CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — With Illinois’ moratorium on evictions now lifted, the Cook County Sheriff’s office is asking those in need to reach out to its Community Resource Center.
“We certainly anticipate the number of calls increasing this month,” said Senior Advisor Rebecca Levin.
The CRC opened last year during the coronavirus pandemic and serves as a one-stop-shop to help people navigate social services, housing, employment and medical services.
“It is so complicated out there,” added Levin. “If you're talking about the family where they're already dealing with the challenges and the stressors of their financial situation, maybe health conditions, maybe mental health issues, and on top of that, here are five different phone numbers that you have to call and three different people you'll have to email, that's just overwhelming.”
Even though evictions will resume at the end of this month, Levin told WBBM Newsradio there’s still financial aid available to both renters and property owners from the county and the state.
As an added safeguard, the sheriff’s office created a policy requiring property owners to confirm there’s no financial aid on the way before enforcing an eviction.
“The nightmare scenario for both a tenant and a housing provider is that we, at the sheriff's office, have the deputies go out and enforce an eviction and the very next day, the housing provider and the tenants are notified that essentially the check is in the mail,” said Levin.
The CRC is available virtually and can be reached by phone at (773) 405-5116 or by email at ccso.resourcecenter@ccsheriff.org.
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