Illinois hosts discussion on access to services

Illinois and federal fair housing advocates will host a discussion Wednesday on the topic how much access people have in their neighborhoods to services they need.

The discussion at the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago is entitled, “Opportunity Mapping: Because Where You Live Matters.”

Officials from the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and others will lead a panel discussion on opportunity mapping.

Opportunity mapping is a research tool that identifies neighborhoods that have easy access to “opportunities” such as good schools, employment and a safe environment and how to help those neighborhoods that don’t.