Voices of Power and Dignity are Heard: Horizons 2024 Creative Writing Showcase

Posted on by Emiliano Lievano

The American Writers Museum hosted CCH’s annual Horizons creative writing showcase on Tuesday, June 25. The event brought together family, community members, and CCH staff to listen and experience art.  

Each poet received art made in response to their poetry, created by students at Adler University. CCH’s Horizons program is offered twice a month at shelters and supporting living centers and headed by Claudia Cabrera, Special Projects Organizer at CCH. At the showcase, Myron Byrd, a member of CCH’s Speakers Bureau and a Grassroots Leader, introduced each speaker and their poems. 

Varied poems presented by participants bring energy and community to the American Writers Museum 

  • April Harris reading her poem.
    April Harris is a Grassroots Leader and a member of both the Speakers Bureau and CPS Focus Group. She read her poem “Sunrise.”
  • Carla Johnson reads her poem.
    Carla Johnson is a Grassroots Leader and a member of the Speakers Bureau. Her poem is called “That’s Me.”
  • Maxica Williams reads her poem.
    Maxica Williams is a Grassroots Leader and the CCH Board President. She read her poem “Williams Family History,” which she said, “is dedicated to my children and my grandchildren and those I leave a legacy for.”
  • DeSera Williams reads her poem.
    DeSera Williams is Maxica Williams’ youngest daughter. She read her poem “Selflessness.”
  • DeNaysa Williams reads her poem.
    DeNaysa Williams is Maxica Williams’ eldest daughter. Her poem is titled “How You Love Me.”
  • DeVon Williams reads his poem.
    DeVon Williams is Maxica Williams’ youngest son, and his poem is untitled. He said if it was titled, however, it would be called “It’s Only 24 Hours in a Day.”
  • Jaleece Hickman reads her poem.
    It was Jaleece Hickman’s first time reading at the Horizons Showcase, and she read her poem called “Shadows of the Night.”
  • Chezeray Moore reads his poem.
    Dr. Chezeray Moore advocates for policy change at City Hall and works for Street Samaritans. His poem is titled “The Plunder of Aries.”
  • Margaret Bingham reads her poem.
    Margaret Bingham is a Grassroots Leader and works as a healthcare provider. She read her poem “My Low-Income Apartment.”
  • Wanda Cooper reads her poem.
    Wanda Cooper read her poem titled “How Long.” The poem acted as a call and response. Each time she would say “how long,” the room would repeat it back to her.
  • Brian Rodgers reads his poem.
    Brian Rodgers is a member of the Speakers Bureau and a Grassroots Leader with the Reentry Project. He read his poem “68,000 Need A Place to Stay.”
  • Shay Jones reads her poem.
    Shay Jones is a prolific artist and writer. Her poem is titled “The Legacy of Letting Go.”
  • Marketta Sims reads her poem.
    Marketta Sims is a long-time advocate for people’s rights. She recited her poem “Newfound Love.”
  • Brooklyn Silas reads her poem.
    Brooklyn Silas is a Grassroots Leader. She closed out the showcase by reading her poem “SPIT.”
  • All the Horizons 2024 participants stand together.
    The Horizons participants. Back row (left to right): Chezeray Moore, April Harris, Carla Johnson, DeVon Williams, DeNaysa Williams, Brooklyn Silas. Front row (left to right): Margaret Bingham, Shay Jones, Wanda Cooper, Maxica Williams, Marketta Sims.

“This means so much to me because I have come from so many feats. So I thought about a newfound love. When this newfound love came into my life, it was called a home. A true home. I’m an advocate that believes in standing for something or falling for everything. And I love my people. So this is dedicated for that home.”

Marketta Sims

“Before I start my poem, I just wanna say, I want everybody to just consider yourself, consider who you are right now. As I’m looking into the crowd, I see a bouquet. Every single one of you guys is a rose that grew from a crack in the concrete… And I just wanna say that I’m proud of y’all for standing tall. Every single one of you guys is standing before me and I have no idea of the traumas, the situations, the big life events that you guys have gone through, but nevertheless, here you are.”

Brooklyn Silas

CCH’s creative writing program Horizons offers creative writing workshops to parents experiencing homelessness who live at family shelters, as well as residents of adult shelters located in Chicago. Horizons was launched in 2007 by Director of Organizing Wayne Richard, a staff member since 2000. Wayne first became involved with CCH as a grassroots leader, when he lived in a West Side shelter that hosted an earlier version of the writing program. CCH organizer Claudia Cabrera, manages the program and annual creative event.  

The Horizons Creative Writing Program has significantly expanded over the years, fostering creativity and empowerment among parents experiencing homelessness. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Horizons Showcase was held on Zoom, ensuring the continuation of this vital platform for expression. Initially a small initiative, it now boasts 15 participants, including grassroots leaders and residents from various shelters in Chicago. With consistent support from key partners like the American Writers Museum, dedicated CCH staff volunteers, and the involvement of Dr. Jennifer LaCivita and her students from Adler University, who create art interpretations of participants’ poems, the program has become a cornerstone of community engagement. Additionally, we have included more youth participants, encouraging them to share their creative voices with the world, thereby broadening the program’s impact and visibility. 

Watch CCH’s 2024 Horizon’s Creative Showcase

CCH’s Response to the Supreme Court’s Decision to Criminalize Street Homelessness

Posted on by Rafia Khatoon

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) is deeply disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court limited the rights of people experiencing homelessness in a decision in the Johnson v. Grants Pass case.

Originating from Grants Pass, Oregon, the Supreme Court decision allows cities to penalize people for sleeping outdoors if they have even a blanket to stay warm, even when they have nowhere else to go. Lower court decisions in the case found that fining and arresting people in those circumstances was “cruel and unusual punishment” under the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The Court’s decision does not recognize the reality of the lived experience of people who have no place else to go. As noted in the first sentence of Justice Sotomayor’s dissent, “Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime.”

There is a severe shortage of affordable housing in Chicago, Illinois, and throughout the country and a lack of emergency shelter to address the need. Anti-bedding ordinances, like those at issue in the case, would be particularly harmful to people experiencing homelessness in climates like Chicago and Illinois. Any such measures passed here would punish Black Chicagoans and Illinoisans, who disproportionately experience homelessness.

“Fining and penalizing people experiencing homelessness does not solve homelessness. Indeed, criminalizing homelessness only serves to exacerbate it,” said Patricia Nix-Hodes, Director of the Law Project of CCH. “The solution to homelessness is to provide permanent affordable housing.”

CCH, alongside 27 partner organizations, filed an amicus brief in the case, raising the importance of the case and the impact on people experiencing homelessness in Chicago and Illinois. Pro bono partner Much Shelist supported CCH in filing the brief, and attorneys Steven Blonder, Josh Leavitt, and Charlotte Franklin were instrumental in drafting the brief. Legal Council for Health Justice and Law Center for Better Housing also partnered on the brief.

Read the amicus brief here.

CCH joined the National Homelessness Law Center and hundreds of other organizations that submitted more than 40 amicus briefs in support of people experiencing homelessness.

Amicus brief partners: AIDS Foundation Chicago, All Chicago Making Homelessness History, BEDS Plus, Inc., Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Chicago Rehab Network, Chicago Urban League, Chicago Women Take Action, Covenant House Illinois, Deborah’s Place, Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project, Healthcare Alternative Systems, Inc, Heartland Alliance Health, Housing Action Illinois, Illinois Public Health Institute, Impact for Equity, James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, Law Center for Better Housing, Legal Council for Health Justice, LYTE Collective, North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, Organized Communities Against Deportations, Red Line Service Institute, Safer Foundation, South Suburban PADS, Street Samaritans, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, The Night Ministry, and Thresholds.

2024 Illinois Legislative Session Wrap Up 

Posted on by Amy Kant
  • CCH Advocating to Illinois State Reps A group is in front of the State Capital
    CCH Advocates in Springfield
  • A group of CCH orga nizers speaking to Rep. Harry Benton
    Illinoisians Speaking to Reps.
  • A group of CCH leaders Lobbying Rep. Harry Benton
    CCH Lobbying Rep. Harry Benton in the State Capital

This spring Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) advocated for several statewide measures in Springfield that would help remove barriers for people experiencing and at risk of homelessness. CCH Policy, Law Project, and Organizing staff, along with our grassroots leaders, worked to pass legislation that will impact students experiencing homelessness, families attempting to retain their housing, extremely low-income families, and children, and provide additional funding to homeless and housing service providers.

During this session, CCH hosted several Lobby Days. Organizers brought a number of groups including high school students and teachers, the Homeless Prevention Coalition, grassroots leaders, and youth advocates. They had an opportunity to lobby on both CCH’s substantive legislation alongside budget advocacy. 

 Legislation Passed and Sent to the Governor for Signature

Strengthening Supports for Homeless Students

HB 5407 (Rep. Michelle Mussman and Sen. Adriane Johnson) 

  • Illinois has not funded homeless education in over fifteen years. Though the number of students identified as homeless has grown since that time. In recent years, the number of students experiencing homelessness in Illinois increased by 30.86% between the 2020-21 school year and the 2021-22 school year. The federal government has stepped in due to COVID-19 providing homeless education funding, but that support will end in September 2024.  In reinstating funds for homeless education, CCH is asking the General Assembly to expand uses for homeless education funds alongside looking at novel ways in which to identify students experiencing homelessness as there are possibly up to 55,000 students experiencing homelessness who were not identified by school districts in Illinois.

Homelessness Prevention Program Improvements

HB 5564 (Rep. Lilian Jimenez and Sen. Laura Fine) included in HB 4959 

The Homelessness Prevention Program is a 20-year-old program that has successfully ensured people maintain their housing.  88% of the people who utilize the program remain housed after receiving assistance.  It saves the state thousands of dollars per individual in emergency services and shelter funding.  Though funding for HPP services has grown, with additional funding additional assistance is needed to support the families and individuals contacting for assistance. With this legislation, providers will be permitted to use up to 20% of their funding for case management to ensure those who are assisted by the program remain housed after receiving assistance. 

Ending Housing Retaliatory Behavior 

HB 4768 (Rep. Will Guzzardi and Sen. Karina Villa) 

Tenants living in buildings without access to heat, water, or other serious conditions sometimes have the added burden of being afraid to contact their landlords or government entities to resolve the issues out of fear of retaliation from their landlords just for reporting the violations. Illinois’ current statute provides only that a landlord cannot retaliate against their tenant by evicting the tenant if they seek governmental intervention for serious issues but provides little recourse to tenants seeking relief or experiencing other forms of retaliation other than eviction. In amending the current statute, we broadened the scope of retaliatory actions and protected activities and provided remedies available to tenants facing retaliation, both monetarily as well as specific performance. 

Continued Advocacy Next Session

Community Safety Through Stable Homes Act

SB 3680 (Sen. Karina Villa and Rep. La Shawn Ford)

  • Municipalities throughout Illinois have enacted so-called “crime-free housing and nuisance property” ordinances (CFNOs) under the guise of fighting crime and keeping communities safer. However, in practice, CFNOs establish a system that forces housing providers to unfairly penalize and sometimes evict tenants based on any alleged criminal or nuisance activity, pushing families into instability and even homelessness, which undermines public safety.
  • CFNOs frequently exclude people of color from housing and endanger our community’s most vulnerable members. This includes survivors of domestic violence and people with disabilities, whose calls for emergency services or the police can lead to eviction rather than the assistance needed. These ordinances often violate fair housing and other civil rights laws.
  • Making the Safe Communities and Stable Homes Act law will help make sure people aren’t afraid to contact the police, protect people from unfair discrimination, keep families in their homes, and refocus public policy on more effective responses to crime.  

Illinoisians Dedicated to Offering Transitional Solutions

HB 4769 (Rep. Guzzardi) 

  • In Illinois, as with much of the country, people experiencing homelessness do not always have access to temporary shelter. For those individuals, finding refuge under viaducts and expressways may be the only way to find shelter from the elements. Understanding that these spaces also need repair or other construction projects, making sure that people using the space for shelter are notified and assisted with finding other options is also important. This legislation would require transportation departments to assess whether people experiencing are in the pathway of construction and if so partner with state or local human service departments to identify shelter or other housing opportunities. 

Support the Community Partner Fair Contracting Act

HB 5064 (Rep. Avelar) SB 3457 (Sen. Halpin)

The Community Partner Fair Contracting Act (CPFCA) will rectify structural inequities in the state’s contracting, payment, and court of claims systems to ensure that health and human service providers can better meet the needs of their communities.

  • Ensure Timely Contracts and Payments: Amends the Prompt Payment Act (PPA) to require agencies to issue contracts within 30 days of the start of the grant term and approve bills or invoices within 30 days. It also shortens the time frame between when the bill is approved and when interest begins accruing from 90 to 45 days.
  • Expand and Clarify Advanced Payment Eligibility: Amends the PPA to expand the list of critical services in statute and requires state contracts to identify a payment date and whether a contract is eligible for PPA and advanced payment.
  • Promote Flexible Contracts that cover the full cost of services: Amends the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) to remove arbitrary caps on fringe benefits and prevents state agencies from limiting indirect costs in contracts or grant agreements to less than 20%.
  • Expedite and Simplify Court of Claims Process: Amends the Court of Claims Act (CCA) to divert undisputed lapsed appropriation claims of less than $2500 and allow state agencies to pay claims from any appropriated funding source.

Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Advocacy

Commit to Funding and Ending Homelessness in Illinois

The recently completed state plan required by Governor Pritzker’s executive order, Home Illinois, creates a framework for achieving functional zero homelessness. The shortage of affordable housing is compounded by circumstances such as people losing employment, dealing with chronic physical and/or mental health problems, domestic violence, or a family turning away a child results in homelessness. 

State-funded programs to prevent and end homelessness receive deeply inadequate funding to achieve the plan’s goals. Providers have continuously stepped up to serve more people in crisis during the pandemic and continue to struggle with:

  • Increasing rents in the private market, making it harder to help people maintain or find a home. 
  • Agencies unable to pay competitive wages to retain and recruit qualified staff.
  • Shelters losing donated spaces and volunteers due to COVID-19 concerns.

This legislation will increase the housing and homeless service line items. These funds will help support the development of new housing opportunities, keep people on the brink of homelessness to maintain their housing, provide supportive services, and make sure that staff in these programs are provided with a living wage. 

Supportive Housing Services 

  • Total Increased Funding Need: $11 million
  • The FY25 budget does not provide for additional funding. 

Homeless Youth Program

  • Total Increased Funding Need: $8 million
  • The FY25 budget provides a $1.5 million increase through the reallocation of existing HOME Illinois funding

Homelessness Prevention Program 

  • Increased Funding Need: $10 million
  • The FY25 budget provides a $5.4 million increase through reallocation of existing HOME Illinois funding.

Emergency and Transitional Housing Program

  • Increased Funding Need: $20 million
  • The FY25 budget does not provide for additional funding. 

Homeless Education

  • Increased Funding Need: $5 million
  • The FY25 budget includes $16 million in ARPA dollars

Revenue Advocacy 

In ensuring that the state has the funding to pay for these important services the House and Senate passed a Revenue package that includes increasing taxes on online sports betting, video gaming, hotel re-renters’ tax (on sites like hotel.com or kayak.com), and capping the retailers’ discount, and net operating loss deduction (placing limits on deductions corporations can take on their state taxes).  This additional revenue will bring in just under a billion dollars. 

The Return of the Justice Circle

Posted on by Vanessa Álvarez
  • CCH Law Project staff members pose for camera
    Staff members of the small but mighty CCH Law Project.
  • CCH’s Beth Malik and Patricia Nix-Hodes were happy to see longtime foundation supporters Debbie Reznick and Leslie Corbett.
  • CCH Executive Director Doug Schenkelberg (right) is happy to welcome sponsor representative Bill Maloney of Fifth Third Bank.
  • Associate Director of the Law Project, Beth Malik with Baker McKenzie Partner, Mike Lehrman.
  • Members of CCH’s dynamic Associate Board, (from L to R), Katie Nopar, Sara Szwankowski, Lindsay Welbers, Amanda Bogle & Patrick Gilsenan.
  • CCH Executive Director Doug Schenkelberg & Homeless Youth Advocate, Jajuana Walker
    CCH Executive Director Doug Schenkelberg & Homeless Youth Advocate, Jajuana Walker
By Michael Nameche, Director of Development

On May 9, supporters and allies of CCH’s Law Project gathered for the Justice Circle reception at the law offices of Baker McKenzie. The event celebrated the 20th anniversary of Youth Futures, CCH’s mobile legal aid clinic for young people experiencing homelessness.  

This was the first time that the Justice Circle has held an in-person event since 2019, and CCH is very grateful for all the returning support. Contributions from law firms, banks, and individuals raised over $60,000 to support the Law Project’s work. A list of our sponsors can be found here.  

At the event, some special recognition awards were presented. CCH recognized Baker McKenzie’s commitment to helping youth experiencing homelessness nationwide. The firm’s ongoing commitment to authoring Homeless Youth Handbooks has produced a critical resource in 13 states already, with more on the way. Baker McKenzie also partners with the National Network for Youth through their Justice in Action Pro Bono Initiative, which removes barriers that youth experiencing homelessness face when accessing identification documents. Firm partner Michael Lehrman accepted the award on Baker McKenzie’s behalf.  

CCH also recognized the ongoing efforts of Jajuana Walker, a former Law Project client and homeless youth advocate. Jajuana took her own personal struggles with housing insecurity, first experiencing homelessness at the age 18, and channeled her courage and wisdom into advocating to end housing discrimination and youth homelessness in Chicago. Jajuana fought against multiple barriers to housing access by serving as a plaintiff in successful housing discrimination and fair credit cases with CCH. 

Associate Director of the Law Project, Beth Malik, had this to say when presenting the award to Jajuana: “I had the privilege of working with Jajuana on both her housing and fair credit cases. The litigation was long, complicated, and mentally and emotionally taxing. During the process, despite many ups and downs over the course of 3 years, she never wanted to give up. She wanted to keep going not for herself, but to make sure that other homeless young people have better access to stable and long-term housing.” 

CCH is especially grateful to our event host, Baker McKenzie, for providing their fabulous space and handling all the event details so CCH could spend the evening focusing on the community of support that showed up. 

Oral Arguments Begin in Johnson v. Grants Pass Case, Determining the Constitutionality of Criminalizing Homelessness 

Posted on by Vanessa Álvarez
Advocates to address homelessness hold signs with a solution of Housing not Handcuff in front of the the Supreme Court

By Sam Paler-Ponce, interim associate director of policy 

On Monday, April 22, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court began oral arguments in Johnson v. Grants Pass, a case deciding if cities have the right to penalize people experiencing homelessness for sleeping outdoors. 

Listen to the oral argument by clicking here.

The City of Grants Pass argues the city is just following the trend of most other cities, as many cities across the country are already arresting and fining people experiencing homelessness. However, Grants Pass has taken the most extreme posture: there is nowhere, at no time, where people living outside can sleep with things like a blanket or pillow. 

Cruel and Unusual Punishment 

At the heart of Johnson v. Grants Pass lies the interpretation of constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. In 1962, the Supreme Court weighed in on a similar issue in the case of Robinson v. California. The case struck down a California law that made it a crime to “be addicted to the use of narcotics.” 

The court held that the law may not criminalize someone’s status as a person with a substance use disorder and must instead target some kind of criminal act. Therefore, a state may punish a person for the illegal purchase, sale, or possession of narcotics, and—absent any evidence of illegal drug use— the state of California could not punish someone simply for existing with a substance use disorder. 

Martin v. Boise 

The 2018 case of Martin v. Boise challenged the city of Boise’s enforcement of camping and disorderly conduct ordinances against persons experiencing homelessness—those who need to sleep in public in the absence of adequate housing or shelter. 

Now six years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by the city of Boise to review the case Martin v. Boise (formerly Bell v. Boise). This leaves in place earlier rulings under the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which held that people experiencing street homelessness could no longer be arrested simply because they are homeless. 

Dozens of court cases have since cited Martin v. Boise, including courts in Florida, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. 

Criminalizing Homelessness 

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to deliberate on this landmark case, the outcome holds significant implications for the quarter of a million people nationwide who find themselves without shelter on any given night. While the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass serves as a focal point for legal debate, it also highlights the systemic failures that perpetuate homelessness nationwide.  

In Grants Pass, people are issued $295 tickets for using a blanket to stay warm when they have nowhere else to go. Punitive measures like incarceration and fines exacerbate the issue, rather than resolve it. The real solution lies in ensuring safe, decent, and affordable housing. 

Local Insight 

Over 1,000 organizations and public leaders across the country have filed more than 40 amicus briefs (“amici”) in support of Gloria Johnson and homeless rights in the landmark case.  

An amicus brief is submitted by a person or group not directly involved in a legal case but is permitted to support the court by providing information, expertise, or insight relevant to the case. These briefs, known as “amici,” aim to inform the court about potential public policy consequences of a ruling. 

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, alongside 27 partner organizations, filed an amicus brief, raising the importance of the case and the impact on people experiencing homelessness in Chicago and Illinois. 

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to take a position by June 2024.

View the transcript of the argument by clicking here.

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and partners weigh in on high-profile U.S. Supreme Court case, Johnson v. Grants Pass 

Posted on by Vanessa Álvarez

By Sam Paler-Ponce, interim associate director of policy 

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless assembled 27 statewide partner organizations in filing an amicus brief in the upcoming case of Johnson v. Grants Pass. On the docket to be heard for oral arguments on April 22, 2024, this will be the first time in decades that the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case related to homelessness. 

“Homelessness is not something you can sweep under the rug. It needs to be solved in a positive way,” said Robert Henderson, a grassroots leader with Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. “Punishing a person for being homeless is cruel and unusual, and it is not right.” Henderson was living on the street when he first worked with Chicago Coalition for the Homeless as a legal client. In 2018, he became the first person to successfully bring a case under the Illinois Homeless Bill of Rights. 

Originating from Grants Pass, Oregon, the Supreme Court will determine if cities have the right to penalize people for sleeping outdoors if they have even a blanket to stay warm, particularly when they have nowhere else to go. At the heart of the matter lies the interpretation of constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.  

“The best solutions to the homelessness crisis in this country are creating sufficient affordable housing and providing supporting social services to help individuals stay housed,” said Camilla Krauss, a drafting attorney on the brief. “Criminalizing a person experiencing homelessness for simply existing in the elements not only creates bad precedent but also serves to exacerbate, rather than solve, the core issues.” 

“Homelessness is a public health and affordable housing crisis, requiring urgent, meaningful and collaborative action across many sectors.  Fines and jailing are traumatizing to people experiencing homelessness and disrupt work towards real solutions,” said Lisa Parsons, Legal Director at Legal Council for Health Justice and a drafting attorney on the brief. 

Read the amicus brief here.

The case challenges the practice of cities like Grants Pass, which resorted to penalizing people sleeping in public spaces with bedding, such as a blanket, despite the absence of shelter in the community. 

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), alongside 27 partner organizations, filed an amicus brief (relating to amicus curiae, meaning “friend of the court”), raising the importance of the case and the impact on people experiencing homelessness in Chicago and Illinois. Pro bono partner Much Shelist supported CCH in filing the brief, and attorneys Steven Blonder, Josh Leavitt, and Charlotte Franklin were instrumental in drafting the brief.  

“The measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable. It demonstrates the character and compassion of the citizenry, and our country has made significant advances in the care and sheltering of those experiencing homelessness,” said Steve Blonder, principal at Much Shelist. “A reversal of the Ninth Circuit’s decision would be a major step backward – to a society less caring and more medieval.” 

“With homelessness and evictions most seriously impacting Black Americans, criminalizing homelessness is an additional way to make living while Black illegal and must be stopped if we are ever to attain a just society,” said Michelle Gilbert, Legal and Policy Director at the Law Center for Better Housing, a drafting organization on the brief. 

“A negative outcome in this case would exacerbate the challenges faced by people living with HIV and other chronic conditions who are also experiencing homelessness, creating additional barriers to accessing the support and services they need to transition out of homelessness and manage their chronic health conditions,” said Nadeen Israel, Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at AIDS Foundation Chicago. 

While the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass serves as a focal point for legal debate, it also highlights the systemic failures that perpetuate homelessness nationwide. Punitive measures like incarceration and fines exacerbate the issue, rather than resolving it. The real solution lies in ensuring safe, decent, and affordable housing. 

“This case could affect the thousands of Illinois survivors seeking shelter and create further barriers to accessing safe housing,” said Jaclyn Zarack-Koriath, Director of Housing Advocacy at The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. 

As the Supreme Court prepares to deliberate on this landmark case, the outcome holds significant implications for the quarter of a million people nationwide who find themselves without shelter on any given night. 

“An adverse outcome in this case could make the families we serve even more vulnerable and unstable,” said Karen Freeman-Wilson, Chief Executive Officer at Chicago Urban League, an advocacy organization that works to achieve equity for Black families and communities through social and economic empowerment. 

CCH joins the National Homelessness Law Center and hundreds of other organizations that have submitted 39 amicus briefs in support of people experiencing homelessness. 

Amicus brief partners: AIDS Foundation Chicago, All Chicago Making Homelessness History, BEDS Plus, Inc., Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Chicago Rehab Network, Chicago Urban League, Chicago Women Take Action, Covenant House Illinois, Deborah’s Place, Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project, Healthcare Alternative Systems, Inc, Heartland Alliance Health, Housing Action Illinois, Illinois Public Health Institute, Impact for Equity, James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, Law Center for Better Housing, Legal Council for Health Justice, LYTE Collective, North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, Organized Communities Against Deportations, Red Line Service Institute, Safer Foundation, South Suburban PADS, Street Samaritans, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, The Night Ministry, and Thresholds. 

CCH’s Post-Election Statement as a Member of Bring Chicago Home

Posted on by Vanessa Álvarez
Group of people in front of city hall hold a sign in support of Bring Chicago Home campaign

Sharing and building power is how we address homelessness in Chicago.

In 2017, a group of CCH’s grassroots leaders with lived experience of homelessness first developed the idea of what became Bring Chicago Home. Since that first day, we have collectively fought for the revenue we need to provide the permanent housing and services the people experiencing homelessness in Chicago need. 

We spent years building a broad coalition made up of people with lived experience of homelessness, union members, faith leaders, social service providers, community organizations, and grassroots volunteers. The opposition tried to intimidate, misinform, and outspend us, but we always had the will and the power of the people on our side. 

The March 19th election results did not end the fight. Instead, they amplify our commitment to finding solutions for housing insecurity and addressing homelessness.  

Despite this obvious setback, we continue to stay focused on what matters most: the building of a long-term movement for housing justice, with, for, and by the 68,000 Chicagoans experiencing homelessness in one of the richest cities in the world. We invite all who share this vision to join us for the next chapter. The fight for housing justice continues because housing is a human right. 

Want to help win Bring Chicago Home on March 19? Here’s how to vote if you are experiencing homelessness 

Posted on by Vanessa Álvarez
A group of protestors holds up a banner saying "Bring Chicago Home."

The Importance of Voting 

This upcoming election holds a special significance for Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. In addition to voting on key races at local and national levels, at the end of the ballot, you will find a referendum question – known as Bring Chicago Home or Ballot Question One – which would give the city the authority to restructure the city’s real estate transfer tax (the one-time tax paid when a property is bought) so that anyone buying a property for under $1 million would pay a lesser rate, and anyone buying a property for over $1 million would pay a marginally higher rate. All the new funds from the real estate transfer tax would be legally dedicated toward affordable housing and supportive services to prevent homelessness. 

This moment has been years in the making. After years of organizing to create a dedicated stream of funding to address homelessness by amending the real estate transfer tax, the Bring Chicago Home coalition – convened by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless – successfully lobbied City Council to put a referendum question to authorize the restructuring of the real estate transfer tax on the ballot. The ballot question is a necessary legal step to pass an ordinance in City Council to implement Bring Chicago Home’s proposal.  

Despite an initial court ruling suppressing the vote on the ballot, on March 6th that decision was overturned. This means that on March 19th – you will have the opportunity to vote on a proposal that would dramatically shift how Chicago addresses its housing and homelessness crisis. You have an opportunity to help Bring Chicago Home by voting YES on Ballot Question One. 

A Black woman in her 20s sits at a table with paper in front of her.
Evie, a volunteer with the Bring Chicago Home campaign, helps out at a CCH West Side Canvass on February 3, 2024.

Voting While Experiencing Homelessness 

All people experiencing homelessness – whether they are street-based, living in shelters, or doubled-up in the homes of others – have the right to vote. This right is protected by state and federal laws, including the 2013 Illinois Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act. 

You can check online to see if you are registered here. 

You can register to vote at an Early Voting Site OR on Election Day! 

Any Illinois resident ages 18 or older can register to vote on Election Day at the precinct polling place assigned to their residential mailing address. Chicago residents can also register at the Loop Super Site located downtown. 

You are required to bring two (2) forms of identification (ID) when registering to vote on-site, including one that shows proof of residence or a mailing address. Acceptable forms of ID include mail postmarked to the applicant; an Illinois driver’s license or state ID card; a municipal ID card (for example, the Chicago CityKey); an employee or student ID; Social Security card; birth certificate; credit card; valid U.S. passport; and lease or rental contract. 

Illinois residents who are homeless have the right to vote in all local, state, and national elections, including the upcoming Primary Election on March 19th. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Illinois permits residents to vote early and request to vote by mail without providing an excuse or reason for this request. Also, Illinois residents can vote on Election Day even if they are not yet registered to vote. 

As one form of ID, a person experiencing homelessness can provide a letter from a drop-in center, shelter, or the person in whose home they are living doubled-up. The letter must confirm that the named person has permission to use the address to register to vote.

To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on or before Election Day, and not claim the right to vote elsewhere. 

You cannot vote if you are currently incarcerated for a conviction. But, if you are in pre-trial detention and have not been convicted, you remain eligible to vote. Learn more about  how to vote in pre-trial detention. 

A crowd of protestors stands in an intersection with a banner reading "Bring Chicago Home."

When is ID needed and not needed to vote?  

Identification is not necessary if the person experiencing homelessness has already registered to vote at the polling place; the signature they provide matches the one on file; and an election judge does not challenge the person’s right to vote. 

But identification is necessary in these situations: 

  • They registered by mail and did not include the Illinois ID/driver’s license number or Social Security number. 
  • An election judge challenges the person’s right to vote. Please note: A common reason for challenging a person’s right to vote occurs after the Board of Elections has sent mail to verify a voter’s mailing address, but the mail was returned. 
  • The individual is registering to vote on-site (see above) 

If a voter needs to show ID but is unable to do so, they may cast a provisional ballot. For that provisional ballot to be counted, the voter must present ID within seven (7) days of the election to the Board of Elections. 

Voting after a recent move, whether homeless or housed 

If you moved within the same precinct within 27 days of the election, you can vote a full ballot by signing an affidavit. 

If you moved outside of your precinct more than 30 days before the election and did not register in your new precinct, you may grace-period update your registration through Election Day, and then grace-period vote. 

If you moved outside of your precinct less than 30 days before the election, but still live in Illinois and did not transfer your registration, you may grace-period update your registration to your new address through Election Day and grace-period vote. Or, you can vote a full ballot in your old polling place after completing an affidavit. 

For Election Day assistance, call these legal help desks: 

  • Chicago Board of Elections, (312) 269-7870 
  • Cook County Clerk Karen A. Yarbrough office, (312) 603-0236 
  • Illinois State Board of Elections has phone numbers in Chicago at (312) 814-6440, and in Springfield at (217) 782-4141. Operators will be standing by until 11 p.m. in Chicago and until 12 midnight in Springfield. 
A group of protestors stands at an intersection under a green traffic light. One protestor's sign reads "Love Your Neighbor."
Bring Chicago Home coalition members rally outside Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s home on December 19, 2022.

By Niya K. Kelly, Director of State Legislative Policy, Equity and Transformation 

CCH’s Response to Governor Pritzker’s FY25 Budget Address 

Posted on by Vanessa Álvarez

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) is mindful of the state’s budget constraints and Governor Pritzker’s focus on putting the state in good economic standing. With the cost of housing and other essentials rising, the state has a responsibility to prioritize the needs of the unhoused.  

Photo of IL Gov JB Pritzker

We laud the Governor’s continued commitment to the Home Illinois initiative, which addresses homelessness through a holistic approach, and understand there are several pipeline pathways needed to support people to maintain stable housing. This initiative is helping Illinois make progress in our efforts to end homelessness across the state.   

We fully support the state’s intentional focus on addressing Black homelessness. The disproportionate number of Black Illinoisans who face homelessness is one more area where we see the manifestation of systemic racism. As part of our advocacy to address this inequity, CCH will advocate for increases in funding to important, ongoing work, such as funding homeless youth, supportive housing, homelessness prevention and emergency shelters, while also dedicating $5 million in the Illinois State Board of Education budget to support the needs of students experiencing homelessness. 

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates, conducted in January 2023, homelessness increased by 12% from 2022. In Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) reported 58,498 students experiencing homelessness during the 2022-23 school year, a 22% increase from the year before. As of January 31, 2024, Chicago Public Schools identified 22,777 students experiencing homelessness. This represents a 57% one-year increase and the highest number ever identified at this point in the school year. School districts statewide need funding to provide services and supports to students, especially as American Rescue Plan funds are coming to an end.    

In his address, Governor Pritzker shared the story of Jasmine, a pregnant mother of five in Oak Park experiencing homelessness. Jasmine was able to receive the wraparound services her family needed through Housing Forward and is currently stably housed. He is correct in stating, “There are many hundreds of people like Jasmine out there in need of help.” CCH’s grassroots leaders and homeless and housing service providers would go further and say there are thousands of families facing similar predicaments. This is why we continue to advocate for increases in the established line items. As we have seen over the last year, not including funding in their designated line items has caused delays to service providers receiving contracts, which delays funding and being able to provide much-needed services. It means families who could have remained housed experience homelessness, it means families like Jasmine’s are sleeping in unsafe places because shelter beds are unavailable, it means a shelter hoping to hire a new staff person to support youth in their programs kept that position open for an additional six months awaiting the contracting process. Home Illinois is a great initiative, but its goal of eradicating homelessness is undermined when providers are unable to provide services due to administrative delays.  

We commend the Governor’s understanding that housing is truly a human right and that a person’s citizenship status should not determine whether they have access to safe and affordable housing. The additional $182 million in funding for migrant services in his budget proposal makes this commitment clear. The Governor and the General Assembly have shown through their actions over the past few years that they want to invest in the needs of those who are too often pushed to the margins. We look forward to working with them this year to enact a 2025 budget that continues to support all Illinoisans.  

CCH honors community members who made our 2023 victories possible

Posted on by Erin Sindewald
  • CCH grassroots leaders and their families pose with Mayor Brandon Johnson.
    CCH grassroots leaders and their families pose with Mayor Brandon Johnson.
  • Carla Johnson, a CCH Board Member and grassroots leader, hugs Ald. Hadden while presenting her award.
    Carla Johnson, a CCH Board Member and grassroots leader, hugs Ald. Hadden while presenting her award.
  • A group of 9 multi-racial adults stand beside Julie Campos, a Latina woman holding her young son,
    Attorneys with CCH, Porter Wright, and the ACLU of Illinois pose with Julie Campos and her son, Miguel.
  • A group of 13 multi-racial, multi-generational people stand side by side behind a podium. Most are holding certificates.
    Northern Illinois Community Organizer Alex Shapiro honors CCH grassroots leaders for their advocacy over the past year.
  • Leaders Myron Byrd, Bianca Hardy, and Carla Johnson with Mayor Johnson.
    Leaders Myron Byrd, Bianca Hardy, and Carla Johnson with Mayor Johnson.
  • A large group of people sit in folding chairs watching a presentation off camera.
    Community members and elected officials watch the celebration.

More than 100 community leaders, elected officials, and coalition members gathered at Grace Episcopal Church on January 22 to celebrate CCH’s accomplishments over the past year. 

The evening began with opening remarks from Maxica Williams, President of CCH’s Board of Directors and a longtime grassroots leader with the coalition.

“Through advocating, lobbying, and working hard, the accomplishments for 2023 were plentiful, unique, trendsetting, and successful moves in the right direction to eliminating some of the outdated laws and policies that were direct barriers that have led to homelessness,” shared Maxica.

Continue reading CCH honors community members who made our 2023 victories possible