What to know ahead of this weekend’s eviction moratorium expiration
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – The state’s eviction moratorium will expire Sunday, and what comes next for renters will likely depend on their county of residence, as county courts and sheriffs will all have different approaches to executing evictions.
The original eviction moratorium was issued in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down the state and national economy, and it has been amended several times in the months following. The most recent iteration prevented law enforcement officials from carrying out evictions on “covered persons,” while a coinciding state Supreme Court order prevented certain trials and final judgements on eviction cases. Both will expire Sunday.
Bob Palmer, policy director at Housing Action Illinois, said during a phone call that he’s hopeful there won’t be a crush of evictions to happen on the day the moratorium expires, because the Supreme Court’s order has slowed the process of eviction cases moving through the courts.
Susan Simone, director of litigation and advocacy at Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, said during a phone call her organization has “already started to see a huge upswing in cases being filed.”
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid provides services such as legal advice and court representation free of charge to low-income individuals in central and southern Illinois. More information is available at lincolnlegal.org or by calling 877-342-7891.
“I ran some numbers earlier in September and we saw a 40 percent increase in housing calls from pre-COVID to 2021,” Simone said. “In August, we had 45 to 60 calls per week which was up from 25 to 35 in the weeks before.”
Simone said the organization had 405 open cases at the beginning of September, and that had increased to 480 open cases as of Friday.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen come Monday, but I do know that some landlords are waiting, or some landlords’ attorneys are waiting until Monday and have cases stacked up,” she said. “Some have already started filing. In Sangamon County, one attorney, we understand, filed over 55 cases just last week.”
Landlord groups have said the stay on eviction processes has stressed landlords, particularly those with smaller footprints. The Chicago-based Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance, an alliance of several smaller neighborhood building owners associations in the area, said in a news release eviction proceedings are a necessary tool for landlords, even if they don’t always lead to an eviction.
“Just because we can begin the eviction process doesn’t mean that we want to,” Michael Glasser, president of NBOA, said in a statement. “Our housing providers don’t want to go through the long and painful legal process of eviction, especially when they have the opportunity to receive rental assistance.”
Gov. JB Pritzker’s office said it has released $443 million in legal aid Illinois has received from the federal government. There’s $61 million still to be distributed, and another $60 million is available through a court-based rental assistance program which is meant to serve as a “safety net” for those who may be eligible for rent assistance but otherwise have not applied. Landlords must include information on the program in court filings, and more information can be found at https://ilrpp.ihda.org.
The state has received more than 99,000 applications for rental aid and approved about 49,100 of them, according to the governor’s office. IHDA is reaching out to applicants who had incomplete or incorrectly filed applications, and applicants can check their status at https://ilrpp.ihda.org/status.
The NBOA noted that in Cook County, the eviction process can take months, and it offers many opportunities to settle. It’s the same in virtually every county, Palmer said.
In the Chicago area, renters seeking assistance can visit https://chicookilrenthelp.org. Assistance may also still be available in certain areas through the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the two state agencies overseeing disbursement of federal funding, at https://www.illinoisrentalassistance.org/providers. The IHDA call center can be reached at 866-454-3571.
Free legal assistance, such as that offered by Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, may be accessed through Eviction Help Illinois by visiting https://evictionhelpillinois.org or calling 855-631-0811.
Simone said there are also several rights that renters should be aware of if they are facing eviction.
“I think people really need to understand that if they get a summons for eviction, they have to go to court,” she said. “They have to get there on time, because orders are entered into if they’re not there.”
Renters can always request a trial, especially if they believe their landlord is refusing to apply for rental aid, and they should not agree to anything they don’t understand or that is not very specific.
“If the landlord’s attorney says, you know, ‘do you agree to be out?’ and they are agreeable to being out, make sure they know what the date’s going to be, that they understand they have to be gone by that date. If they need more time, they should ask for more time,” Simone said.
Simone said those who fear they are facing eviction should call their county sheriff to see if there’s anything scheduled in terms of an eviction date. If there is an eviction order entered, if it’s more than 120 days old, she said, the sheriff should not be enforcing it, and the landlord is required to get an extension order from the court.
Despite all of the efforts to prevent homelessness, Simone said, she’s seen an uptick anecdotally in homelessness in the Land of Lincoln territory.
“I travel around our service territory a fair amount and everywhere I go I see homeless people now that I didn’t see before,” she said.
Palmer said Housing Action Illinois maintains a database of homelessness prevention services, including local Continuum of Care networks. It can be viewed at https://housingactionil.org/get-help/resources-homeless/. Housing Action Illinois can be reached by phone at 312-939-6074.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Lions Club District 1A Helen Keller race draws big field
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The damp weather from overnight rain did not deter more than 100 people on Sunday morning from getting some exercise. The 14th annual District 1A Helen Keller 5k Fun Run/Walk proudly took place along at Harold L. Richard’s High School, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn. “This is a really great…
EPCHS students collect shoes for Christmas Without Cancer Sneaker Drive
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Students in Evergreen Park Community High School’s junior physical education leadership class teamed up with the non-profit organization Christmas Without Cancer to help local families battling the devastation of cancer. The class – taught by EPCHS physical education teacher Ree McDonald – helped gather donations for Christmas Without Cancer’s second…
Swallow Cliff Chapter, NSDAR, honors JROTC cadets
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Swallow Cliff Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, participated in recent JROTC awards ceremonies held at Shepard High School in Palos Heights and Richards High School in Oak Lawn. The DAR JROTC award, consisting of a medal and certificate, was presented to Navy Cadet Emily Schrode at Richards…
Man charged with child abduction in Stickney Township
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Chicago man was charged last week with child abduction and luring of a minor after Cook County Sheriff’s Police detectives found he attempted to lure a minor into his vehicle, said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. According to police, about 4:43 p.m. on Monday, April 22, officers responded…
Worth Library celebrates 60th anniversary
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The Worth Public Library has been around for decades. Resting in the heart of the village at 6917 W. 111th St., the library held an event focusing on its rich background story on April 23 with a historical photo exhibit. “It’s amazing because this library is still so important to…
Rose Zubik, Woman’s Club veteran, installed as 3rd District president
Spread the love Rose Zubik, of Palos Heights, the new president of the 3rd District General Federation of Women’s Clubs-Illinois, lights a candle during the installation ceremony held April 27 at Fox’s Restaurant in Orland Park. Heather Linehan, the outgoing president, is beside her.By Dermot Connolly A longtime member of the Palos Heights Woman’s Club…
Shots fired in Chicago Ridge Commons parking lot
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Shots were fired Wednesday night in the parking lot at Chicago Ridge Commons mall. Police said they received reports of the shooting about 9:45 p.m. No injuries were reported. Multiple witnesses told police four men were walking through the parking lot from the XSport Fitness area. They approached two vehicles…
Hair salon with a ‘flair’ marks first year in Chicago Ridge
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Melissa Kowalski wanted to do something meaningful to mark the first-year anniversary of her Flair With Hair Salon in Chicago Ridge. “We did not have a grand opening last year so I wanted to do something really special,” Kowalski said. “We wanted to say thank you to our clients.” Kowalski,…
Palos East fifth-grader wins Scholastic Storyworks writing contest
Spread the loveGabriel Chowaniec, a fifth-grader at Palos East Elementary School, has been named a winner of the Scholastic Storyworks Magazine writing contest. Gabriel, who is a student in Cathy Casey’s fifth-grade classroom, was named one of only five winners nationally for the December 2023/January 2024 competition. Garbriel’s submission for the nonfiction story “The Shattered Land,” “showed a strong understanding of the text along with the ability to author a well-organized…
Shepard celebrates Autism Week
Spread the loveBy Kelly White World Autism Acceptance Week is organized by the National Autistic Society in the first week of April and aims to raise awareness about the challenges autistic people face across all areas of society. Not missing out the opportunity to celebrate all-inclusion was Shepard High School, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos…
Neighbors
Palos Heights recognizes volunteers
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights handed out awards last week recognizing the services provided by volunteers through the years. The proclamations, which were read aloud during the city council meeting April 16, were a testament to the city’s volunteers and were handed out as part of Volunteer Recognition Week. Volunteers were cited for…
Boys Volleyball | Richards weathering struggles after run of success
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a tough weekend at the Smack Attack tournament, Richards got back into the win column with a two-set victory over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Red match. The Bulldogs made quick work of the Cardinals, winning 25-16, 25-15 on April 23 in Oak Lawn to snap a five-match…
SD218 puts on annual Arts Extravaganza
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The arts have become a major portion of the curriculum Community High School District 218. Showcasing those many talents, the Friends of CHSD 218’s Education Foundation proudly hosted its 15th annual Arts Extravaganza on April 5 at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. “The Arts Extravaganza is a great event…
Gaming licenses to be tougher to get in Orland Park
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva It’s going to take longer to receive gaming licenses in Orland Park. The village board passed an ordinance April 15 that would allow table service businesses open at least 36 consecutive months to apply rather than the previous 18 months, and extended the probationary period to 18 months instead of…
Palos Park passes $16 million budget
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Palos Park Village Council approved the 2024-25 budget, which totals a little more than $16.3 million at the April 22 village council meeting. According to village documents, it represented an increase of a shade over $603,000 from last year. The village is expecting $13.4 million in revenue and $1.86…
Fire damages Al Bahaar Restaurant in Orland Park
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Orland Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a fire Monday evening at the Al Bahaar Restaurant, 39 Orland Square Dr. At first, restaurant owners suspected the fire alarm was triggered by a malfunction, but as firefighters inspected the restaurant to reset the fire alarm, they detected a burning smell. “What…
Year of growth | Evergreen Park enjoying inaugural boys volleyball season
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After almost 70 years of existence as a high school, Evergreen Park finally has a boys volleyball team. The Mustangs are playing their inaugural season with a junior varsity squad, with some matches being played at the varsity level. Head coach Brian Zofkie is leading this group with assistant…
‘Brazen and cowardly’: Police, community outraged by officer’s slaying
Spread the love. By Tim Hadac Police and others across the Southwest Side reacted with outrage this week over the slaying of a Chicago Police officer in the early morning hours on Sunday. Officer Luis M. Huesca was shot to death on the street in the 3100 block of West 56th Street at 2:53 a.m.…