On May 24, 2022, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 102-0896 which adds “source of income” as an additional protected class under the Illinois Human Rights Act. This change becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2023. Illinois REALTORS® will provide more guidance in the coming months on the change and what it means for housing providers in advance of the effective date.
The main concept is that once the amendment becomes effective, housing providers throughout the state of Illinois will not be able to deny or limit housing to persons based solely on their source of income, including but not limited to veterans’ benefits, disability benefits, support payments and housing subsidies such as HUD-issued Housing Choice Vouchers (aka Section 8 subsidies).
Source of Income is already a protected class in the city of Chicago, Cook County, the city of Naperville, the city of Champaign and the city of Urbana in Illinois. It could be protected in other local municipalities, so it is important to always check local ordinances.
Stay tuned to Illinois REALTORS® communication channels for more on this very important topic.