Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB2607
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Full Text of HB2607  93rd General Assembly

HB2607ham002 93rd General Assembly


093_HB2607ham002











                                     LRB093 06994 DRJ 13672 a

 1                    AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2607

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend House Bill 2607  by  replacing
 3    everything after the enacting clause with the following:

 4        "Section  1.  Short  title.  This Act may be cited as the
 5    State Advocacy Program for  the  Homeless  Mentally  Ill  and
 6    Developmentally Disabled Act.

 7        Section  5.  Legislative  findings.  The General Assembly
 8    finds that a disproportionate number of people in this  State
 9    are  unable  to  secure  housing  for  themselves  and  their
10    families,  and  that  many  people  are forced to live in the
11    streets  without  shelter  or  in   emergency   shelters.   A
12    substantial  number  of  the homeless population are mentally
13    ill or developmentally disabled, and  these  homeless  people
14    are  more  readily subjected to abuse. Despite current public
15    and private efforts, the homeless problem in this State is  a
16    critical  threat  to  the health, safety, and welfare of many
17    people and communities across the State. Therefore, it is  in
18    the  public interest that the General Assembly take immediate
19    and necessary action to ensure a more  adequate  response  to
20    the   needs  of  homeless  people,  including  providing  the
21    necessary funds to effectively carry out  the  provisions  of
22    this  Act.  The  General  Assembly also acknowledges that the
 
                            -2-      LRB093 06994 DRJ 13672 a
 1    complex problem  of  homelessness  in  this  State  is  being
 2    addressed  by  a  rapidly  growing range of services from the
 3    State and local governments as well as  the  private  sector.
 4    This  creates  the  need for coordination and planning in the
 5    allocation of resources and in the design and  implementation
 6    of  new  programs  to  serve  the  homeless,  and the General
 7    Assembly finds that there is a need for a  single  entity  to
 8    coordinate these efforts.

 9        Section 10.  Definitions. In this Act:
10        "Department" means the Department of Human Services.
11        "Developmentally  disabled"  means  a  person  who  has a
12    developmental disability as defined in  Section  1-3  of  the
13    Developmental Disability and Mental Disability Services Act.
14        "Homeless   individual   with   mental   illness   or   a
15    developmental  disability" means a person who does not have a
16    home and has a mental illness or a developmental  disability,
17    or  both,  including,  but  not  limited  to, a person with a
18    mental illness or developmental disability: (i) who is  in  a
19    shelter or drop-in center for the homeless, (ii) who is being
20    discharged  from  a  State  or  private institution without a
21    residence to go to, (iii) who has a temporary residence or no
22    regular abode in which to live, or (iv) who has a history  of
23    chronic residential instability.
24        "Mentally  ill"  means  a  person who has a severe mental
25    illness as  defined  in  Section  2-3  of  the  Developmental
26    Disability and Mental Disability Services Act.

27        Section 15.  Advocacy position. A staff advocacy position
28    within   the  Bureau  of  Homeless  Services  and  Supportive
29    Services of the Department of Human Services shall be created
30    to do the following:
31             (1)  Promote  and  facilitate  the  development   of
32        community-based  support  systems  to protect the health,
 
                            -3-      LRB093 06994 DRJ 13672 a
 1        safety, welfare, and human and civil rights  of  homeless
 2        individuals   with   mental   illness   or  developmental
 3        disabilities.
 4             (2)  Enter    into     agreements     with     local
 5        community-based   support   systems   to  carry  out  the
 6        provisions of Sections 20 through 30.
 7             (3)  Implement  the   programs   established   under
 8        Sections 20 through 30.
 9             (4)  Conduct      periodic      programmatic     and
10        administrative reviews  of  the  programs  created  under
11        Sections  20 through 30 to ensure the delivery of quality
12        services.
13             (5)  Serve as an advocate for  homeless  individuals
14        with other governmental and community service providers.
15             (6)  Assist  in  the  development  of  financial and
16        human resources to  respond  to  the  needs  of  homeless
17        individuals   with   mental   illness   or  developmental
18        disabilities.

19        Section 20.  Community-based support systems.
20        (a)  The Department shall initiate requests for proposals
21    or continued funding forms for the establishment or expansion
22    of  nonprofit  agencies  and  organizations  that   will   be
23    responsible  for developing or coordinating comprehensive and
24    integrated  community-based  support  systems  for   homeless
25    individuals    with    mental    illness   or   developmental
26    disabilities.
27        (b)  Through community-based  providers,  the  Department
28    shall take appropriate steps to encourage homeless persons to
29    use  these services and shall provide information on services
30    available to them.

31        Section 25.  Community service agreements.
32        (a)  Through agreements  with  community-based  providers
 
                            -4-      LRB093 06994 DRJ 13672 a
 1    and  based on available funding, the following components may
 2    be  addressed  within  the  service   system   for   homeless
 3    individuals    with    mental    illness   or   developmental
 4    disabilities:
 5             (1)  Community   needs   assessment   and   resource
 6        development.
 7             (2)  Case   management,   including   case   review,
 8        tracking, service evaluation, and networking.
 9             (3)  Training and staff development.
10             (4)  Consultation with and technical assistance  for
11        providers of shelters.
12             (5)  Outreach  services  that are available at times
13        and in places  where  homeless  individuals  with  mental
14        illness  or  developmental  disabilities  can be located,
15        such as overnight shelters.
16             (6)  Emergency  and  crisis  intervention  services,
17        including the availability of shelter facilities.
18        (b)  Each service area, local  board,  or  local  service
19    system must do the following:
20             (1)  Assist  in maintaining sources of income, food,
21        clothing,  health   care,   counseling,   training,   and
22        employment,   and   in   maintaining   a   stable  living
23        environment within the community when possible.
24             (2)  Develop  individualized   service   plans   for
25        homeless  persons  that  may  include,  but  need  not be
26        limited to, the following:
27                  (A)  Personal  assistance   in   securing   and
28             maintaining     housing,    food,    and    clothing
29             arrangements.
30                  (B)  Crisis intervention services  focusing  on
31             finding  appropriate alternatives to acute inpatient
32             hospital care.
33                  (C)  Assistance  in  securing  and  maintaining
34             income and health care benefits.
 
                            -5-      LRB093 06994 DRJ 13672 a
 1                  (D)  Social and  vocational  skill  development
 2             activities  as  determined  by  the  client's needs,
 3             interests, and abilities.
 4                  (E)  Money     management     assistance     or
 5             representative payeeship.
 6                  (F)  Other self-help skills.
 7                  (G)  Other counseling and  referral  and  legal
 8             and administrative proceeding services as needed.

 9        Section  30.  Refusal  of  services. The Department shall
10    explore the provisions of the Mental Health and Developmental
11    Disabilities Code in relation to  homeless  individuals  with
12    mental  illness  or  developmental  disabilities  who  refuse
13    services for themselves.

14        Section  35.  Grants-in-aid.  The  Department  shall make
15    grants-in-aid to entities recognized under Section  20  based
16    on appropriations to provide services pursuant to Sections 20
17    through  30.  The  Department  shall  establish  and  publish
18    criteria  in  requests for proposals for determining eligible
19    services  and  the  amount  of  grants-in-aid  so  that   all
20    interested  individuals,  agencies,  associations,  and other
21    entities may have access to that information.

22        Section 90.  The  Illinois  Housing  Development  Act  is
23    amended by changing Section 10 as follows:

24        (20 ILCS 3805/10) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 310)
25        Sec.  10.  Prior  to  making  a  loan  commitment  for  a
26    development  under  this  Act,  the Authority shall approve a
27    tenant selection plan submitted  by  the  applicant  for  the
28    loan.  The Authority shall formulate regulations from time to
29    time setting forth the criteria for tenant  selection  plans.
30    These  criteria  shall  include income limits, which may vary
 
                            -6-      LRB093 06994 DRJ 13672 a
 1    with the  size  and  circumstances  of  the  family  unit  of
 2    tenants.  The income limits shall be sufficiently flexible to
 3    avoid undue economic  homogeneity  among  the  tenants  of  a
 4    development.  The  Authority  may  formulate regulations from
 5    time to time for the alteration of occupancies of tenants who
 6    exceed established income limits. The tenant  selection  plan
 7    shall specify how many units in the development shall be held
 8    available  for  rentals to persons of low or moderate income,
 9    as  defined  in  this  Act,  and  for  rental   to   homeless
10    individuals   with   mental   illness   or   a  developmental
11    disability, as defined in the State Advocacy Program for  the
12    Homeless Mentally Ill and Developmentally Disabled Act.
13        In determining the number of units which shall be so held
14    available for rental to persons of low or moderate income and
15    for  rental  to homeless individuals with mental illness or a
16    developmental disability, as defined in  the  State  Advocacy
17    Program  for  the  Homeless  Mentally Ill and Developmentally
18    Disabled Act,  the Authority shall require that the number of
19    dwelling units so held reserved for them in each  development
20    shall  not  be  less  than  the number required by applicable
21    federal and State law.
22        In connection with any mortgage loan for  a  development,
23    the  Authority  may enter into an agreement with the owner of
24    the development as a part of the loan providing that as  long
25    as  the  loan remains outstanding or such longer period as is
26    set forth in the agreement, the  development  shall  be  held
27    available  for  such rentals.  Any such agreement shall, upon
28    being recorded in the manner provided for recording of  deeds
29    or  registered  in  the  manner specified for registration of
30    titles,  be  binding  upon  any  subsequent  owners  of   the
31    development as provided by its terms.
32    (Source: P.A. 87-250.)".