Blog

What can you tell us about your background?
I was born and raised in St. Andrew, Jamaica and lived in Jamaica until the age of 10 when my family moved to New Jersey. After a few years on the east coast, we transitioned to Boca Raton, Florida. I completed my undergraduate studies at Florida State University and obtained a master’s degree at Georgia State University before becoming a high school English teacher in South Florida. I moved to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago Law School in 2010 and fell in love with the city of Chicago.

What is your involvement outside of LCBH?
I joined Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg in 2013, after interning there during my second year of law school. I currently serve on the board for the Alumni Club of the University of Chicago, where I am the chair of the By-Laws Committee in addition to playing an active role in fundraising, service and community engagement. I also serve as a mentor to UChicago’s Black Law Student Association. I previously served as an associate board member for the Chicago Committee on Minorities for Large Law Firms.

It is a beautiful fall day. My kids have returned to school and the tree leaves in my neighborhood will soon turn from green to bright, vibrant colors. This process of change and renewal is a fitting description for LCBH’s work this year.

For the past 18 months, we’ve adapted to working during the pandemic and responded to frequent changes to the Illinois eviction moratorium. This month’s "LCBH Scoop" includes an update on what will happen the Illinois eviction moratorium ends. It's also an invitation to join us November 18th at Revolution Brewing for our annual fall benefit, "Bringing Justice Home."

I am sad to report that the Illinois eviction moratorium is expiring, so this will be my last update on it. While the Governor's eviction moratorium order was already partially lifted to allow for new eviction filings starting August 1st, the moratorium continues to protect renters by prohibiting the sheriff from actually evicting renters, but these protections will end on October 3rd.

While much of Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing’s (LCBH) recent work has focused on preventing evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, reminders of a previous housing crisis that placed tenants in peril came roaring back this spring. In late April, an adverse court decision struck down the Keep Chicago Renting Ordinance (KCRO). Thanks to the collective action of LCBH, Communities United (CU), and First Ward Alderman Daniel LaSpata, the City Council passed a revised and improved KCRO on July 21st. This urgent response rested on the likelihood that large numbers of tenants may once again face eviction due to building owners being unable to pay their mortgage.

The KCRO was originally passed in 2013 after years of advocacy by LCBH and community partners responding to the housing crisis that began in the late 2000s. For several years following the housing crash, tenants living in foreclosed buildings were left in legal limbo, often unable to pay rent to the original owner while knowing next to nothing about the fate of the building and any potential new owners. In those circumstances, many renters were evicted from their homes or were not extended new leases by new ownership, leading many to heightened housing instability thereafter.

Combining its policy advocacy, direct service, and community engagement expertise, LCBH is taking the next step in implementing this spring’s historic eviction record sealing legislation. LCBH has created a chatbot document assembly tool in Rentervention and is organizing training for community organizations on the negative impact of eviction records and the mechanics of filing a motion to seal. Staff have designed training sessions to explain incomplete or unclear court records and equip community members with information on how to use LCBH’s chatbot, Renny, to file a motion to seal a previous eviction. The presentation will cover best practices on the sealing process and provide step-by-step instructions to create and file a motion to seal. People who attend the sessions will leave with a better understanding of the eviction sealing process.

Here are some questions that a training can help tenants and community-based organizations answer: