Statewide effort focuses on ending homelessness in Illinois

[May 31, 2023]  By Zeta Cross | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – A measure approved by Illinois legislators aims to end homelessness.

By passing House Bill 2831 before adjourning the spring legislative session, the Illinois Legislature has made a critical first step in the statewide effort to end homelessness in Illinois. The legislation would create the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness as well as the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. Both seek to address the bigger picture issues of homelessness such as housing and institutionalism.

David Esposito is executive director of the Supportive Housing Providers Association, a nonprofit advocacy organization that helped shepherd the bill through the legislative process. Esposito said the bill gives Illinois the structure to make the fight to end homelessness more effective and efficient.

“The bill and the creation of the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness is the culmination of many years of work by committed, determined individuals who worked very hard to see this come to fruition,” Esposito told The Center Square.

The bill codifies and builds on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order in September 2021 to combat homelessness in Illinois, Esposito said.

“Programming on homelessness has been siloed into various different state agencies and providers," Esposito said. "Bringing them together with other stakeholders makes more effective and efficient use of resources."

The measure passed the state Senate with a bipartisan vote of 50-2 on May 4.

“It was exciting and humbling in these times that we were able to secure such significant bipartisan support,” Esposito said.

The primary sponsors of the measure were state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, and state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove. The bill now awaits to be sent to the governor’s desk for his signature.

The Supportive Housing Providers Association members are social service agencies and developers who provide housing and services to people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness and experiencing chronic disabilities. The association is an advocate to help secure increased resources for member agencies and providers.

Homelessness is crippling and can be fatal for individuals, Esposito said, and it drains communities of resources and impacts safety and quality of life.

“Investing in housing pays off for communities,” Esposito said. "Crime goes down. The need for emergency services goes down. The well-being of the people in the neighborhood is strengthened."

An estimated 10,431 people in Illinois seek out homeless shelters every day.

“We know that the actual number of people without a place to sleep is five times greater than that," Esposito said.

Expand that number to include people who do not have a stable living situation like staying with family or friends on a short-term basis and the number jumps to more than 100,000 people in Illinois who do not have a place to call home.

According to Home Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education, there are over 40,000 students in the Illinois school system that are experiencing homelessness.

That adds up to a need for supportive housing, Esposito said.

Supportive housing is different from a homeless shelter, Esposito explained. Homeless shelters provide emergency housing.

“Supportive housing is a long-term solution that provides individuals with a stable home and the support services they need to maintain their independence on their path to self-sufficiency,” Esposito said.

A stable place to live is one part of the solution, he said.

“People wind up homeless as a result of different conditions and circumstances,” Esposito said. “They may have mental health issues or addictions. Homeless veterans may have been traumatized. Counseling, medical care, job training and education are some of the many different services that people who wind up living on the streets need in order to get on a path to a productive, independent life."