About This Event
Join the Law Center for Better Housing in Bringing Justice Home on Thursday, October 17th at our 2024 Fall Benefit!
Enjoy delicious food, live music, and networking at Chicago's legendary blues club, Buddy Guy's Legends (700 S. Wabash), while we recognize people and organizations who level the playing field for renters in and outside of eviction court, ensuring more families stay stably housed.
Don’t wait to purchase your tickets! The early bird sale ends October 1st, 2024. Questions about sponsorships? Email Allen Hailey at ahailey@lcbh.org.
Meet our Award Winners:
Barbara Grau Outstanding Housing Advocate Award - Taft West embarked on his real estate journey in the late 1970s. Over three decades, he excelled in management roles, prioritizing tenant respect and dignity. His advocacy extended to training landlords and tenants on their rights covered by the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance. Taft’s advocacy for fair treatment of tenants continued into 2017 when he joined the Law Center for Better Housing Board of Directors. As the only property manager on the Board, Taft provided a unique perspective for the group primarily comprised of attorneys. The award’s namesake, Barbara Grau, was LCBH’s first full-time staff attorney, devoting her career to protecting renters’ rights. Like Barbara, Taft’s commitment to helping renters is evident through his life’s work.
Justice Innovation Award - Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) Commission uses technology-driven solutions to enhance access to legal information and assistance to address the specific challenges faced by litigants who are self-represented, do not speak English as a first language, disabled, or vulnerable. Services and programs, such as IL Court Help, Language Access, Statewide Standardized Forms, Disability Access, and Appellate Resource allow litigants to meaningfully participate in the legal system and advocate for themselves without a lawyer. Specifically, the ATJ Commission’s development of standardized, plain language, simplified forms has impacted the eviction court process. Last year, the ATJ Commission released new eviction answer and eviction sealing forms, giving self-represented litigants access to the tools they need to respond to an eviction case filed against them and ask the court to remove an eviction case from the public record after it is completed.
Sharon L. King Distinguished Alumni Award - Anthony Simpkins is a leader in Chicago’s affordable housing community. He began his legal career as a Skadden Foundation fellow at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago and the Law Center for Better Housing, representing renters in illegal evictions called “lockouts.” He is currently the President and CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago, a nonprofit HUD-certified housing counseling organization. Anthony served the City of Chicago in multiple roles, including Managing Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Housing, where he administered housing and community development policies, and as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Planning and Development, where he developed groundbreaking programs like the Troubled Buildings Initiative. From 2014 to 2016, he was a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award - 1871, a global nonprofit innovation hub, exists to inspire, equip, and support founders, innovators and visionary leaders in technology across the globe. Founded in 2012, 1871 is a cornerstone of Chicago’s tech ecosystem, supporting early-stage startups to Fortune 50 companies through curated programming, need-based scholarships, and resources as they build and scale businesses. Last year, LCBH’s Rentervention Director, Conor Malloy, joined the inaugural AI Innovation Lab, where he worked alongside Chicago-based entrepreneurs and the 2023 cohort to explore new connections and capabilities for Rentervention, our free online resource for renters. With the support of the Lab cohort, LCBH grew its ability to use AI to empower renters to find actionable legal information. Andrew Harrison, a partner and leader of WMNfintech, a national accelerator program run in collaboration with 1871 that empowers women start-up founders, and Gabby Snedeker, the Senior Director of Innovation Labs at 1871, both also support LCBH as Board of Directors and Young Professionals Board members.
About LCBH
The Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH) stands for renters' rights. We’re the only legal aid organization in Chicago focused exclusively on housing justice issues. In 2023, LCBH served nearly 19,000 low- and moderate-income households through legal and supportive services while advocating for public policy initiatives to advance housing justice for all.
About This Event
Join the Law Center for Better Housing in Bringing Justice Home on Thursday, October 17th at our 2024 Fall Benefit!
Enjoy delicious food, live music, and networking at Chicago's legendary blues club, Buddy Guy's Legends (700 S. Wabash), while we recognize people and organizations who level the playing field for renters in and outside of eviction court, ensuring more families stay stably housed.
Don’t wait to purchase your tickets! The early bird sale ends October 1st, 2024. Questions about sponsorships? Email Allen Hailey at ahailey@lcbh.org.
Meet our Award Winners:
Barbara Grau Outstanding Housing Advocate Award - Taft West embarked on his real estate journey in the late 1970s. Over three decades, he excelled in management roles, prioritizing tenant respect and dignity. His advocacy extended to training landlords and tenants on their rights covered by the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance. Taft’s advocacy for fair treatment of tenants continued into 2017 when he joined the Law Center for Better Housing Board of Directors. As the only property manager on the Board, Taft provided a unique perspective for the group primarily comprised of attorneys. The award’s namesake, Barbara Grau, was LCBH’s first full-time staff attorney, devoting her career to protecting renters’ rights. Like Barbara, Taft’s commitment to helping renters is evident through his life’s work.
Justice Innovation Award - Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) Commission uses technology-driven solutions to enhance access to legal information and assistance to address the specific challenges faced by litigants who are self-represented, do not speak English as a first language, disabled, or vulnerable. Services and programs, such as IL Court Help, Language Access, Statewide Standardized Forms, Disability Access, and Appellate Resource allow litigants to meaningfully participate in the legal system and advocate for themselves without a lawyer. Specifically, the ATJ Commission’s development of standardized, plain language, simplified forms has impacted the eviction court process. Last year, the ATJ Commission released new eviction answer and eviction sealing forms, giving self-represented litigants access to the tools they need to respond to an eviction case filed against them and ask the court to remove an eviction case from the public record after it is completed.
Sharon L. King Distinguished Alumni Award - Anthony Simpkins is a leader in Chicago’s affordable housing community. He began his legal career as a Skadden Foundation fellow at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago and the Law Center for Better Housing, representing renters in illegal evictions called “lockouts.” He is currently the President and CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago, a nonprofit HUD-certified housing counseling organization. Anthony served the City of Chicago in multiple roles, including Managing Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Housing, where he administered housing and community development policies, and as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Planning and Development, where he developed groundbreaking programs like the Troubled Buildings Initiative. From 2014 to 2016, he was a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award - 1871, a global nonprofit innovation hub, exists to inspire, equip, and support founders, innovators and visionary leaders in technology across the globe. Founded in 2012, 1871 is a cornerstone of Chicago’s tech ecosystem, supporting early-stage startups to Fortune 50 companies through curated programming, need-based scholarships, and resources as they build and scale businesses. Last year, LCBH’s Rentervention Director, Conor Malloy, joined the inaugural AI Innovation Lab, where he worked alongside Chicago-based entrepreneurs and the 2023 cohort to explore new connections and capabilities for Rentervention, our free online resource for renters. With the support of the Lab cohort, LCBH grew its ability to use AI to empower renters to find actionable legal information. Andrew Harrison, a partner and leader of WMNfintech, a national accelerator program run in collaboration with 1871 that empowers women start-up founders, and Gabby Snedeker, the Senior Director of Innovation Labs at 1871, both also support LCBH as Board of Directors and Young Professionals Board members.
About LCBH
The Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH) stands for renters' rights. We’re the only legal aid organization in Chicago focused exclusively on housing justice issues. In 2023, LCBH served nearly 19,000 low- and moderate-income households through legal and supportive services while advocating for public policy initiatives to advance housing justice for all.