The Law Center For Better Housing (LCBH) has honored REALTORS® Real Estate School instructor Taft West with the 2024 Barbara Grau Outstanding Housing Advocate Award.
The award’s namesake, Barbara Grau, served as LCBH’s first full-time staff attorney, devoting her career to expanding housing justice through legal aid. Like Barbara, Taft’s commitment to helping renters is evident through his life’s work as a property manager, landlord educator and, later, as vice president of technical assistance and sustainability at the Chicago Community Loan Fund.
Over three decades, Taft excelled in management roles, prioritizing tenant respect and dignity. His advocacy extended to training landlords and tenants on their rights covered by the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance, and, later, serving on the LCBH Board of Directors. Today, the bridges he built between tenants and landlords continue to strengthen our communities, leaving a legacy of mutual respect and cooperation.
LCBH is the only non-profit law firm in the Chicago area that focuses solely on low and moderate income renters in the private housing market.
Congratulations on this honor, Taft!