In Illinois, hundreds of thousands of people are left homeless or at risk of losing their homes simply because the state lacks affordable housing.

Housing is considered unaffordable if its monthly cost is more than 30 percent of your monthly income. In Illinois, over 722,000 households allocate more than half their monthly income for housing. People who spend more than half of their monthly on housing will not have enough money left over for all other household expenses and utilities.

That so many people in Illinois are one paycheck away from losing their home is not surprising, particularly given the rising cost of housing across the state.

In Chicago, for example, a family must earn at least $17.98 per hour to afford market-rent for a two-bedroom apartment. Statewide, a family must earn at least $15.95 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

To prevent people from becoming homeless and to find affordable housing for people who are homeless, CCH in 1998 launched the "It Takes a Home to Raise a Child Campaign."

The Campaign’s mission is to create more resources for emergency housing assistance and to create permanent affordable housing. This mission will help low-income residents who have been hurt by the loss of affordable housing stock in the city and around the state.