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An Illinois judge ordered a pair of landlords to pay $80,000 to former tenants after threatening to report them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after a dispute in 2020. Samir Hanna, the director of housing justice and a senior attorney for the Shriver Center, said these protection are necessary to prevent the exploitation of tenants, "particularly as our current climate creates incentives for abuse."

Stephanie Altman, the director of healthcare justice and senior policy director at the Shriver Center, talks about the devastating impact that cutting Medicaid would have on the state of Illinois.

In an essay for Crain’s Chicago Business, Stephanie Altman — the Shriver Center’s director of health care justice and senior director of policy — describes how defunding Medicaid would make people less healthy and more financially unstable. She says the cuts would have ripple effects across the state, leaving Illinoisans more vulnerable to public health emergencies and push many underfunded hospitals that serve low-income communities to the brink of bankruptcy.

Jeremy Rosen, the Shriver Center's director of economic justice, was quoted in the Sun-Times about the benefits of the state’s expanded earned income tax credit. As of the 2023 tax year, the credit includes people who file using an IRS-issued Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, commonly used by undocumented workers.

The Shriver Center is proud to announce it will share office space with coalition partners Women Employed. Starting in December, the staff of Women Employed (WE) will join us at 67 East Madison Street, Suite 2000, in downtown Chicago. The move allows both organizations to spend less on overhead costs and invest more in programmatic work.

Today the Shriver Center on Poverty Law released its 2023 annual report, Changing Rules. Changing Lives. This year’s report highlights the organization’s continued commitment to end systemic inequities and push for policies that bring justice and opportunity to everyone.

The Shriver Center on Poverty Law today announced 25 Fellows for its 2024 Racial Justice Institute (RJI). Now in its 11th year, the innovative leadership development program brings together anti-poverty advocates from around the country to learn new tools to advance racial equity.  

This one-day event marks the 60th year of the war on poverty. That national commitment led to the Shriver Center on Poverty Law’s formation under Sargent Shriver.

A new ordinance passed today by the Chicago City Council will double the minimum number of paid days off available for Chicago workers, making the city the first in the country to offer paid time off.

In the face of a deeply polarized nation, this election has brought profound emotions and urgent questions about how each of us is seen and valued. For many of us who identify as people of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or allies in the fight for justice, this moment can feel jarring. But it is also a call to action and an opportunity.

Statement from Audra Wilson, President and CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law

We applaud the Chicago City Council Workforce Development Committee for voting earlier today, 13-2, to expand our city’s current paid time off requirements.