Don Bell, chair of the Illinois Commission on LGBTQ+ Aging and a lifelong LGBTQ+ activist and civil rights leader, is facing eviction from Town Hall Apartments, Chicago’s only culturally affirming LGBTQ+ senior housing facility.
At 75 years old, Bell said he will be forced to leave his home by April 7 unless he can secure legal intervention—or enough community support to help him relocate safely.
“I have nowhere to go,” Bell told Windy City Times. “I have no alternatives, no family I can stay with. If I am made homeless, it’s not a property decision—it becomes a capital decision. I literally cannot survive unhoused.”
To support Don Bell, a close friend of his has launched a GoFundMe raising money for his related legal and moving expenses.
Bell’s pending eviction stems from allegations that he violated his lease by “harboring illegal activity,” a claim he strongly disputes. The accusation is tied to his husband, Austin Ashenfelter, a 28-year-old man living with PTSD who Bell said has been unfairly targeted by property management.
Bell argues that management weaponized the building’s security system to surveil Austin and then pursued criminal and civil charges against them both. Despite there being no criminal conviction against Austin related to Town Hall Apartments, Bell says his housing is being terminated prematurely.
“I’m being punished before any determination has been made in court,” Bell said. “Even more outrageous—Austin, my spouse, hasn’t even been allowed to come help me pack. We haven’t spent a full night together since September.”
Bell said a series of legal missteps and systemic oversights have left him vulnerable. He says he was never granted a formal hearing and that his initial legal representation was handled by a friend unfamiliar with Chicago’s eviction laws. Mediation was bypassed entirely, Bell said, and a final decision was reached in court without him having the chance to speak.
“I have never been able to tell my side,” Bell said. “I was given three options, none of which were explained to me as final decisions. I’ve only just learned this is the final ruling, and that I’m actually being evicted.
In response to the controversy, 5T Management, which oversees Town Hall Apartments, defended its decision to pursue eviction, but stressed that the move was not taken lightly.
Block Club Chicago reported that Tiffany Moore, director of operations at 5T Management, said “this is not something we wanted to do.”
“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,” Moore told Block Club. “That’s the only reason why now we are in eviction court.”
To avoid eviction, Bell could still turn in his keys and move out of Town Hall Apartments on his own accord, Moore told Block Club.
Moore declined to comment to Windy City Times.
Bell, who moved into Town Hall Apartments the day it opened in 2014, has spent decades serving the LGBTQ+ community. He chairs the Illinois Department on Aging’s LGBTQ+ advocacy commission, serves on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Affairs and sits on the boards of multiple organizations, including ONe Roof Chicago and the National Organization for Men Against Sexism.
Bell has also been seen as a foundational figure in the Town Hall Apartments community.
“For the plaintiffs to allege that I’m a threat to the safety and sanctity of this community is not only offensive—it’s a lie,” Bell said. “No resident here has delivered more money, resources, programming or national visibility to this place than I have.”
As an elder with multiple disabilities, Bell said being unhoused would put his life at immediate risk.
“I need electricity for my CPAP machine and emergency heart monitor. I need refrigeration for my insulin. I need Wi-Fi for my glucose monitor. Without these, I could die,” Bell said. “None of this has been considered.”
Bell also pointed to the border systemic neglect of LGBTQ+ elders, especially those who lack family support or face barriers in traditional housing. Town Hall Apartments was supposed to be a safe haven, Bell said.
“I’m being removed from the only culturally affirming LGBTQ+ senior residence in the entire state,” Bell said. “We’re in Illinois—one of only 21 states with full LGBTQ+ civil rights—and no one is asking if this eviction violates mine.”
Despite the personal cost, Bell remains unapologetic about his marriage.
“I’ve been single my entire life. I never expected to find love at 72,” Bell said. “I know some people look at us—a 75-year-old Black man and a 28-year-old white man—and make assumptions. But what we have is real. I married him because he is my other half.”
As moving day approaches, Bell continues to pack his home alone—lifting boxes and pushing furniture despite mobility challenges, and preparing for a future that remains uncertain.
“But I tell my husband and I tell the world: I don’t care. He was worth it. Living this truth is worth it,” Bell said. “If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. That’s why we have to defend what we have—or we’ll lose it.”