McHenry County, IL – A resident of the SilverTrees Apartment complex in Richmond, Illinois, is ready to bring in the New Year with a Bible study that she has been trying to have for more than seven years. On November 9, Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to the McHenry County Housing Authority on behalf of a public housing resident, asking that she be allowed to use the SilverTrees community room for a Bible study and to announce it in the community newsletter. On November 19, the Housing Authority agreed to the demands and has now taken appropriate action to ensure that this unequal treatment will not happen again.

The McHenry County Housing Authority, which manages SilverTrees and other properties, delegated certain functions to the president/chair of the residents’ association. That person was permitted to regulate use of the SilverTrees community center common area and the content of the community newsletter.

For seven years, Liberty Counsel’s client made inquiries of the president/chair about hosting and advertising a Bible study open to the community. The president/chair consistently told her that she could not use the community room because church and state could not mix in public housing. Liberty Counsel’s client consistently brought the matter up at the annual meetings and was annually rebuffed by the president/chair. During this time, other residents were using the community room for a variety of activities and announcing all kinds of meetings in the newsletter.

Ten days after receiving Liberty Counsel’s demand letter, the seven-year discrimination ended when the Housing Authority reversed the decision of the president/chair. The Authority not only removed her from office but also eliminated her office entirely. The first Bible study will be held in January, after it is publicized in the December and January newsletters. The president/chair is no longer making decisions on who can and cannot use the community room or publish announcements in the newsletter.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “To deny senior residents the right to gather for Bible study is unbelievable. To do so for seven years is downright mean. Residents of public housing facilities have just as much right to have Bible studies as anyone else living elsewhere. Our client is thrilled that her seven-year journey has ended. We are pleased that the McHenry County Housing Authority removed the tyrant who banned Bible studies for seven years.”