CCH Statewide Advocacy & Legislation

In response to the United States Supreme Court’s decision to criminalize homelessness, CCH will continue to work alongside Housing Action Illinois and other advocates on state legislation to prohibit municipalities from passing ordinances that allow for the arrest or ticketing of individuals who are experiencing homelessness.  

Illinois is currently second in the nation, after California, in the number of municipalities passing these ordinances—sometimes even before homelessness is an issue in their community. At last count, there are between 30-35 ordinances in place across Illinois.  

These ordinances further isolate and marginalize people experiencing homelessness, as well as the organizations in the community providing services to them. Additionally, the penalties imposed by these ordinances can create additional barriers for people when attempting to secure housing or employment. Having a ticket or arrest on your record can dissuade a landlord from providing a lease or an employer from offering a job.  

More than a year after the Grants Pass decision, our research into the impacts these ordinances have had on local enforcement shows that people are frequently ticketed repeatedly without changes to their housing status. After being ticketed by law enforcement or receiving a summons to appear in court, those experiencing homelessness often lack the resources to appear or pay the ticket. In one instance, a crime was committed against a person who was sleeping in a park, but when she reported it to the police, the officer informed her that she could be arrested for sleeping in the park.  

Sponsors: Rep. Kevin Olickal [D] Rep. Emanuel Welch [D] Rep. Dagmara Avelar [D] Rep. Lindsey LaPointe [D]Rep. Mary Canty [D] Rep. Lilian Jimenez [D] Rep. Rita Mayfield [D] Rep. Suzanne Ness [D] Rep. Bob Morgan [D] Rep. Will Guzzardi [D] Rep. Kelly Cassidy [D] Rep. Barbara Hernandez [D] Rep. Michelle Mussman [D] Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid [D] Rep. Hoan Huynh [D] Rep. Anne Stava-Murray [D] Rep. Laura Faver Dias [D] Rep. Carol Ammons [D] Rep. Lisa Davis [D] Rep. Nicolle Grasse [D] Rep. Norma Hernandez [D] Rep. Theresa Mah [D] Rep. Edgar Gonzalez [D] Rep. Michael Crawford [D] Rep. Nabeela Syed [D] Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock [D] Rep. LaShawn Ford [D] Rep. Camille Lilly [D] Rep. Justin Cochran [D] Rep. Yolanda Morris [D]

Bill Status: 

Municipalities throughout Illinois have enacted so-called “crime-free housing and nuisance property” ordinances (CFNOs) under the guise of fighting crime and keeping communities safer by allowing the police and landlords to evict tenants who are accused of breaking the law. However, in practice, CFNOs establish a system that forces housing providers to unfairly penalize and sometimes even evict tenants based only on an alleged criminal or nuisance activity—no matter how minor. This often means pushing families into instability and even homelessness, ultimately undermining public safety.  

CFNOs frequently exclude people of color from housing and endanger our community’s most vulnerable members. This includes survivors of domestic violence and people with disabilities, whose calls for emergency services or the police have led to eviction rather than the assistance needed. Furthermore, these ordinances often violate fair housing and other civil rights laws. 

The Community Safety Through Stable Homes Act would help protect people from unfair discrimination, keep families in their homes, and encourage more effective responses to criminal activity in local communities.   

Sponsors: Sen. Karina Villa [D] Sen. Don Harmon [D] Sen. Graciela Guzman [D] Sen. Laura Ellman [D] Sen. Rachel Ventura [D] Sen. Javier Cervantes [D] Sen. Mark Walker [D] Sen. Mary Edly-Allen [D]
Sen. Adriane Johnson [D] Sen. Omar Aquino [D] Sen. Mike Simmons [D]

Bill Status:

For over fifteen years, Illinois has neglected to fund homeless education, which would support school districts in novel interventions to identify and assist students experiencing homelessness. Estimates indicate that up to 55,000 students experiencing homelessness are not identified by school districts or provided with services in Illinois.  

The number of students experiencing homelessness in Illinois increased by 30.86% between the 2020-21 school year and the 2021-22 school year. In response to the crisis, the federal government stepped in with COVID relief funds which included funding for homeless education, but that support ended in September 2024. With current efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education while homelessness continues to rise, it is imperative that we reinstate funds for homeless education. CCH is advocating for $5 million designated in ISBE’s budget to provide much-needed funding for school districts to better support homeless students.  

This flexible funding allows districts to support students’ most immediate needs, like purchasing a washer and dryer for students experiencing homelessness to clean their clothing before or after school or refurbishing decades-old on-campus showers, giving students a consistent place to maintain their hygiene. These small interventions can go a long way to improve attendance rates for students experiencing housing instability. 

Sponsors: Rep. Laura Faver Dias [D] Rep. Gregg Johnson [D] Rep. Aaron Ortiz [D] Rep. Maura Hirschauer [D] Rep. Maurice West [D] | Sen. Lakesia Collins [D]

Bill Status:

People exiting incarceration are frequently released with little to no resources to get back on their feet. The first forty-eight hours after release are the most important for a returning citizen. Having adequate resources, like a supportive community to return to and a safe place to sleep, are paramount to their readjustment.  

Colloquially referred to as “gate money,” funds are sometimes provided to individuals upon release to help with immediate needs like housing, toiletries, food, a phone, or transportation. Ensuring adequate gate money for returning citizens will help individuals re-enter society with a better chance of stability and avoid homelessness, unemployment, or recidivism. Advocacy by grassroots leaders with lived experience of incarceration from CCH and Cabrini Green Legal Aid aims to increase these funds.