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 Rose became an attorney in Illinois in 1975 and initially worked as a legal aid lawyer in Evanston and Chicago, assisting low income persons who had civil legal problems. Rose 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. At the legal clinic, Rose supervised law students who provided legal assistance to low income persons with their civil legal problems. In 1999, Rose transitioned to classroom teaching at the law school and taught courses in Civil Procedure, Civil Rights, Poverty Law, Property, and Remedies. Rose retired in 2025 and is currently a Professor Emeritus at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
At the behest of Chicago Alderperson David Orr, Rose 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, Rose 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
After eight years as a real estate attorney at Katten Muchin, Debra Pogrund Stark became a professor at UIC School of Law (formerly The John Marshall Law School), where she taught property and real estate law. Stark also served as Vice-Chairperson of the Pro Bono Committee of the American Bar Association Real Property Section, chaired the Illinois Residential Mortgage Board, co-founded the law school’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, and served on the Board of Directors of Law Center for Better Housing from 2003–2010, including as Chair of its Program Committee.
Since 2008, Prof. Stark’s work has focused on empowering domestic violence survivors and their children to become safer and reclaim their lives. She 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 after seeing that many survivors were unaware of existing Illinois housing protections, such as the right to terminate a lease to escape abuse or defend against eviction tied to survivor status. LCBH assisted the project by helping gather data on tenant awareness and by supporting implementation of the law, which took effect January 1, 2026. Prof. Stark and her students are continuing to spread awareness of the new law to ensure landlords are complying with it.
Check back soon for our full list of 2026 Award Winners!
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 Rose became an attorney in Illinois in 1975 and initially worked as a legal aid lawyer in Evanston and Chicago, assisting low income persons who had civil legal problems. Rose 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. At the legal clinic, Rose supervised law students who provided legal assistance to low income persons with their civil legal problems. In 1999, Rose transitioned to classroom teaching at the law school and taught courses in Civil Procedure, Civil Rights, Poverty Law, Property, and Remedies. Rose retired in 2025 and is currently a Professor Emeritus at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
At the behest of Chicago Alderperson David Orr, Rose 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, Rose 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
After eight years as a real estate attorney at Katten Muchin, Debra Pogrund Stark became a professor at UIC School of Law (formerly The John Marshall Law School), where she taught property and real estate law. Stark also served as Vice-Chairperson of the Pro Bono Committee of the American Bar Association Real Property Section, chaired the Illinois Residential Mortgage Board, co-founded the law school’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, and served on the Board of Directors of Law Center for Better Housing from 2003–2010, including as Chair of its Program Committee.
Since 2008, Prof. Stark’s work has focused on empowering domestic violence survivors and their children to become safer and reclaim their lives. She 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 after seeing that many survivors were unaware of existing Illinois housing protections, such as the right to terminate a lease to escape abuse or defend against eviction tied to survivor status. LCBH assisted the project by helping gather data on tenant awareness and by supporting implementation of the law, which took effect January 1, 2026. Prof. Stark and her students are continuing to spread awareness of the new law to ensure landlords are complying with it.
Check back soon for our full list of 2026 Award Winners!
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.