**photo courtesy of The Center Square
At a recent summit to address homelessness in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker launched his taxpayer-funded Home Illinois Anti-Homelessness Initiative.
The summit, which brought together community leaders and experts to discuss potential solutions and strategies, served as a launch for major next steps in the Home Illinois plan, a multi-year approach the Pritzker administration said has a goal to reach “functional zero” homelessness in the state.
The program has a taxpayer price tag of nearly $360 million, an $85 million increase over last year. The largest portion is $118 million and will go to support unhoused populations seeking shelter and services, including $40 million in the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program.
Other expenditures include $37 million to create more than 460 non-congregate shelter units, $30 million for court-based rental assistance and over $21 million for homelessness prevention services.
“This is a first-of-its-kind multi-agency endeavor, bringing together state agencies, nonprofit organizations, advocates, and people with lived experience to take an intergovernmental approach to preventing and ending homelessness,” said Pritzker.
The Home Illinois plan is led by Illinois’ first-ever Chief Homelessness Officer Christine Haley. Haley didn’t provide comment when reached.
Bob Palmer, policy director for Housing Action Illinois, said although the goal is to eliminate homelessness in the state, that is unrealistic.
“So we will need additional resources in future years both from the state government and the federal government to continue to make progress,” said Palmer to The Center Square.
Investments in this area have not always worked out elsewhere. Despite devoting billions of tax dollars to fight homelessness over the past four fiscal years, California Gov. Gavin Newsome admits the state is losing the battle with the number of homeless people only growing.
Encampments of homeless people have grown in cities across California, with some opting to brave uncertain conditions in the camps rather than surrender possessions to go into shelters with greater structure and rules.
***Courtesy of the Illinois Radio Network***
