of communities and displace current residents, especially in gentrifying areas like Hyde Park, it is critical that housing providers at the very least follow the law and not exacerbate the harms caused by the housing crisis through discriminatory actions.
“Our fair housing testing revealed a clear pattern of discrimination by Mac Properties against Voucher holders which limited access to the units they preferred and consequently to the Hyde Park community,” said Michael Chavarria from HOPE, a plaintiff in this lawsuit. “Everyone deserves quality housing of their choice, regardless of their source of income.”
“For years, renters with Vouchers have reported being mistreated by Mac Properties. We are proud to support Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and the courageous individuals challenging—and seeking to stop— this unlawful discrimination,” said Tory Tilton, attorney from Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. “With this lawsuit, we hope to send a strong message that discrimination against Voucher holders will not be tolerated and that everyone has the right to safe and stable housing.”
If you or someone you know with a Voucher has concerns about their experience attempting to rent from Mac Properties or the lawsuit, please contact the legal team at 312-604-2700 or MacVoucher@hsplegal.com.
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HOPE Fair Housing Center
HOPE Fair Housing Center works to create greater housing opportunities for all. We want to ensure everyone has the chance to live where they choose, free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status, or any other characteristics protected under law. HOPE accomplishes this through education, outreach, enforcement, training, and advocacy. For more information, visit hopefair.org or call (630) 690-6500.
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights is a non-partisan, non-profit group of civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. We provide legal representation through partnerships with the private bar, and we collaborate with grassroots organizations and other advocacy groups to implement community-based solutions that advance civil rights. For more information, visit www.clccrul.org or call (312) 630-9744.
Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym
Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym (“HSPRD”) is a Chicago-based law firm with a national practice specializing in complex public interest litigation. HSPRD has litigated class actions against governments and large corporations on behalf of tenants, seniors, whistleblowers, consumers, employees, and victims of abuse, discrimination, and wage theft. For more information, visit www.hsplegal.com.