About Our Founder Zacary Shellman

Zacary Shellman moved to Chicago in March 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 shutdown. He arrived with a transfer position at Topgolf - Schaumburg and plans to share housing with a childhood friend. Within days, the pandemic disrupted his transfer, and the friend he trusted revealed a severe heroin addiction, demanding money or forcing Zacary out immediately. Overnight, he was facing homelessness in an unfamiliar city during a global crisis.

For months, Zacary survived by staying in hostels and pandemic-discounted hotels while delivering food across Chicago on an electric scooter. He worked long hours every day, stopping only when his scooter needed to recharge so he could afford food and shelter for the night.

His determination led him to stable employment with Hogsalt, where he worked as a server at their Topgolf 900 N. Michigan location. With automatic gratuity, he earned approximately $4,000 per month before taxes, finally earning enough to pursue stable housing.

After a year of hard work, he applied for a $1,000/month apartment with Beal Properties
He earned 4x the rent.
He had no criminal background.
He had no evictions.
His employment was stable and verified.

By all objective measures, he was a very strong applicant.

Yet he was denied anyway.

The broker vaguely referenced “some things” on his credit report but never provided the legally required screening documents or opportunity to dispute anything, as mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Instead, he was told he would need a cosigner due to is 580 credit score.

That moment changed everything.

Zacary recognized that cosigner requirements weren’t simply policy —

they were gatekeeping tools used to deny qualified renters, particularly Black renters and those without wealthy family support.

Frustrated but motivated, he created CosignerCentral, believing that hardworking people should not be denied housing simply because they lacked a cosigner. He believed in the idea so strongly that he made a life-changing decision:

He left his stable, good-paying job to pursue CosignerCentral full-time.

However, as he began building the company, he realized that creating a financial system capable of cosigning leases for the sub prime market would require significant venture capital — far more than he initially imagined.

Seeking work, he entered the rental industry as an apartment broker at The Apartment Source. That experience revealed how the rental system truly operates behind the scenes. Brokers were instructed to enforce rigid screening guidelines:

• 650+ credit score
  
  

• 3x rent income
  
  

• absolutely no criminal history
  
  

He also learned about The Guarantors, a corporate cosigner service used for applicants with borderline credit — something no one, including Beal Properties, had ever told him existed.

It became clear that renters weren’t being evaluated fairly; they were being filtered out through policy-based discrimination and a lack of transparency.

Zacary left The Apartment Source in late 2023.

Two years later, in 2025, he experienced a workplace injury while employed in a completely different industry. Seeking justice, he reached out to attorneys — only to be told that he would need to pay on average $6,000  or more upfront just to pursue his rights.

Unable to afford representation, he faced a choice:
accept injustice, or fight back on his own.

He chose to fight!

This decision launched Zacary into the world of Pro Se Advocacy.

He studied the legal process, filing procedures, evidentiary standards, and administrative rules — piece by piece. After months of research and persistence, he successfully filed two cases that were accepted by the court.

This experience revealed a powerful truth:

Most people with legitimate claims cannot afford an attorney.

But that does NOT mean they should be denied justice.

This realization inspired the creation of Pro Se Assistant — a housing justice, and self-advocacy initiative that provides renters and workers with:

• education
  
  

• document support
  
  

• discrimination complaint guidance
  
  

• pro se filing assistance
  
  

• workshops
  
  

• scripts and templates
  
  

• knowledge they can use to fight back
  
  

Pro Se Assistant exists because Chicago renters deserve fair treatment, transparency, and a real chance to hold housing providers accountable — even without legal representation.

Zacary’s story — homelessness during the pandemic, a discriminatory denial despite being qualified, sacrificing stable income to pursue housing reform, working inside the rental system, and navigating his own legal battles pro se — has uniquely prepared him to lead this mission.

His long-term goal is to change the culture of housing in Chicago and eventually build CosignerCentral into a fully realized, justice-focused system that expands access rather than gatekeeping it.

He believes that stable housing is the beginning of everything — and that no one should lose the opportunity to live with dignity because of a credit score, a stereotype, or a system designed to keep them out.

Pro Se Assistant

 Our Mission

Pro Se Assistant was founded in Chicago by Zacary Shellman who personally experienced rental discrimination and illegal screening practices. Despite having stable employment and meeting income requirements, landlords and brokers imposed stricter requirements on him because of race.

After successfully filing his own civil and employment actions pro se in Chicago, he realized how many Chicagoans are denied housing unfairly — simply because they don’t know their rights or can’t afford legal help.

Pro Se Assistant was created to fill that gap by providing:

• education
  
  

• guidance
  
  

• evidence organization
  
  

• pro se document support
  
  

• discrimination complaint assistance
  
  

Our mission is to empower renters, especially those using vouchers, to challenge illegal denials and fight for fair, equal access to housing.

We exist because housing discrimination is real and severely under reported due to legal expenses.