People who experience homelessness are often discriminated against and criminalized. Through advocacy, outreach, and impact litigation, CCH works to protect the civil rights of those without a permanent place to call home.
Homeless Bill of Rights
In 2013, CCH successfully advocated for the passage of the Illinois Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act, which provides protections to prevent discrimination of people without a fixed or regular residence. Under this act, the following rights cannot be denied on the basis of housing status:
- The right to keep one’s job
- The right to access emergency medical care
- The right to access public spaces and transit systems
- The right to privacy of personal property
- The right to vote
To date, CCH’s Law Project has successfully litigated or negotiated three Homeless Bill of Rights cases. These efforts secured financial settlements for unsheltered clients whose belongings were unlawfully thrown away. This work also led to the city of Chicago enacting a street cleaning policy with heightened protections for people experiencing street homelessness.
Street Outreach
Law Project staff regularly engage with people living in tent encampments throughout Chicago to understand their needs, advocating with them to protect their rights, and connecting them to services and housing.
Housing Not Handcuffs
As part of the national Housing Not Handcuffs campaign, CCH and the ACLU persuaded 12 Illinois cities to drop unconstitutional bans on panhandling in 2019.
In 2021, CCH challenged the state’s vehicle solicitation statute on behalf of two individuals experiencing homelessness, resulting in damages for the individuals and a repeal of the state law. The law was challenged, in partnership with the ACLU of Illinois and the law firm of Schiff Hardin, on first amendment grounds. The court found the law “flagrantly unconstitutional.”
In April 2024, CCH assembled 27 statewide partner organizations in filing an amicus brief in the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass. We contend that cities should not have the right to penalize people for sleeping outdoors when they have nowhere else to go. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that fining and arresting people in those circumstances does not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” under the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. CCH vehemently opposes this ruling and will continue to advocate for the rights of people experiencing homelessness.
Impact Litigation
Other recent Law Project settlements include:
- With the Shriver Center and Hughes Socol, CCH settled a Fair Credit Reporting Act case for a formerly homeless mother of four. After being denied subsidized housing due to an inaccurate background report, the client secured a settlement of $21,500 in 2023.
- With the ACLU of Illinois and Porter Wright, CCH obtained a substantial settlement in 2023 on behalf of a young client who was physically assaulted and falsely arrested by a Chicago Police officer while cleaning up property damage at her place of employment.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is now Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness (CCH).