Equitable access to public benefits and quality health care can be a matter of basic survival. Our staff help people experiencing homelessness access critical supports while advocating for improvements to benefit programs.
Public Benefits Legal Assistance
CCH’s Law Project connects legal clients to benefit programs such as SNAP (nutrition/food assistance), TANF (cash grants for families), Medicaid (low-cost health coverage), and SSI (monthly payments to people with disabilities and little or no income). This work includes support with enrollment, as well as appeals and hearings as needed.
Public Benefits Advocacy
CCH advocates to increase access to public benefits while simultaneously pushing for reforms to make programs more supportive, inclusive, and equitable.
Recent reforms include:
SNAP
- Expanded SNAP eligibility to vocational-track community college students (2018)
- Created a SNAP hot meals program for Illinoisans who are elderly, disabled, or experiencing homelessness (2019)
TANF
- Increased TANF cash grant amount (2018 & 2023)
- Created a child-only benefit portion (75%) that is barred from sanctions (2019)
- Removed restrictions that banned people with a drug-related felony from receiving TANF (2021)
- Ended a policy in which the state intercepted child support paid to Illinois families receiving TANF (2023)
Pandemic Advocacy
At the height of the pandemic, CCH pressed to automate the redetermination process for SNAP and Medicaid and helped legal clients access economic stimulus payments. Our staff also advocated with local health departments to ensure that unaccompanied minors could access the COVID-19 vaccine.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is now Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness (CCH).