What is the HCV Advisory Council?

The HCV Advisory Council provides advice on matters such as the HCV program, mediation services, housing discrimination assistance and other resources and information. Please note that eligibility for some of these services is limited to HCV participants who currently reside in Chicago. This blog has resources that are helpful to all HCV participants looking for information on landlord/tenant law. The HCV advisory Council is intended to provide general information regarding HCV participants only.


What we do:

The HCV Advisory Council is unique in that we offer free advice to HCV participants who need to advocate for themselves. Many organizations that provide legal assistance refer HCV participants to us whom they're unable to represent. Our Advisory Council is very unique-it's one of the only places where HCV participants can ask a simple question about their housing issue and get an answer. And we can connect HCV participants in need to organizing efforts to improve policies and affect change at the structural level.

Please not that our HCV Advisory Council members are participants of the HCV program who volunteer their time on an ongoing basis for free because they care deeply about helping HCV participants in need. Our volunteers keep up-to-date on the latest developments in housing, regularly reading up on housing news, to provide the best advice possible. While we're not lawyers, the complexity of housing law in Chicago is such that lawyers who practice other areas of law are unfamiliar with many HCV participant issues. Many of the HCV Advisory Council's volunteers are among the most knowledgeable people on HCV participants' rights issues in Chicago. When we can't answer a question or be of assistance, and when we are difficult to reach, we appreciate your understanding.


What we do not do:

We cannot give legal advice-we're trained volunteers, not lawyers. While we can explain your rights and options under the law, we cannot advise you on how to proceed in a legal case. However, we may be able to refer to help you with finding a lawyer.

We don't give rental assistance or provide help with back-rent. We're a grassroots council, and we don't have the funds for this. However, we may be able to refer you to an agency that can assist with this, if you just can't afford the rent.

We cannot advocate on your behalf nor do we have any extra pull with city or state agencies. We can give you pointers on how to be an effective advocate for yourself.


Do you offer legal advice?

No. Our Advisory members are trained volunteers, not lawyers. We can tell you about your rights as a HCV participant, your options for solving a problem with your housing situation, and strategies for how to assert your rights. We can educate you about the laws that exist to protect you. However, we cannot advise you about how to proceed on legal matters. Only lawyers are legally permitted-and-qualified-to do that.

While we do not offer legal advice, most HCV participants who contact us do not need that-they simply need to know their rights, and strategies for enforcing them. In cases where HCV participants need legal representation, we may be able to refer HCV participants to organizations that have lawyers, or to private attorneys.

Most HCV participants who need free legal advice are unable to obtain it. There is no right under the law to a free lawyer for low-income people facing civil court cases, as there is for defendants in criminal cases. The HCV Advisory Council is fighting to change this, but currently the government does not provide this support. Some nonprofit organizations offer free legal assistance to tenants, but since funds are limited, only a small percentage of people in need are served, and most are turned away.