On Thursday, February 25th, Health & Medicine and the Chicago Housing Justice League hosted a virtual forum about Just Cause for Evictions, a proposed ordinance to support housing equity—and public health—in Chicago.

We were joined by Frank Avellone, Senior Attorney and Policy Coordinator, Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing; Antonio Gutierrez, Anti-Displacement Organizer, Autonomous Tenants Union; and Margie O’Neal, School Counseling Student, National Louis University, who provided the perspective of a tenant impacted by no-fault eviction. The forum was moderated by our Director of Health Equity, Wesley Epplin, who presented on evictions as a public health issue.

You can view the pdf of the slides here and view the recording here:

No-fault and no-cause lease terminations account for thousands of eviction cases filed against Chicago renters annually. As explored in prior Health & Medicine forums—and in community health assessments and public health plans, such as Healthy Chicago 2025—housing that is healthy, safe, affordable, accessible, and equitable is essential to supporting public health and health equity.

No-cause and no-fault evictions and non-renewals contribute to housing and health inequities. The Just Cause to Evict ordinance (O2020-3449) would help put a stop to no-fault and no-cause terminations, non-renewals, and no-fault evictions. It would also require relocation assistance when a landlord chooses to end a lease with a tenant and the tenant is not at fault.

Learn more about and join the Chicago Housing Justice League’s fight to end no-fault evictions in Chicago through Just Cause for Evictions here. Read our full twitter thread about the importance of housing equity here.