July 13, 2009 –Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) was there to celebrate when Gov. Patrick Quinn signed a $31 billion capital budget that for the first time includes money for affordable housing.
 
CCH fought two years to secure housing funds in the capital budget, which allocates funds for improvements to schools, roads and other public infrastructure. The General Assembly passed a capital budget on May 31 allocated $134 million for affordable housing. Of this, $30 million was designated for housing projects for veterans and the disabled, and $14.8 million targets 15 housing developments.

CCH began working for capital budget funding in May 2007, partnering with United Power for Action & Justice. We raised awareness of the need to include housing as part of the state’s critical infrastructure, as important as roads, bridges and schools. Illinois has not enacted a capital budget in more than a decade.

The CCH effort was anchored by steady communication with legislators and top aides to both governors. Legislative hearings, press conferences, and rallies punctuated the campaign. Key legislative support was secured after the CCH Speakers Bureau – its homeless leaders and support teams in the community – secured meetings with then-Senate President Emil Jones in 2008, and a top aide to Senate President John Cullerton in 2009.

This victory successfully caps the statewide housing campaign, It Takes a Home to Raise a Child, which CCH began in 1998.

The CCH housing campaign received generous, project-based funding from The Chicago Community Trust. Other funders include the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Wieboldt Foundation, and the Woods Fund of Chicago.

- Anne Bowhay