The Housing Authority of Cook County administers Housing Choice Vouchers in suburban Cook. Source-of-income protections in county and state law require landlords to consider voucher holders on equal terms with other applicants.
The Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) administers federal Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) for the suburban Cook County jurisdiction. Landlords participating in the program sign a HAP contract, undergo a Housing Quality Standards inspection, and receive direct payment of the subsidy portion. Cook County Human Rights Ordinance Ch. 42 and the Illinois Human Rights Act both list source of income as a protected class, so refusing voucher holders is unlawful discrimination regardless of program participation history. Income screening must use the tenant share only. Landlords may still apply uniform credit, criminal-record (subject to Just Housing limits), and rental-history standards equally to all applicants.
Refusing voucher holders, blanket no-Section-8 policies, or charging excessive screening fees triggers Human Rights Commission penalties up to $1000 per violation plus damages and attorney fees.
See how Evanston's section 8 voucher acceptance rules stack up against other locations.
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