About This Event
Join the Law Center for Better Housing on Thursday, October 15th, at our 2026 Fall Benefit, celebrating the housing heroes protecting renters and preserving communities!
Enjoy delicious food, live music, and networking at Chicago's legendary blues club, Buddy Guy's Legends (700 S. Wabash), while we honor people and organizations working together to advance and enforce renters' rights to keep more families stably housed!
Don’t wait to purchase your tickets! The early bird sale ends 09/15/2026. Questions about sponsorships? Email Allen Hailey at ahailey@lcbh.org.
Meet our Award Winners:
Barbara Grau Outstanding Housing Advocate Award - Henry (Hank) Rose
Henry (Hank) Rose became an attorney in Illinois in 1975 and initially worked as a legal aid lawyer, assisting low income persons who had civil legal problems. He joined the faculty at Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1982 as a professor, where he directed the law school’s first legal clinic. Hank retired in 2025 and is currently a Professor Emeritus. At the behest of Chicago Alderperson David Orr, Hank and William Wilen (an attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, now know as Legal Aid Chicago) drafted the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance that was enacted into law in 1986. Since 2022, Hank has been a member of the Advocate’s Council of the Law Center for Better Housing.
Sharon L. King Distinguished Alumni Award - Debra P. Stark
Debra Porgund Stark served on the Law Center for Better Housing Board of Directors from 2003–2010, including as Chair of its Program Committee. Since 2008, the UIC School of Law Professor's work has focused on empowering domestic violence survivors and their children to become safer and reclaim their lives. Debra founded and directed the law school’s Family Law & Domestic Violence Clinic and created its Domestic Violence Law, Policy, & Community Engagement course. Through that work, she and her students developed the Summary of Rights for Safer Homes Act, which took effect in January 2026. LCBH supported Debra's work by gathering data on tenant awareness of the Safer Homes Act.
Community Partner Award - John Bartlett
John Bartlett spent more than 35 years empowering and organizing renters in Chicago while on staff with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO). He held numerous roles at MTO, including executive director where he directed the implementation of several new programs, including MTO’s Healthy Homes Program and a citywide tenants’ hotline, which receives calls from more than 10,000 tenants annually. He has worked alongside LCBH staff members and other housing advocates on several strategic planning task forces to reform tenant law. Additionally, John was vital in establishing a partnership between MTO and LCBH, which helps connect hundreds of renters in tenant associations with LCBH for legal aid.
Pro Bono Service Award - Koch Pro Bono Initiative
The Koch Pro Bono Initiative works with non-profits and community groups to create lasting partnerships that bring legal services, like free access to tools and documents, directly to those who need them most. All Koch employees, not just those in the legal field, are encouraged to participate in their pro bono efforts. Between 2023 and 2025, LCBH partnered with Koch’s Pro Bono Initiative and Jones Day to host five community clinics focused on assisting tenants facing unsafe or unhealthy conditions in their apartments. Volunteers from Koch and Jones Day have helped 26 tenants draft 14-day conditions letters requesting their landlords to make the necessary repairs.
About LCBH
The Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH) is the only legal aid nonprofit in Chicago focused exclusively on housing justice issues. In 2025, LCBH reached more than 17,000 low- and moderate-income renters in Chicago and suburban Cook County through our free legal and supportive services, community outreach, and public policy advocacy. Our programs holistically address both the short-term housing crisis and underlying causes, so that more families can move from a path leading to homelessness to one of safe and stable housing.
Learn more about our work and 2025 Impact here.
About This Event
Join the Law Center for Better Housing on Thursday, October 15th, at our 2026 Fall Benefit, celebrating the housing heroes protecting renters and preserving communities!
Enjoy delicious food, live music, and networking at Chicago's legendary blues club, Buddy Guy's Legends (700 S. Wabash), while we honor people and organizations working together to advance and enforce renters' rights to keep more families stably housed!
Don’t wait to purchase your tickets! The early bird sale ends 09/15/2026. Questions about sponsorships? Email Allen Hailey at ahailey@lcbh.org.
Meet our Award Winners:
Barbara Grau Outstanding Housing Advocate Award - Henry (Hank) Rose
Henry (Hank) Rose became an attorney in Illinois in 1975 and initially worked as a legal aid lawyer, assisting low income persons who had civil legal problems. He joined the faculty at Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1982 as a professor, where he directed the law school’s first legal clinic. Hank retired in 2025 and is currently a Professor Emeritus. At the behest of Chicago Alderperson David Orr, Hank and William Wilen (an attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, now know as Legal Aid Chicago) drafted the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance that was enacted into law in 1986. Since 2022, Hank has been a member of the Advocate’s Council of the Law Center for Better Housing.
Sharon L. King Distinguished Alumni Award - Debra P. Stark
Debra Porgund Stark served on the Law Center for Better Housing Board of Directors from 2003–2010, including as Chair of its Program Committee. Since 2008, the UIC School of Law Professor's work has focused on empowering domestic violence survivors and their children to become safer and reclaim their lives. Debra founded and directed the law school’s Family Law & Domestic Violence Clinic and created its Domestic Violence Law, Policy, & Community Engagement course. Through that work, she and her students developed the Summary of Rights for Safer Homes Act, which took effect in January 2026. LCBH supported Debra's work by gathering data on tenant awareness of the Safer Homes Act.
Community Partner Award - John Bartlett
John Bartlett spent more than 35 years empowering and organizing renters in Chicago while on staff with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO). He held numerous roles at MTO, including executive director where he directed the implementation of several new programs, including MTO’s Healthy Homes Program and a citywide tenants’ hotline, which receives calls from more than 10,000 tenants annually. He has worked alongside LCBH staff members and other housing advocates on several strategic planning task forces to reform tenant law. Additionally, John was vital in establishing a partnership between MTO and LCBH, which helps connect hundreds of renters in tenant associations with LCBH for legal aid.
Pro Bono Service Award - Koch Pro Bono Initiative
The Koch Pro Bono Initiative works with non-profits and community groups to create lasting partnerships that bring legal services, like free access to tools and documents, directly to those who need them most. All Koch employees, not just those in the legal field, are encouraged to participate in their pro bono efforts. Between 2023 and 2025, LCBH partnered with Koch’s Pro Bono Initiative and Jones Day to host five community clinics focused on assisting tenants facing unsafe or unhealthy conditions in their apartments. Volunteers from Koch and Jones Day have helped 26 tenants draft 14-day conditions letters requesting their landlords to make the necessary repairs.
About LCBH
The Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH) is the only legal aid nonprofit in Chicago focused exclusively on housing justice issues. In 2025, LCBH reached more than 17,000 low- and moderate-income renters in Chicago and suburban Cook County through our free legal and supportive services, community outreach, and public policy advocacy. Our programs holistically address both the short-term housing crisis and underlying causes, so that more families can move from a path leading to homelessness to one of safe and stable housing.
Learn more about our work and 2025 Impact here.