The Oak Park Regional Housing Center actively seeks to be an educational resource to our clients and partners by providing training sessions, workshops and outside activities that inform the community.

Landlord Training

OPRHC offers landlord training which includes fair housing laws and basic property management. The training discusses numerous topics including tenant screening, rental agreements, proper notices, compliance with landlord/tenant laws, and unit standards to ensure high quality housing for residents.

In addition, when property owners list their rental apartment, condo, or house with the Housing Center, we provide marketing and management assistance to promote vibrant and diverse communities. OPRHC encourages affirmative marketing that overcomes informational biases that lead people to avoid or have little knowledge about communities. We promote all areas of the region in order to increase racial integration.

Financial Empowerment

Our Financial Empowerment program for adults aims to improve our clients’ financial lives by providing strategies focused on financial matters. We assist in budgeting and spending plans, fostering the use of formal banks and/or credit unions, helping plan for life after retirement, and preventing over-indebtedness.

We created Financial FUNdamentals (for children) to teach school-aged youth important lessons about finances. The WCHC staff leads students in an interactive lesson to help them develop a savings-driven attitude. The program is an interactive dialogue with all students and is improve comedy based. Topics include understanding needs versus wants, “paying yourself first” by saving a portion of one’s allowance before spending it, and opening a bank account. For high school students the curriculum is based on post high school financial decision making ranging from student loans to purchasing your first home.

Credit Debt Management

More information on the Credit Debt Management will be posted soon.