NORTHALSTED — Don Bell, a longtime advocate and pillar of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community, is facing eviction from Town Hall Apartments, the LGBTQ-friendly senior and affordable housing complex where he has lived since it opened in 2014 and where he is regarded by some as a founder.

Building management says that 75-year-old Bell has repeatedly violated residency rules, citing multiple trespassing incidents involving Bell’s husband, who was barred from the property.

Bell argues the eviction is unjust, saying the Chicago Housing Authority approved his husband’s access and added him to the lease.

While management insists it has given Bell multiple chances to comply with building rules, building management told Block Club that it is now moving forward with evicting him as a last resort to protect the wellbeing of other residents.

Bell, three weeks away from potentially being evicted from the building that he helped bring to life, is looking for legal help in hopes he can stay in the building. He said he is grappling with one pressing question.

“How do you take the guy who’s contributed the most during the existence of the residency and kick him out?” Bell said.

Bell’s Lifelong Advocacy

Bell, a retired college administrator and lifelong activist, is a founding commissioner and chairperson of the Illinois Commission on LGBTQ+ Aging and Long-Term HIV Survival as well as a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Affairs.

Bell’s decades of work have earned him numerous awards, including the 2024 Human First Award from the Center on Halsted and the Ben Montgomery Civic Engagement Award from the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus.

Throughout his life, Bell has used his platform to advocate for housing rights, health care access and other social causes. That advocacy continues, much of it being done from his studio apartment at Town Hall Apartments.

More than a decade ago, Bell was part of an advocacy group that pushed for safe, affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors. He and others worked closely with Heartland Alliance, the city and other stakeholders to shape the vision for what would become Town Hall Apartments.

The Town Hall Apartments, which opened in 2014, is the city’s first LGBTQ-friendly senior housing complex, and it provides affordable housing and supportive services for older adults in Lakeview.

The 79-unit development serves residents 55 and older, with rental assistance provided through the CHA’s Project-Based Voucher program. The building was developed by Heartland Housing Inc. in partnership with the Center on Halsted, which offers on-site programs and services for residents.

The apartments were built as part of a $27 million project that transformed the former Town Hall police station at 3600 N. Halsted St. into a six-story residential and retail complex.

At its opening, then-Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) described Town Hall Apartments as “a symbol of our commitment to the LGBTQ community” and an example of Chicago’s progress in providing inclusive housing options​.

In 2023, Heartland Housing lost control of its local properties, including Town Hall Apartments, due to financial struggles. Town Hall Apartments is now managed by 5T Management while the building is in receivership. A receiver is a neutral, court-appointed officer who manages assets or properties when they face legal or financial issues.

5T Management was chosen to oversee the building as it transitions to its new owners, Full Circle Communities, which announced it would take over the building’s management in February 2024 but have yet to officially do so, the Windy City Times reported.

‘I Was Locked Out’

Bell’s troubles with building management at Town Hall Apartments began in February 2024 when he met his now-husband, Austin Ashenfelter.

Ashenfelter, 28, was visiting one of Bell’s neighbors when they crossed paths, quickly forming a friendship that later turned into a romantic relationship. But as Ashenfelter started spending more time at Town Hall, building management grew suspicious, saying Ashenfelter had caused trouble at the complex years ago, Bell said.

At the time, Ashenfelter was on probation for a felony charge stemming from a 2020 arrest.

That year, he was arrested for stealing a tractor from Prairie Gardens in Urbana and crashing it through a fence while under the influence of drugs. He pleaded guilty to burglary, was sentenced to five years in prison and ultimately served more than two years before his release in late 2022.

When asked about what incidents Ashenfelter had been involved in at Town Hall, Tiffany Moore, director of operations with 5T Management, declined to comment or provide specifics on what happened.

“I’m not sure if I can disclose that,” Moore said.

Despite no formal actions taken against Ashenfelter at the Town Hall Apartments about the alleged prior incidents, 5T Management issued a trespass restriction against him.

The first time Ashenfelter was arrested happened as he and Bell were leaving the building for a scheduled trip to Champaign, where Ashenfelter was required to check in with his probation officer. Bell said they were preparing to head out when a police officer unexpectedly knocked on his door, asked Ashenfelter for identification and arrested him for trespassing.

Following the arrest, Bell and Ashenfelter appeared in Cook County housing court, where a judge questioned the validity of the trespassing charges. The case was eventually continued to a later date.

After the initial hearing, a public defender advised them to avoid building management until a final ruling was made, Bell said.

In between court dates, Bell and Ashenfelter got married Aug. 27 in Sangamon County while attending a caregiving training program in Springfield. When the two returned to Chicago, Bell’s key fob to get into the building at Town Hall Apartments no longer worked.

“It was deprogrammed,” Bell said. “I was locked out.”

After a neighbor let Bell and Ashenfelter in, the on-site building manager confronted Ashenfelter and called police, leading to the second arrest.

“We go through the whole process all over again,” Bell said. “Meanwhile, it’s created this hostile community in the building.”

Ashenfelter was also charged with felony burglary after surveillance footage captured him attempting to charge his phone in someone else’s car in the Town Hall Apartments parking garage, Bell said.

As part of a plea deal to avoid violating his probation, Ashenfelter pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

After months of back and forth, 5T Management filed an eviction notice for Bell, saying he’s responsible for criminal behavior and has compromised security and safety at Town Hall Apartments.

“This is not something we wanted to do,” Moore said. “We really did work at trying to have him cure the issues we have, but, unfortunately, they did not get cured in the time they needed to be done. That’s the only reason why now we are in eviction court.”

What Comes Next

Bell is quick to acknowledge his husband’s criminal history and understands the delicacy of the situation.

Bell also said that being a present and supportive figure in his husband’s life is more important than ever, especially considering the challenges he’s faced.

“My husband is neurodivergent and was born with a disability,” Bell said. “He was born to a dysfunctional family … . His mother lost custody of all six of her children. The schools failed him, the system failed him, and now this.”

Bell is hoping a judge will rule in his favor based on CHA rules outlining that a spouse is eligible to be added to a resident’s voucher or lease after marriage.

CHA spokesperson Matt Aguilara declined to comment on Bell’s case, writing in an email that the agency does not comment on residents’ specific situations for privacy reasons.

“We can tell you is that CHA complies with all local and federal regulations around eligibility for housing, including Cook County’s Just Housing Ordinance,” Aguilara said. “CHA reviews an applicant’s eligibility for benefits once we receive a completed application from the property.”

Moore said the decision to issue the eviction notice was not an easy one, especially since Bell is “highly respected in the building, the community” and is seen as one of the “founders” of Town Hall Apartments.

Joli Robinson, CEO of the Center on Halsted, told Block Club her team has been willing to help Bell throughout the process but does not have any legal standing to intervene with the eviction.

To avoid being evicted, Bell still could turn in his keys and move out of Town Hall Apartments on his own accord, Moore said.

“I just want to clarify that this was the very last resort that we did not want to do,” Moore said. “Which is even why we’re trying to work with him to go ahead and have it dismissed if we receive the keys.”

If Bell isn’t out of his apartment by April 6, a Cook County judge in housing court will automatically rule against him, stripping him of his housing subsidy and triggering the immediate involvement of the sheriff’s office to remove him and his possessions.

Despite his bleak situation, Bell is holding onto a glimmer of hope.

“I’m hoping if I can get adequate legal support that somebody will be able to stay this decision,” Bell said.

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