2005

CCH’s Youth Committee coordinates statewide study on youth homelessness and statewide conference.

2004

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

2003

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

1998

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

1996

CCH worked with the state of Illinois to prevent the transfer of the Homeless Youth Services Division of DCFS to the Department of Corrections.

1994

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

1993

CCH releases "Alone After Dark," the first report on homeless youth in Illinois. It receives significant media attention 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."

1992

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

1989

CCH works successfully to legalize the creation of shelters for homeless minors. Previously it was illegal to shelter homeless minors.

1986

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

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.

1983

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