Evictions: The Cook County sheriff is not allowed to carry out an eviction on any day when extreme cold weather conditions could endanger your health and welfare, regardless of temperature.

Minimum Temperatures: The Chicago Heat Ordinance mandates that between September 15 and June 1, landlords must provide heat to apartments where occupants do not have individual control of the unit’s heating. Temperatures must be above 68°F from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and at least 66°F from 10:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. for most or all of the heating season, depending on the type of unit.

For more information, call Chicago’s Chicago Renters’ Rights Hotline at (312) 742-RENT [(312)-742-7368]. To report a landlord’s violation, call 3-1-1.

Rights: While your gas and heat cannot be disconnected for nonpayment in below-freezing weather, there is no general winter moratorium on utility disconnection during cold weather above freezing. If the temperature is forecasted to be above 32º for 24 hours, proper notice has been sent, and a Deferred Payment Arrangement has been offered, your account can legally be shut off.

LIHEAP : The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is available in all Illinois counties through an online application .

• LIHEAP Direct Vendor Payment (DVP)provides one-time payment assistance to all income eligible households.
• LIHEAP Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP)is not accepting applications through August 15, 2024.
• Crisis Reconnection Assistance (RA)can help households with disconnected utilities or facing a disconnection notice in the next week.
• Crisis Furnace Assistance (FA)is available from October 2, 2023 to May 15, 2024. Households enrolled in LIHEAP without a furnace can receive assistance for an operating furnace or heating supply.

Other LIHEAP benefits include:

• A moratorium on utility disconnection between December 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.
• A prohibition on electric and gas utilities charging reconnection fees, connection deposits, or late-payment fees.
• Deferred Payment Arrangements, available to all income-eligible households, have a maximum down payment of 10%.

CEDA : The Community and Economic Development Association’s “Peoples Gas Share the Warmth” program gifts up to $200 in one-time assistance for utility bills. The application can be found here .

Service Connection: Senior citizens in Chicago can connect with the Chicago Senior Services Hotline during business hours at (312)-744-4016, or by emailing Aging@CityofChicago.org.

If you are concerned on behalf of a senior citizen, request a well-being check by calling 311 or file an online service request at this link .

Senior Centers: Senior citizens can find warm shelter during cold weather at Senior Centers.

• Central West Center 
  • 2102 W. Ogden Avenue
  • (312)746-5300
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Northeast (Levy) Senior Center
  • 2019 W. Lawrence Avenue
  • (312)744-0784
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Northwest (Copernicus) Senior Center
  • 3160 N. Milwaukee Avenue
  • (312)744-6681
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Renaissance Court
  • 78 E. Washington
  • (312)744-4550
  • 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Southeast (Atlas) Senior Center
  • 1767 E. 79 ^th  Street 
  • (312)747-0189  
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Southwest Center
  • 6117 S. Kedzie Avenue
  • (312)747-0440
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri

If you are experiencing homelessness and need legal assistance, call the  CCH Law Project  at 1 (800) 940 – 1119.

• Abbott Park Satellite Senior Center
  • 49 East 95th Street
  • (312)745-3493
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:00 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Auburn Gresham Satellite Senior Center
  • 1040 West 79th Street
  • (312)745-4797
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Austin Satellite Senior Center
  • 5071 W. Congress Parkway
  • (312)743-1538
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Chatham Satellite Senior Center
  • 8300 S. Cottage Grove
  • (312)745-0401
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Edgewater Satellite Senior Center
  • 5917 N. Broadway 60660
  • (312)742-5323
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Englewood Satellite Senior Center
  • 653-657 West 63rd Street
  • (312)745-3328
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Garfield Ridge Satellite Senior Center
  • 5674B South Archer Avenue
  • (312)745-4255
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Kelvyn Park Satellite Senior Center
  • 2715 N. Cicero Avenue
  • (312)744-3799
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• North Center Senior Satellite
  • 4040 N. Oakley 60618
  • (312)744-4015
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Norwood Park Senior Satellite
  • 5801 N. Natoma
  • (773)775-6071
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Pilsen Satellite Senior Center
  • 2021 South Morgan
  • (312)743-0493
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Portage Park Satellite Senior Center
  • 4100 North Long 60641
  • (312)744-9022
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• Roseland Satellite Senior Center
  • 10426 South Michigan Avenue
  • (312)745-1500
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• South Chicago Satellite Center
  • 9233 South Burley 
  • (312)745-1282
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri
• West Town/Logan Square Satellite Senior Center
  • 1615 West Chicago Avenue
  • (312)743-1016
  • 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m., Mon-Fri