Illinois bill would curb homelessness penalties
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Legislation proposed in Springfield aims to stop the criminalization of homelessness, but opponents say it won't actually help people without housing.
Why it matters: Advocates for homeless people warn that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision allowing cities to penalize people for sleeping outdoors has made it easier for Illinois cities to criminalize homelessness.
Context: More than 30 Illinois cities have enacted these penalties, according to the Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness, ranking the state second to California.
- CCH and other advocates are pushing to amend the Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act, which would ban municipalities from imposing criminal penalties and fines for people sleeping, eating or storing property in a public space.
- CCH says penalties do not lead to more housing but can make finding housing more difficult because those looking for it would have arrests on their records.
The other side: The Illinois State Association of Counties is opposed because, it contends, the bill preempts local governments' authority.
- The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board this week argued the legislation would lead to more encampments, calling the tents populating city parks "unsafe, untenable and unchanging," with "reports of unsanitary and dangerous conditions."
Context: The Tribune cited the work of the Restore Gompers Park Coalition, a neighborhood group working to clear the encampments from the Mayfair park.
- The group said fires, drug paraphernalia and trash have made the park unusable by neighbors, and the group worked with the city to schedule an accelerated moving event to get residents of encampments into more stable housing.
- The group said leaving people in parks is "not a compassionate solution," according to the Tribune.
Yes, but: Many homeless people then moved to other public spaces, Block Club reported last May.
Reality check: When encampments are cleared, others appear because the city and state lack affordable housing.
- There are 34 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter household in Illinois. That number goes to 28 for metro Chicago, according to a new report from Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
What we're watching: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's office just released its five-year plan to address homelessness, including simplifying review timelines for development on city-owned land and assessing best practices in tiny-home housing models.
- Securing program funding remains the big question.
- Pritzker's BUILD proposal would expand the types of housing allowed across the state and streamline the process for building affordable housing, making it more attractive for developers.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details from the Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition report.