As a Chicago-based advocate for people with disabilities, David Zoltan knows firsthand how hard it can be to find housing.
by Ahmad Sayles
Human rights advocate David Zoltan speaks at a Just Cause rally. (Photo: Courtesy of David Zoltan)
A workplace accident that cost David Zoltan, 46, their foot completely changed how they see the world. Finding affordable housing that was also accessible became a huge barrier, and Zoltan, who uses he/they pronouns, also began to notice other flaws in the system that affect people with disabilities.
Since then, the Rogers Park resident has become a devoted advocate for human rights, often focusing on housing and accessibility. In 2010, they worked alongside members of the U.S. Congress, advocating for the passage of the Affordable Care Act. They have also testified before Illinois legislators in favor of allowing municipalities to enact rent control regulations, and worked with One Northside, the Lift the Ban Coalition and People’s Action.
Now, their attention is focused on people living without housing in Chicago. Here’s what Zoltan had to say about affordable housing in Bronzeville.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What are some of your concerns with affordable housing in Chicago?
The lack of [it] is No. 1, obviously. And we're all feeling that way. Even setting aside those who are homeless, we are seeing constant displacement; evictions are numbered at about 40,000 each year in the city. Only a fraction of those even go to eviction court — most people self-evict and don't know they could fight the eviction in court. (Editor’s note: Approximately 22,500 eviction cases are filed in Cook County court each year, according to the Law Center for Better Housing. This figure does not include illegal lockouts or evictions carried out without a court order, which account for Zoltan’s higher estimate.)
What inspired you to get into housing advocacy and policy work?
I had a bout of being unhoused myself for several months. That meant, despite my disabilities at the time, I needed to get a job to get an apartment. That led to a large table falling on my foot [at that job]. It actually cracked my foot open, which led to osteomyelitis, which led to me losing my left leg below the knee.
Obviously, that gives you a whole lot of perspective — and not just out of pure self-interest. Because of my understanding of how these systems work and how they are oppressing us, it has been my view that all policy must come from those who are most directly impacted.
What are the common blindspots you see with subsidized housing?
Housing and land use has been part and parcel of nearly all of our inequities and all of our oppression. You can chart it all back to that.
In reality, we've lived in a slightly tinkered version of feudalism. We have used incarceration and institutionalization to stack both Black and brown bodies, in one case, and disabled bodies in the other. We are keeping people out of various places because of who they love, or their gender identity. I myself am genderqueer. And I know how lucky I am to be housed. And I have worked with many folks, especially trans youth, who can't get housed.
What are some ideal components for affordable and equitable housing?
Social housing that is publicly owned, tenant-controlled and tenant-governed. Housing that is beautiful, that is well-invested in — and that is a shared community resource, creating that intentional community.
What does the day-to-day look like for someone who does housing advocacy work?
My days are different. I don't get paid for my labor. I've been called one of the top housing policy experts in the state, if not the country. I get paid zero for that. And a large part of that is because of the way we have designed systems for disability in this country.
Bronzeville is seeing more attention and development in recent years. What do you think is the relationship between that and tenant advocacy work?
Unfortunately, a lot of the time, we have conversations with elected officials and, in their efforts to be not one-sided, they're very worried about landlords with smaller portfolios especially. In some cases, that is fair. In general, small-scale landlords do have more affordable places. And unlike corporate landlords, they're not as invested in squeezing every single dime they possibly can out of people. Often that’s because they live in that community.
How does one become a housing advocate or activist?
It starts with just caring and knowing. There's a lot of trauma in the world, even under the best of circumstances. We're always going to have that fight to create a better world, always, no matter how good it is. There are people who are suffering in this world, and we have to do something about it. If not us, who? If not, now, when?
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