New Report on Illinois’ Housing Voucher Crisis: Not Even a Place in Line

A new report by Housing Action Illinois, Not Even a Place in Line: Shortage of Housing Choice Vouchers and Closed Waitlists in Illinois, details the strained capacity of the Housing Choice Voucher program in Illinois.

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program is the largest federal rental assistance program. It currently serves more than 2.3 million households across the country, including nearly 100,000 in Illinois—lifting many out of poverty and reducing their risk of homelessness.

But this report shows that the system meant to help families stay housed is often inaccessible to those who need it most.

Key Findings

Here are the main takeaways from the report:

• Of the 64 Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in Illinois that administer Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), 46 PHAs (that’s about 77%) have closed waitlists.
• Moreover, of the 99,861 vouchers in Illinois, 95% are administered by PHAs with closed waitlists. In other words, most of the voucher capacity is unavailable because you can’t even apply.
• The Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program—which was designed to help especially vulnerable households —is under serious threat. In April 2025, 1,814 Illinois households were being housed with EHVs. It is expected to run out of funding in 2026 if nothing changes.

Recommendations

• As Congress finalizes the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, it must ensure sufficient funding to renew all Housing Choice Vouchers. This will require $35.65 billion in funding, compared to the $32.1 billion allocated by the House and $34 billion provided by the Senate.
• Congress needs to also continue to fund the EHV Program as a separate program or provide additional capacity to the HCV Program to absorb these vouchers without an overall loss of voucher capacity.

Download the full report to explore our findings and recommendations »