Help Fund the Pro Se Assistant CTA Awareness Campaign

“Housing Justice Is Self-Defense.”

Chicago renters are being denied housing every day for reasons that violate the law — credit score discrimination, voucher bias, background check abuse, and racial gatekeeping practices that continue despite clear protections.

Most renters don’t know their rights.
Most don’t know these denials are illegal.
Most don’t know they can take action.

We are going to change that.

This summer, Pro Se Assistant — in partnership with Project VIDA (our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor) — will launch a powerful public awareness campaign on the CTA Red Line using inside-car posters featuring:

🔥 A bold “Know Your Rights” message
🔥 A QR code leading directly to ProSeAssistant.org
🔥 Housing discrimination education
🔥 A strong message:
“Make Discrimination Costly. Protect Yourself.”

Why CTA Ads?

The Red Line serves:

• the highest ridership volume in Chicago
  
  

• renters, workers, students, families, seniors
  
  

• neighborhoods most impacted by discrimination
  
  

Transit ads reach people where they live, commute, and make decisions.
They deliver thousands of impressions every day for weeks at a time.

A single 3-month campaign can help:

• hundreds of renters recognize illegal denials
  
  

• thousands learn how to protect themselves
  
  

• entire neighborhoods begin to fight back
  
  

• housing providers realize that discrimination carries consequences
  
  

This campaign is more than advertising — it’s a public self-defense class.

Campaign Budget (Basic Option)

Summer 2026 Red Line — Inside Car Cards
10 Train Cars — June, July, August

• Ad Placements: ~$15,000
  
  

• Printing/Production: ~$150–$300
  
  

• Creative/Design: $0 (covered in-house)
  
  

• Total Needed: $15,300
  
  

This is our starter campaign.
Your support funds real change seen by real Chicagoans.

 How Your Donation Helps

$50 → prints two interior car cards
$100 → helps place one Red Line ad
$250 → provides a week of workshop materials
$500 → reaches thousands of riders on the Red Line
$1,000+ → sponsors an entire month of CTA ads

All donations are tax-deductible through Project VIDA.

 How to Donate

Make donations payable to:

Project VIDA
Memo: “Pro Se Assistant — CTA Housing Rights Campaign”
📬 4111 W 26th St, Chicago, IL 60623
📞 (773) 277-2291

Or contact us directly:
📧 zshellman@gmail.com
🌐 ProSeAssistant.org

You will receive a donation receipt from Project VIDA for tax purposes.

 Your Impact

By supporting this campaign, you help us:

✔ Teach renters how to document discrimination
✔ Empower people to hold landlords financially accountable
✔ Expose illegal screening practices
✔ Spread housing self-defense strategies
✔ Build a stronger, safer rental landscape in Chicago

You’re not just funding ads.
You’re protecting people. You’re changing the city.

GRANT PROPOSAL PARAGRAPH FOR CTA ADS

Pro Se Assistant is requesting funding to launch a targeted public-awareness campaign on the CTA Red Line during Summer 2026. 

This campaign will distribute renter education through inside-car advertisements featuring a bold “Know Your Rights” message and a QR code linking directly to ProSeAssistant.org. 

The goal is to educate riders about unlawful credit, voucher, and background check discrimination, and to provide tools that help renters take appropriate action when their rights are violated. 

The Red Line serves Chicago neighborhoods most impacted by racial and economic housing inequities, making it a high-impact channel for outreach. 

With 10 inside-car placements over 12 weeks, this campaign will generate thousands of daily impressions and direct renters to free workshops, self-help resources, and community reporting tools. Funding will cover ad placement, printing, and advertisement production. Through our fiscal sponsorship with Project VIDA, all funds will be stewarded with full nonprofit oversight.