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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Homelessness is a matter of life and death; the
3scope of the homelessness crisis and the immediate need for
4housing in Illinois is staggering; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 2020, at least 10,431 Illinoisans experienced
6homelessness; when the number of people experiencing
7doubled-up homelessness, living with others because of
8economic hardship or housing loss, is combined with those who
9requested services from the U.S. Department of Housing and
10Urban Development (HUD) over the course of 2020, the count is
11over 65,000 people experiencing homelessness in Chicago alone;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, According to Illinois State Board of Education
14(ISBE) data, 47,455 school children were identified as
15experiencing homelessness in the 2019-2020 school year; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Chronic homelessness has increased both in number
17and percentage; the percentage of the homeless population
18consisting of chronically homeless rose from 9% in 2016 to 22%
19in 2020; and
 
20    WHEREAS, People experiencing homelessness include those
21with substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS, serious mental

 

 

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1illness, veterans, and survivors of domestic violence; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Black people are eight times more likely to
3experience homelessness than white people; Black Illinoisans
4comprise 14% of the population of the State, but they
5constitute 61% of residents experiencing homelessness; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Regions of the State with high concentrations of
7disabled populations are considered at greater risk for
8homelessness; and
 
9    WHEREAS, People experiencing unsheltered homelessness may
10become frequent utilizers of hospital emergency rooms;
11encampments, tents, cars, abandoned buildings, and park
12benches, are unsafe, unhealthy, and undignified, and
13unsheltered homelessness is especially dangerous during cold
14weather, heat waves, and extreme weather conditions; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Crisis housing, the foundational safety net for
16persons in immediate need of shelter, includes overnight
17emergency and domestic violence shelters, transitional
18housing, recuperative care/medical respite, and recovery
19homes; and
 
20    WHEREAS, During COVID-19, shelter capacity diminished
21significantly, and many areas across Illinois lack any

 

 

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1fixed-site emergency shelters for people who are experiencing
2homelessness; prior to the pandemic, a significant proportion
3of emergency shelter bed capacity included rotating,
4congregate shelter; non-congregate shelter (NCS) became
5necessary to protect highly vulnerable people experiencing
6homelessness during the pandemic; the rotating shelter model,
7which has never been adequate for many reasons, no longer
8exists, and significant investment would be required to
9rebuild it; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Emergency housing provided through converted
11hotels, dorms, and schools and the construction of new
12non-congregate emergency housing is not expected to eliminate
13the need for other types of crisis housing; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Crisis housing is a critical part of and the
15gateway to the continuum of housing, including affordable and
16permanent supportive housing; Illinois lacks sufficient crisis
17housing to meet its needs, allowing many people experiencing
18unsheltered homelessness to languish for months and even years
19until other housing options become available; there is an
20urgent need for effective, safe, and dignified non-congregate
21crisis housing; and
 
22    WHEREAS, A model of rapid-response transitional shelter
23villages with case management has emerged; this model of

 

 

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1transitional housing can serve as a bridge from unsheltered
2homelessness to long-term housing; the faster people are moved
3off the street, the sooner their path to stability can begin;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, Residents of these transitional shelter villages
6are connected to housing with wraparound social services, such
7as mental health care from a local service provider and
8on-site amenities, such as showers and laundry; with a safe
9place to sleep, a supportive environment, access to meals,
10hygiene facilities, and a case manager, residents can focus on
11finding permanent housing and employment opportunities; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Transitional shelter villages combine the safety
13of private units with the benefits of a communal environment
14to offer residents security and a pathway to stability;
15residents can lock their belongings in their unit, access
16on-site social services, and be a part of a community; and
 
17    WHEREAS, At least nine other states across the country
18have successfully launched dozens of rapid-response
19transitional shelter villages and have achieved successful
20outcomes; transitional shelter villages have been launched in
21cold weather climates, including Madison, Wisconsin and
22Boston, Massachusetts; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, This model is more cost-effective than any
2institutional setting per person or unit and can be built at a
3fraction of the cost of traditional homeless shelters, which
4can take years to build; prefabricated shelters can be quickly
5installed and are proven to help people transition into
6permanent housing; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
8HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9we urge the State of Illinois to launch a pilot project to
10establish a transitional shelter village that will support the
11crisis housing and health needs of people currently
12experiencing unsheltered homelessness; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
14delivered to the Speaker of the House, the House Minority
15Leader, the Senate President, the Senate Minority Leader, the
16Governor, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of
17Human Services.