State Budget Protects and Slightly Expands Affordable Housing and Homeless Programs
Through the combined advocacy efforts of many groups, the fiscal year 2014 (FY14) state budget protected funding for programs to create affordable housing and end homelessness, providing small increases for most programs to make up for prior year cuts and enough funding to provide services in new supportive housing projects. Due to our efforts, our line items fared better than most other parts of the FY14 budget for human service programs, as most programs experienced a 1% budget reduction and agency operating budgets were cut by 2.5%. Overall, however, the cuts were not as significant as initial estimates due to higher than anticipated state revenues and other factors.
Compared to Governor Quinn’s proposed budget, the most important change was that line items for Supportive Housing Services was funded at $27.8 million, a $1 million increase over the FY 2013 appropriation and 13% more than in the Governor’s budget proposal in February. This funding will permit the continuation of supportive housing services for all existing supportive housing projects, as well as provide for a phased start-up of an additional 400 units that will provide housing and support for 585 people.
The Homeless Prevention Program was flat funded for FY14 at $4 million, with the same amount coming from GRF and Housing Trust Fund as the current year. The Homeless Youth Program still has $1 million from the Housing Trust Fund and got a $500,000 increase from GRF for a total of $4.6 million. Funding for the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program was increased by 3%, to $9.3 million. A majority of funding for these programs still comes from the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund, but no significant additional resources were diverted from the Trust Fund for FY14.
Fiscal Year 2014 State Funding for Selected Housing and Homeless Programs
| Program | GRF | Other Funds* | Total | Change from FY13 |
| Homeless Youth Services | $3,598,100 | $1,000,000 | $4,598,100 | 12% increase |
| Homeless Prevention | $1,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 | Flat Funding |
| Emergency and Transitional Housing | $0 | $9,383,700 | $9,383,700 | 3% increase |
| Supportive Housing Services | $24,392,700 | $3,382,500 | $27,775,200 | 4% increase |
* Funding from Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund, except Supportive Housing Services funding from Health and Human Service Medicaid Trust Fund.
Thanks to all the providers and others who reached out to their members of the General Assembly during the last several weeks to let them know about the importance of funding these programs. During the final House committee hearing on the human services budget, the Human Services Appropriations Committee Chair, State Representative Greg Harris, stated that program addressing homelessness were among those that the committee worked hard to protect while crafting the FY14 budget. All the lobby visits, calls and emails certainly influenced this outcome.
Thanks also to the groups that Housing Action Illinois works most closely with on state budget issues, including the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County, Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (leader on Homeless Youth efforts), Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights and the Supportive Housing Providers Association (leader on Supportive Housing efforts).
Governor Quinn is expected to sign the FY14 budget into law soon.
Positive State Legislation Going to the Governor’s Desk Includes Protections for Tenants in Foreclosed Buildings
Through passage of Senate Bill 56, Housing Action Illinois worked with the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights to make permanent existing federal protections for tenants living in foreclosed properties to help them from being pushed out of their homes because their landlords have fallen into foreclosure.
SB 56 requires owners or residential rental properties acquired through foreclosure to generally recognize leases entered into during the foreclosure proceedings for a term of up to one year and gives tenants with those leases the right to remain in their homes for the terms of that lease. The bill also ensures tenants have adequate time to move by requiring a 90-day notice for all renters with written, oral, or month-to-month lease agreements.
The bill largely mirrors existing federal protections that are set to expire at the end of 2014, ensuring that Illinois tenants in foreclosed buildings will continue to have basic protections even if the federal law is not made permanent.
Thanks to the lead sponsors, State Senator Jackie Collins and State Representative Kelly Cassidy, and the community groups that helped in the effort, including Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, Northwest Side Housing Center and others.
Other positive pieces of affordable housing-related legislation passed the General Assembly this session, including:
- Senate Bill 1210: Protects people who are homeless from discrimination by stating that the right to maintain gainful employment, to access public services and spaces, to access emergency medical care, and the right to vote cannot be denied solely because someone is homeless or lists a shelter as their address. A person discriminated against because of their housing status would have the right to take legal action and seek damages. Developed by State Senator Ira Silverstein, with sponsorship assistance by State Representative Chris Welch, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless led the advocacy effort to pass the legislation.
- House Bill 99: Extends for three years, through June 30, 2015, the existing requirement that mortgage lenders send a 30-day delinquency notice advising homeowners that they may want to seek out housing counseling and providing additional information. The lead sponsors were State Senator Jackie Collins and State Representative Mike Zalewski.
- SB 2350: Expands existing “On Bill Financing” program, allowing it to be used to finance energy conserving retrofits for residential buildings with 5 or more units. The Illinois Environmental Council worked with a broad range of groups to pass the bill, which was sponsored by State Senator Jackie Collins and State Representative Art Turner.
It’s expected the Governor Quinn will sign all these bills into law this summer. More info on all this legislation is available at www.ilga.gov.