* Capitol News Illinois…

House Bill 2831 codifies an executive order Pritzker signed in 2021 that established the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness and the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness. It centralizes programs across 17 state departments and agencies to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness.

At a bill-signing ceremony at Featherfist, a homeless services organization in Chicago, Pritzker said the goal of the initiative is to bring homelessness in Illinois to “functional zero.”

“For those who don’t know and who may be listening, it’s a measurable metric of success that reduces homelessness to something that’s brief and rare and nonrecurring,” Pritzker said. […]

Christine Haley, the state’s current chief homelessness officer and chair of the interagency task force, said Black people and other people of color are disproportionately affected by homelessness.

“We stand here in one of the few Black-led homeless services organizations in our state. And as we stand here, we know that this housing crisis before us is rooted in housing injustice, is rooted in segregation, is rooted in racism,” she said. “We know this because in our city of Chicago, where now less than a third of its residents are Black, 73% of individuals and 90% of children and their parents who are experiencing homelessness are Black.”

* Center Square…

The bill codifies the Interagency Task Force and Community Advisory Council, formed in 2021 to work across 17 Illinois state departments and agencies to develop a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness. […]

The state’s budget sets aside $360 million for the task force, with $118 million to support unhoused populations seeking shelter and services. Also appropriated is about $40.7 million for the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program, $50 million in Rapid Rehousing services for 2,000 households and $40 million in Permanent Supportive Housing.

The funding is an $83 million increase from last year’s budget.

* WAND…

The administration’s Home Illinois initiative is expanding options for affordable housing, targeting people in high-risk situations, and providing comprehensive support individuals experiencing homelessness. Several communities across the state have reached “functional zero homelessness,” meaning people can quickly find new housing options through local resources.

“We will build from the successes of serving unhoused veterans to advance housing strategies to serve all Illinoisans - from infants to our elders,” said Christine Haley, Chief Homelessness Officer for the Illinois Department of Human Services.

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget includes $360 million to help people find shelter and support services, build short-term and long-term housing units, and secure financial stability.

“We know the difference it can make when all of our partners from all levels around the state work together,” said Carolyn Ross, President and CEO of All Chicago Making Homelessness History. “We are in this for the long-term. And this legislation demonstrates that our Illinois leadership is in it for the long-term too.

* ABC Chicago…

Featherfist’s founder and CEO Melanie Anewishki called this a very encouraging day.

“It’s saying keep going; keep going, Mel. It’s OK; it’s gonna be all right,” said Melanie Anewishki, Featherfist founder and CEO.

Anewishki said it will help reduce what is often a silo’d approach to helping the homeless.

“So, yes, I’m reenergized. I feel great. Today is a very great day,” Anewishki said.

The goal of this coordinated effort is by 2025 to reach what’s called functional zero homelessness, which in essence means more people are finding housing, than are becoming homeless.

* WTVO…

“Every person deserves access to safe shelter and the dignity that comes with housing,” Pritzker said. “This is a first-of-its-kind multi-agency cooperative effort — bringing together state agencies, nonprofit organizations, advocates, and people with lived experience to prevent and end homelessness. I’m grateful for their dedication and believe that together, we can prevent and end homelessness once and for all.”

Rockford has already taken strides in this aspect. In 2017, it became the first community to reach “functional zero” levels among veterans and the chronically homeless.

Illinois’ Interagency Task Force and Community Advisory Council works across 17 state departments and agencies, as well as over 100 processes, programs and policies, to develop a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness. […]

“People experiencing the trauma of housing instability are our neighbors and community members who deserve to be treated with humanity and dignity. With this cooperative effort, Illinois is ensuring our state agencies can continue to collaborate, and that stakeholders are at the table with us, to support our most vulnerable in living healthy, well, and with dignity.” Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton said. “Our state is making it clear that we will continue to work together so we can all move forward, and we will focus on holistic strategies that bring us closer to ending homelessness in our state.”