Category: Latest News

Tenant Wins – Power Restored in More Ways Than One

Posted on by Gordon Dymowski

Empowerment often begins with knowledge. Earlier this year, on the MTO hotline, MTO spoke with a man from Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood. He is a disabled veteran living on a limited income. For three years, he had been paying more than $200 a month to ComEd and could not understand why his bill was so high. Eventually, the cost became unmanageable, and his power was shut off.

When the electricity was disconnected, his neighbors also lost power in parts of their apartments and in the hallway. It became clear that he had been unfairly paying for electricity that served other units.

Through our conversation, he learned what his rights are and what steps he could take. He decided to write a letter to the property owner stating that:

  • The owner is responsible for all charges beyond his actual usage,
  • He is seeking compensation for the overpayments, and
  • The landlord must place the utility account in their own name until the issue is resolved.

At the end of the call, he said, “Now I have a plan I can implement.” That moment

When someone realizes they have options and a path forward is empowerment.

From Crisis to Compensation: Organizing Works!

Posted on by Gordon Dymowski

In May 2025, our team responded to an urgent call from a tenant who had just received a devastating notice: their building had been declared uninhabitable by the Department of Buildings, and all residents were required to vacate within two days.

MTO mobilized immediately. That same day, MTO Building Organizer, David Wilson, went on-site to meet with tenants, explain their rights, and walk them through what to expect when a building is shut down due to landlord negligence. By Wednesday, the situation had escalated, and Chicago police and a court-appointed receiver arrived to clear the building, using methods that felt coercive and dehumanizing, with tenants treated more like criminals than residents.

Despite the urgency and uncertainty, MTO, in partnership with Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH), remained on the ground, working closely with the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) and the Red Cross to secure emergency shelter for displaced residents. At the same time, staff began advocating for tenants to receive compensation for the hardship they were facing.

Out of the 72-unit building, we were able to connect directly with 22 tenants. Many others had already left, unwilling to endure the deteriorating conditions.

MTO and LCBH negotiated with the receiver, who initially offered tenants between $650 and $800 in compensation. Recognizing that this was insufficient given the circumstances, our team pushed back. Through persistent advocacy and negotiation, we secured a revised offer of $2,000 per tenant, an outcome that tenants felt was far more fair.

This case is a powerful example of how rapid response, community collaboration, and organizing can make a meaningful difference.

Celebrating 40 Years of Tenant Power

Posted on by Gordon Dymowski

In February, we celebrated MTO’s 40th anniversary by bringing together all past leaders who made MTO the organization it is today. Together, we also celebrated John Bartlett’s retirement and his decades of advocacy and guidance. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the power of community!

The Next 40 Years of Housing Advocacy Starts Now!

RELEASE: Chicago City Council Passes Ordinance Establishing​ Proactive Rental Inspection Working Group

Posted on by Gordon Dymowski

Chicago Healthy Homes Coalition LogoWe are proud to have been part of the Chicago Healthy Homes Coalition’s work to pass this Working Group Ordinance. We look forward to further organizing and collaborating to ensure that Chicago renters/tenants have safe, secure housing. Along with the City of Chicago’s efforts to establish a rental registry, this demonstrates that housing is increasingly seen as a human right.

You can find more details via this Block Club Chicago article

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Tenants Union in Uptown Wins $40,000 from Corporate Landlord!

Posted on by Gordon Dymowski

After years of affordable rents under a small independent landlord, tenants at the corner of W. Montrose and N. Dayton received a horrifying holiday surprise. Right after Christmas, tenants received a notice from Rockwell Property (representing the building’s new ownership group, Montrose Investment Partners II LLC) that they had approximately 120 days to vacate their homes so their new landlord could renovate the building.

Many tenants had lived in the building for decades. Rockwell Property offered tenants a paltry $500 on the way out and a $500 credit if they moved back into the building when the renovations were done, and rents would inevitably be unaffordable for most tenants.

Fearful that they would not be able to afford to move and angry that they could be displaced so suddenly, the tenants sprang into action and formed the Mon-Day Tenants Association (MDTA) with one simple demand: if you want us to move, pay us to do so!

The demand was far from unreasonable. If the proposed Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance were law in Chicago, the landlord would have to give tenants, displaced through no fault of their own, substantial relocation assistance.

For the first month of the campaign, building ownership refused to negotiate with the MDTA. But with the help of organizers from MTO and ONE Northside, the MDTA gathered community support, escalated public pressure, and forced the owners to the table.

After weeks of intense negotiations, the MDTA approved an agreement in which the landlord waived last month’s rent and gave each unit $2,000 upon return of their keys at move-out.

MTO is proud to congratulate the MDTA on its victory. Organizing works!

 

“Just Cause” Ordinance Introduced in City Council

Posted on by Gordon Dymowski

Just Cause Ordinance Coalition On Wednesday, May 21, numerous supporters descended on Chicago’s City Council Meeting to support the introduction of the Just Cause Eviction Ordinance. The law requires landlords to have a just cause to evict a tenant. It would ban evictions due to retaliation. MTO supports passage of the just cause ordinance as a means of balancing power between landlords and tenants. If Just Cause passes, it would mean landlords would no longer have the power to threaten tenants with eviction for requesting repairs or organizing.

Under the proposed law, landlords must state one of seven reasons why they are evicting a tenant. Reasons include: failure to pay rent, follow the lease rules, refusal to sign a lease, the landlord wishes to no longer rent the unit or rent it to a relative, major rehab of the unit, or convert it to condominiums. If the landlord is terminating the lease for a reason in which the tenant is not at fault, then the tenant would be entitled to relocation assistance. So while the law does not end gentrification, it does begin to move the costs of gentrification to the property owners and developers, as they are the ones who benefit. Finally, the bill would create a registry of landlords and require people who own more than 20% of the building to disclose their interest.

Upon introduction, Alderman Ray Lopez asked that the bill be sent to the rules committee. His goal is to try and bury the tenants’ rights legislation. The Chicago Housing Justice Coalition is working with Council member Desmon Yancy to get the bill out of rules and into the housing committee for a hearing.

 

Invisible Hazards At Home: Lead Poisoning

Posted on by Yesenia

Story By LiMei Vera

When the Bolin family moved into their Lincoln Square apartment in the 47th Ward, they believed they had found the perfect place for their young family. The apartment was affordable and offered a place to grow their roots. They registered their lively two-year-old son for local art and swim classes and prepared to welcome their daughter.

Warning Signs

However, after a year in the apartment, their son began experiencing health problems: he abruptly lost his appetite, had trouble sleeping, and started displaying seemingly inexplicable behavioral changes.

Lead paint chipping.

A visit to the doctor gave the Bolin family an unexpected answer: their son had elevated blood lead levels. For children his age, lead attacks the brain and central nervous system. It can cause irreversible damage, contributing to long-term developmental delays and complex behavioral disorders.

For John Bolin, the news was terrifying:

“We’re his parents and are supposed to keep our children safe. Finding out that it’s in your house, and that the one place that should be the safest place for them to be is actually the worst place for them to be, is incredibly upsetting and scary.”

A city inspector confirmed that the Bolin family’s apartment contained dangerous lead levels in the windows, door casings, doors, stairwells, and walls. No amount of lead exposure is considered safe for children under the age of six, but the Bolins’ home contains 58 times the allowable limit.

While this story is haunting, it is all too common in a city that does not mandate proactive inspections of rental units. In Chicago, units are not typically tested for lead until after a child has already been poisoned. Buildings constructed before 1978 commonly contain lead, yet Chicago has no proactive inspection program.

The Bolin family has made significant adjustments to protect their son, who recently celebrated his third birthday, and their daughter, who is just beginning to crawl. The Bolin family spend “all day cleaning the floors so we aren’t tracking lead all over the apartment.” They have set up a playpen and foam mats for their daughter to protect her from dust containing lead on the floor. They refrain from running the AC units, because the inspector noted that the units may pull lead dust from the windows. And everyday,

Rachel Bolin answers questions from her son. He asks why he feels different, why he can’t go to sleep at night, and why he gets so angry – all symptoms associated with lead exposure.

For Rachel, this has been heartbreaking.

“Our children deserve to live normal lives.”

With the help of MTO, the Bolins terminated their lease, and plan to move. Amidst ongoing visits to the doctor’s office, they also face other challenges, such as finding housing on a limited budget on a short timeline. A quick move is costly, and currently after much pressure, the landlords have offered less than a month’s rent of assistance.

Despite these challenges, the Bolins’ first priority is to get their child into safe and healthy housing. This priority needs to inform our city’s policies, too.

 

Tenants Fight a Roach Infestation with FWP

Posted on by Yesenia

Story by Tulsi McDaniels

In September 2024, tenants Simone and Andrew moved into a building managed by First Western, only to discover a severe roach infestation. They sought help from MTO, who guided them in drafting a formal termination letter to end their lease early.

However, their experience with First Western quickly became a nightmare. As Simone explained,

“Our experience with First Western was one of the most stressful we’ve ever faced. They completely pulled the rug out from under us once we sent them money. We never even got official keys. They are just a half step away from being a complete scam… leaving us without habitable housing. An experience I wish on no one.”

First Western initially denied their request and demanded an additional two months’ rent to terminate the lease. With MTO’s support, Simone and Andrew stood firm, highlighting the building’s failure to meet health and safety standards. Their persistence paid off when First Western agreed to release them from the lease without extra charges, allowing them to move to a safer home.

Their experience demonstrated the importance of tenant rights and the power of advocacy in the face of predatory property management.