
Fair Housing Month
Fair Housing Month
Fair Housing Month is observed annually in April to commemorate the passing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968. This legislation was enacted to prohibit discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status. As we observe Fair Housing Month, it is essential to recognize the significance of the Fair Housing Act and the ongoing fight for fair and equitable housing opportunities.
At Community Renewal Society, we believe that everyone deserves a safe, affordable, and stable home, and one of the key ways we pursue our mission of fighting racism and poverty is through our housing justice work.
Through our housing justice work, we aim to address the systemic barriers that prevent individuals and families from accessing safe and affordable housing. We believe that housing is a human right, and we work to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable housing options regardless of their race, income, or other factors. We do this through a variety of initiatives, including advocacy for policies that support fair housing practices, providing education and resources for tenants and landlords, and supporting the development of affordable housing in communities that need it most.
As we reflect on Fair Housing Month, we are reminded that the work of creating a more just and equitable society is ongoing. While the Fair Housing Act was a significant step forward in the fight for fair housing, discrimination and inequality still exist in housing today. At CRS, we remain committed to continuing this fight and advocating for policies and practices that promote fair and equitable housing opportunities for all.
Click here to learn more about the work CRS is doing in our Restoring Opportunities and Justice Reform issue area.
This blog article tracks executive orders issued by the current administration that limit affordable healthcare for low-income individuals, target refugees, roll back environmental protections, deepen disparities among marginalized communities, reinforce inequality, and more.
Today is Election Day. That means today, Tuesday, November 5, is the last day to cast our votes for a host of political offices that have the power to determine the course of the future for our individual and communal lives. CRS encourages all who read this to make that choice.
CRS and our member congregation, Urban Village Church, Wicker Park, co-hosted a virtual gathering on October 23. This online meeting set out to educate our network on the battle to end pretextual traffic stops in Chicago and empower folks to mobilize because, as asserted before, when we fight, we win.
CRS co-hosted a prayer vigil with our member congregation, Urban Village Church, at Grace Church of Logan Square for our “We Won’t Bury the Slain: Day of Action” on September 18. Together with site pastors and Black, Brown, white, and LGBTQIA+ communities in Chicago, we embodied the longstanding tradition of acting in solidarity in the pursuit of justice.
Our voices will resound stronger, louder, and unbroken in unison and Beloved Community. Our foreparents faced setbacks and obstacles. Still, they rose to the occasion for us and generations yet born. We will carry that spirited fire because it is perpetual and vibrantly inextinguishable through the persistence of our prayers, our protests, and our policies.
CRS rang in Freedom Day early and boosted backing for the Free2Move Coalition’s campaign and their petition to end pretextual stops by canvassing at the June 15 Juneteenth Village Fest hosted by It Takes A Village Family of Schools. Check out photos from the fest here!
On this Juneteenth, let’s honor our history by continuing our ancestors’ fight for freedom. Read our statement as we celebrate and build political power to ensure that Black liberation is a reality.
This Memorial Day holiday, as CRS reflects on lives dedicated to service, moral courage, and the principles of justice, sacrifice, and human dignity, we do so against the backdrop of present-day wars, genocide, and a culture of violence that includes poverty and racism. We are beckoned to memorialize the peacekeepers of our past by being the change agents in this very hour of world suffering and unrest.
As CRS calls on transparent conversations about the Chicago Police Department’s use of excessive force in relationship to Black, Brown, and Indigenous people of our Beloved city, we share a list of traffic stop resources in partnership with the ACLU of Illinois.
In America, policing has almost become synonymous with Black death. The March 21 killing of Dexter Reed (26) in Chicago is yet another horrific example of the ways in which Black bodies are violently and fatally endangered when they come in contact with law enforcement. They can’t keep killing us. The excessive use of force must stop!
As April ushers in the change of spring, CRS proudly joins the nation in acknowledging Second Chance Month! This designation holds profound significance for us as we champion just reentry and equitable opportunities for all.

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