1983
CCH founds the Homeless Youth Committee in response to the murder of a homeless youth in Chicago's Uptown community.

1985

CCH works with the Governor's office to convene the first ever Governor's
Task Force on Homeless Youth in Illinois and releases a report
indicating that there are more than 21,000 youth that are homeless in
Illinois.

1986

The Youth Committee brings pressure on the State
of Illinois, resulting in the funding of the first five shelters
serving homeless youth.

1987

CCH succeeds in its work to legalize the creation of
shelters for homeless minors. Previously it was illegal to shelter
homeless minors.

1990

The CCH Youth Committee convinces the State of
Illinois to allocate funds through the Illinois State Board of
Education to 26 community-based agencies for educational outreach
activities.

1992

CCH creates the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), a leadership group comprised of Chicago-area homeless youth.

1993

CCH releases "Alone After Dark," a first of its kind
report on homeless youth in Illinois that receives significant
attention from the media and gives government officials a credible
source of information on homeless youth.

CCH researches and releases its "Statement of Need and Recommended Service Delivery System for Homeless Youth in Illinois."

1994

CCH’s Youth Committee coordinates a state campaign
to increase the state budget for programs serving homeless youth to $2
million.

1996

CCH works with the State of Illinois in order to
prevent the transfer of the Homeless Youth Services Division of the
Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to the Department of
Corrections.

1998

CCH's Statewide Homeless Youth Initiative works with
the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to increase funding
for homeless youth programs from $2 million to $4 million.

2003

CCH's Youth Committee and Law Project advocate
successfully for legislation to amend the Illinois Emancipation of
Mature Minors Act to allow homeless minors aged 16 and 17 to consent to
services in transitional housing programs.

2004

CCH’s Youth Committee helps override a Governor’s
veto of $500,000 in funding for homeless youth programs. The new
funding goes to fund a statewide census and survey of youth
homelessness and to fund three programs serving pregnant and parenting
teens.

CCH creates the Mobile Legal Aid Clinic for homeless youth staffed by a new attorney.

2005

CCH’s Youth Committee coordinates a
statewide study on youth homelessness and statewide conference; the
statewide census indicates that there are 24,968 unaccompanied homeless
youth.

2007

CCH releases a new report on homeless youth
providers’ needs and outcomes at a press conference. The report,
based on a survey of homeless youth service providers statewide,
indicates that homeless youth programs are forced to turn away 52% of
youth who need housing, largely due to lack of space.

2008

CCH successfully advocates for $3 million for Illinois’ first state-funded
homeless education program to assist school districts in facilitating
the enrollment, attendance and success of homeless school-age
students. Both houses pass a state budget including a $1.7
million increase for shelter, transitional housing and transitional
jobs for homeless youth, which the Governor vetoes a month later.