Deadline: All comments must be submitted by 12:00 pm CT on Monday, June 29, 2026.

Housing Action Illinois is urging organizations across the state to sign on to a letter opposing HUD’s proposed rescission of the Equal Access Rule (EAR).

What is the Equal Access Rule?

The EAR guarantees equal access to programs and services funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.

Established more than 10 years ago, it ensures families can remain together in shelter and protects transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people from being turned away from live-saving resources.

Why This Matters

• Transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals would lose critical housing protections
• All people experiencing homelessness would be affected, not only LGBTQI+ individuals
• Homelessness rates would likely increase, straining local and state budgets
• State and local protections for LGBTQI+ individuals could be undermined

Read the letter and sign on »

Deadline to sign on: 12:00 pm CT on Monday, June 29, 2026.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for taking action. 

Not able to sign on for an organization?

Individuals can also submit comments via regulations.gov. HUD must read and account for comments in a published final rule. Find step-by-step instructions on how to submit comments here.

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Support our work by donating or becoming a member today »

Each year, Housing Action Illinois works at both the state and federal levels on a broad range of issues aligned with our core mission of creating an Illinois where everyone has a good, affordable place to call home. 

Housing was a higher profile issue than usual during the 2026 Illinois General Assembly session. Governor Pritzker’s BUILD proposal to support missing middle housing, an eight-bill affordable housing package from Senate Democrats, and growing public concern about affordability all kept housing in the spotlight during this year’s legislative debates. For most households, housing is their single largest monthly expense.

While actively supporting the BUILD proposal, Housing Action Illinois maintained our focus on the needs of people experiencing homelessness and others with the greatest affordability challenges. We’re glad to report that we, along with our partners and allies, achieved notable successes on these issues during the session, even though debate on BUILD and other proposals continues.

There are many ways you can get involved—you can help support this work by learning more, sharing this wrap up to help others learn more, signing up for our emails, making a donation, or becoming an organizational member.

Together, we can create an Illinois where everyone has a stable, affordable place to call home.

• Budget Breakdown
  • Rejection of Cuts to HOME Illinois
  • Progressive Revenue Increases Not Enough
  • Budget Wins from Our Partners and Allies
• Major Tax Reforms Will Help Homeowners Keep Equity and Their Homes
• Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act Passes
• More Good Bills That Passed
• Still in Progress

Budget Breakdown

General Assembly Rejects Proposed Cut to HOME Illinois

As the result of significant advocacy and education, the General Assembly rejected the proposed $10 million cut to the HOME Illinois Program to prevent and end homelessness and kept funding at the current level of $263.7 million.

Some tried to rationalize the cut by pointing to a lower demand for services. We pushed back, noting in the press and elsewhere that the State of Illinois’ own HOME Illinois plan has identified a shortage of 4,236 shelter beds, 10,428 rapid rehousing units, and 10,972 permanent supportive housing units in Illinois. More resources are needed to address these shortages.

We were disappointed that there was a $1.4 million reduction for the Supportive MI Housing line item that helps pay for services in supportive housing for people with severe mental illness.

Requests from our allies that were not funded included an increase for the Housing is Recovery Pilot Program to $10 million, as well as a funding request from the Home for Good Coalition to improve housing and support services for people returning from prison.

During the upcoming year and beyond, we will continue to advocate for the spending increases necessary to fully realize the goals of the HOME Illinois plan. Thank you to the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, Illinois Shelter Alliance, and the Supportive Housing Providers Association for partnering on this work, as well as all the organizations and individuals participating in their local Continuum of Care Network who advocated with us. Thanks also to State Representative Lindsey LaPointe and State Senator Adriane Johnson for being our lead champions in their respective chambers.

Budget Supported by Some Progressive Revenue Increases But Not Enough

As a member of the Illinois Revenue Alliance, we are pleased with the creation of a digital advertising tax that should bring in more than $1 billion in revenue to the state each year, as well as removal of one Trump-era tax break from our state tax code. However, the General Assembly should have done more, including full decoupling from all recent federal tax reductions for the wealthy and passing a billionaire wealth tax. Read the Illinois Revenue Alliance statement on passage of the FY27 state budget » 

Budget Wins from Our Partners and Allies

The Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit was extended for 10 years, with the annual allocation increase raised from 5% to 10%. Led by the Illinois Housing Council (IHC), this change —starting with $1.9 million in FY27—is estimated by IHC to help fund 9,856 new affordable rental homes over 5 years, including 1,341 additional homes beyond what would have been produced under the current growth rate. Passed as part of the revenue omnibus bill, these changes were originally included in legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Porfirio (SB 3738) and Representative Dee Avelar (HB 4413).

The capital budget included $250 million for missing middle and affordable housing programs, originally proposed by Governor Pritzker as part of the BUILD proposal. We also supported this as part of advocacy on the BUILD legislative package. Funding is allocated across housing development ($100 million), related infrastructure improvements ($100 million), and down payment assistance for homebuyers ($50 million).

Schools serving students and families experiencing homelessness received new state funding, with a $2 million increase for local public school districts and $2.5 million for state-funded universities. The Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, working with Representative Laura Faver Dias and others, successfully advocated for this funding.

Major Tax Sale Reforms to Help Homeowners Keep Their Equity and Their Homes

HB 4537: Chief Sponsors: Senator Celina Villanueva and Representative Curtis Tarver

This legislation is the most sweeping reform to Illinois’ property tax sale in decades, and passing it represents three years of sustained advocacy by Housing Action Illinois and our partners. 

HB 4537 will put Illinois into compliance with a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Tyler v. Hennepin, which found it unconstitutional for states to allow property owners to lose their home without any opportunity to recover remaining equity after the tax debt is paid. The bill creates additional fees paid by private tax buyers to support two different funds to compensate property owners—one for recent claims and another for claims going back as far as ten years. A competitive auction system of properties subject to tax foreclosure will be established and  used to determine compensation for lost equity.

However, additional reforms in the bill should make this an increasingly rare occurrence, including, but not limited to improved notice requirements that encourage people to contact a HUD approved housing counseling agency and increasing the amount of time that residential property owners have to pay back taxes that have been sold from 2.5 years to 3 years. 

Private Tax Buying to be Phased Out in Cook County and Beyond

HB 4537’s most significant step toward addressing the injustices of the tax sale system is ending  private tax buying in Cook County. This will take effect at the seventh tax sale after legislation becomes effective, which should be in 2031. At that time, Cook County will start acquiring all the tax liens that would otherwise be offered to sale to private tax buyers, making paying delinquent taxes more affordable through payment plans, interest fee waivers, and other permissible means made possible by previous state law changes. Other counties will have this option, as well.

Between now and 2031, this bill directs Cook County to establish a pilot program for Cook County to acquire the tax liens for up to 100 homeowners each year, without them ever being offered for sale to private tax buyers. The pilot program will focus on homeowners with the lowest home values as a means of supporting homeowners who are most likely to have the lowest incomes and the most challenges affording their property taxes.

Compensating Homeowners with Existing Claims Still resolved

While HB 4537 does create limited new revenue to help pay past claims for lost equity, an ongoing issue will be determining how to compensate all homeowners and others with past and existing claims. Cook County was recently found liable by the courts for not adequately compensating nearly 2,500 homeowners who lost the actual properties as well as the equity they’d built in those homes after their delinquent property taxes had been sold. Multiple other court cases on this issue continue to be litigated against counties, tax buyers and the State of Illinois. 

Thanks to our legislative champions, Senator Celina Villanueva and Representative Curtis Tarver, for taking the time to pass strong, comprehensive reforms. In addition to the offices of Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, our key partners included AARP, Center for Community Progress, Chicago Community Trust, National Consumer Law Center and Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago.

Read Chicago Tribune coverage on the passage on Tyler v. Hennepin reform in Illinois. Also see previous coverage on how the injustices of the tax sale system, particularly how tax sales have taken wealth and stability from Black homeowners and communities. 

Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act Passes

HB 3564: Chief Sponsors: Representative Nabeela Syed and Senator Mike Simmons

This legislation, which passed the General Assembly in April, requires that landlords place all non-optional fees on the first page of the rental agreement, and prohibits 11 different junk fees that are simply unnecessary. The legislation works to ensure that fees are fair and transparent. A “trailer bill,” or subsequent technical bill (HB 5234), changed the effective date of this new law to January 1, 2027. 

Our partners included Law Center for Better Housing, New Moms, Supportive Housing Providers Association, and Uptown People’s Law Center.

To learn more, see Senator Simmons’ press release on passage of the legislation, as well as our fact sheet. Thank you to our chief sponsors and other supporters in the General Assembly. 

More Good Bills That Passed

Additional positive housing-related bills that passed the General Assembly due to the work of others include:

Preventing and Ending Homelessness

• HB 4137: Sponsored by Representative Michelle Mussman and Senator Karina Villa, this bill amends the Education for Homeless Children Act to allow a school district to provide for an extended motel stay for a child who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Homeowner Support

• HB 4273: Sponsored by Representative Thaddeus Jones and Senator Michael Hastings, this legislation prohibits homeowners’ insurance companies from increasing premiums by more than 10% without first notifying the consumer 60 days prior. This gives consumers the necessary time to shop around and find a better rate. The bill prohibits premiums from being excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory. See Senator Hastings’ press release.
• HB 4456: Sponsored by Representative Laura Faver Dias and Senator Adriane Johnson, this legislation protects Illinois’ existing low-income discount rates for electric and gas utility service, expands eligibility for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and stops a 16 cent per bill increase in a rider on gas and electric bills from taking effect in 2027. Advocated for by the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies and Legal Action Chicago.
• SB 3925: Sponsored by Senator Mike Porfirio and Representative Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, this legislation allows locally created Home Equity Assurance Commission to establish a program to provide a one-time per household direct relief payment to a member who owns a residence that is subject to flood damage.
• HB 5449: Sponsored by Representative Rita Mayfield and Senator Robert Martwick, this legislation makes changes to state law to require that condominium and other common interest community association boards provide more easily accessible association business and financial information to homeowners.
• HB 4896: Sponsored by Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and Senator Robert Martwick, the bill will help a person who has inherited a property with other family members petition for sole ownership, if need be. For example, in cases where only one family member lives in the home, pays the bills and taxes and takes care of it. If one or more other family members has disappeared or just doesn’t engage, the person living in the home is often stuck—they can’t fix up the property, get a loan, or sell it without the permission of others. This legislation solves for this and related situations. Advocated for by Legal Action Chicago.

Protecting Against Discrimination

• SB 3777: Sponsored by Senator Adriane Johnson and Representative Justin Slaughter, this legislation expands “disparate impact” civil rights protections for Illinoisans in the areas of employment, public accommodations, and access to financial credit. These protections related to housing were previously passed into law in 2024 through an effort led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Advocated for the Illinois Department of Human Rights and Disparate Impact Coalition, of which Housing Action Illinois is a member.

Support for Local Governments

• HB4571: Sponsored by Representative Marti Deuter and Senator Laura Ellman, this legislation amends the Counties Code to allow DuPage and Will Counties to invest county financial resources in affordable and missing middle housing.

We encourage Governor Pritzker to sign all the state legislation summarized here into state law.

Still in Progress

Our legislation to restrict local Public Housing Authorities and private owners of federal subsidized housing from implementing a proposed federal rule allowing time limits and work requirements, HB 4377, passed both chambers. However, on the final day of the session, additional good, but unrelated, housing provisions were added to the bill, which has slowed its passage. 

Thanks to Representative Maurice West, Senator Ram Villivalamam and Senator Graciela Guzmán, as well as Impact for Equity, for their work with us on this during the session. All have committed to helping us pass this bill before the end of the 104th General Assembly.

We will also continue to work to pass legislation regulating enforcement of local so-called “crime-free housing and nuisance ordinances” and “camping ban” ordinances that criminalize people experiencing homelessness. We will also work with partners to increase support for Governor Pritzker’s BUILD proposal, particularly by supporting  thoughtfully designed provisions that will promote increasing the supply of housing overall, while also making sure local communities maintain tools to require affordability and protect existing community residents from displacement. 

Help us build on this momentum:

• Sign up for our policy alerts
• Get in touch to work on specific campaigns
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Deadline: All comments must be submitted by April 21, 2026.

Housing Action Illinois is urging organizations across the state to sign on to a letter opposing HUD’s proposed rule that would allow Public Housing Authorities and Project-Based Rental Assistance owners to impose work requirements and time limits on assisted households.

A recent analysis estimates that a two-year time limit could result in 3.3 million people losing rental assistance, including 1.7 million children.

Read the letter and sign on »

Key concerns outlined in the letter include:

• The rule is unnecessary and unlawful: Most non-disabled residents without young children in federally assisted housing are already working, and HUD does not have the legal authority to impose these requirements—only Congress does.
• Housing providers are not equipped to effectively implement work requirements: Successful programs require robust employment services, education and training opportunities, family supports, and clear exemptions. These are resources most providers do not have.
• The rule would increase housing instability and homelessness: Time limits would primarily affect working households whose wages are still too low to afford rent.
• The impact on Illinois would be significant: Increased housing instability would place additional strain on already overburdened emergency rental assistance programs, shelters, and other emergency services.

We’re asking organizations to sign on to our comment letter urging HUD to rescind this harmful rule and instead maintain current policy, which allows mixed-status families to live together in HUD funded housing.

Deadline to sign on: 5:00 pm CT on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Add your organization’s name by completing this form and clicking submit.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for taking action. 

Not able to sign on for an organization?

Individuals can also submit comments via regulations.gov. HUD must read and account for comments in a published final rule. Find step-by-step instructions on how to submit comments here.

Stay Tuned

Sign up for our Policy Advocacy alerts »

Support our work by donating or becoming a member today »

We are about halfway through the 2026 Illinois General Assembly session, and Housing Action has made some positive progress in advancing key priorities from our 2026 Policy Agenda. We will keep advocating with our members and allies to move our full legislative agenda forward before the session ends on May 31.

Work on the state budget always increases during the second half of the legislative session. We are focused on reversing proposed cuts to homeless services into budget increases and advocating for progressive revenue increases needed to ensure that Illinois can meet basic human needs, especially as federal funding remains under attack.

At the same time, at the federal level, we are actively engaging with our Illinois Congressional delegation and coordinating with our national partners to protect federal funding, oppose harmful policy proposals, and pursue opportunities for positive policy change.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Housing Action Illinois’ advocacy initiatives so far this year. 

State Advocacy Update

Bills Passed Out of Committee

We’re pleased to share that three bills we are helping lead advocacy on have passed committee: 

Preventing and ending homelessness:

• HB 1429: Stop Criminalizing Homelessness (Chief Sponsor: Representative Kevin Olickal) protects people from being fined or penalized for basic survival activities, such as trying to stay warm, resting, and eating.

Protecting Tenants:

• HB 4377: Protect Tenants in Public Housing and Other Federally Subsidized Rental Housing from Time Limits and Work Requirements (Chief Sponsor: Representative Maurice West) preempts a Trump administration proposal to allow Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and owners of project-based Section 8 housing to establish work requirements and time limits. View our fact sheet.
• HB 5234: “Trailer Bill” Changing the Effective Date of HB 3564 to Ensure Passage of the “End Rental Junk Fees: Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act” (Chief Sponsor: Representative Nabeela Syed) addresses the mounting move-in fees and non-optional junk fees that renters are facing. View our HB 3564 fact sheet. (Update: The RAFTA legislation passed a final concurrence vote in the House and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.)

Additional bills we support that have also passed committee:

• HB 3526: Support Manufactured Home Residents by Limiting Rent Increases (Chief Sponsor: Representative Abdelnasser Rashid) – Fact Sheet
• HB 5198: Strengthen the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act (Chief Sponsor: Representative Tracy Katz Muhl) – Fact Sheet
• HB 5424: Renew and Amend Comprehensive Housing Planning Act (Chief Sponsor: Representative Curtis Tarver) – More information
• HB 5394: End Credit Score Discrimination Against Voucher Holders (Chief Sponsor: Representative Kevin Olickal) – Fact Sheet

Bills We Are Working to Advance

Often, bills don’t move until later in the General Assembly session. We are continuing to push for movement on the below.

Preventing homeowner displacement:

• SB 3940: Tyler v. Hennepin Reform that Works for Property Owners, Taxing Districts and Taxpayers (Chief Sponsor: Senator Celina Villanueva). This bill is intended to help homeowners pay delinquent property taxes and maintain equity if they lose their homes due to unpaid property taxes. This would also bring Illinois state law into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Tyler v. Hennepin.

Read recent press coverage from Injustice Watch and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity: Steps Illinois lawmakers could take to reform the state’s tax sale laws

Protecting tenants:

• SB 2264: Regulation of the use of so-called “crime free housing and nuisance ordinances” (Chief Sponsor: Senator Karina Villa). This bill regulates the use of so-called “crime-free housing and nuisance ordinances.” These laws can force landlords to evict tenants because of 911 calls or other alleged “nuisance” activity. This punishes renters for calling for help and puts survivors of domestic violence, as well as people with disabilities, at risk.  View our fact sheet.

We also continue to urge passage of Governor Pritzker’s BUILD package to increase the supply of “missing middle” housing and promote greater affordability and choice in the housing market.

We are also supportive of SB 3169, sponsored by Senator Graciela Guzmán, being advocated for by a coalition of Community Land Trusts to create more resources and tools for CLTs to create permanently affordable homes for owners.

State Budget Focus During Final Weeks of Session

At the start of 2026, we anticipated advocating for modest budget increases for programs to prevent and end homelessness, given state budget challenges on the horizon such as loss of federal health care and food assistance funding.

However, new federal policy threats—particularly harmful and counterproductive policy proposals regarding the Continuum of Care Program—have made significant increased state investment in Permanent Supportive Housing even more urgent.

This made it all the more dismaying to see the cut the HOME Illinois Program (a $10 million reduction, down to a total of $253.7 million) and a supportive housing line item (a $1.4 million reduction to the Supportive MI Housing line item, down to total of $21,313,800) in Governor Pritzker’s FY 2027 budget proposal.

During the rest of the General Assembly session, we will continue advocating for funding increases instead of cuts. See the fact sheet on on appropriations legislation. Our Chief Sponsors are Seantor Adriane Johnson (SB 2969) and Represenative Lindsey LaPointe (HB 4568).

We will also work with partners such as the Illinois Revenue Alliance to make sure the final budget package includes progressive revenue increases, including a “Billionaire Wealth Tax” on asset appreciation, ensuring extreme wealth growth is taxed just like wages and raising an estimated $916 million in FY27.

The General Assembly will pass a budget by the end of may, and we are still speaking with legislators the critical need to increase overall funding each year, particularly for emergency shelters, which serve people with absolutely no place else to go.

Federal Advocacy Update

We continue to work closely with national partners and Illinois’ Congressional delegation to oppose budget cuts and policies that weaken the federal role in meeting housing needs. 

Federal Budget Rejects Deep Cuts

Our collective advocacy resulted in a final FY26 federal budget that largely rejects the massive budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration. The FY26 budget bill also contained provisions directing HUD to renew FY25 Continuum of Care contracts for homeless service providers, an important outcome, although implementation has been slow. Find out more from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Looking ahead, President Trump will release a FY27 budget proposal soon, and we are prepared to oppose new threats to critical policies and programs.

Collective Action in Response to Policy Threats

We are actively opposing multiple proposed rules from HUD, including:

• Weakening the disparate impact standard for fair housing, a key issue in our work to continue addressing housing discrimination 
• Threatening the legal rights of mixed immigration status households to federal housing assistance
• Reducing eviction protections for HUD-assisted households
• Allowing counterproductive time limits and work requirements for public housing residents and other tenants in federally subsidized housing 

Housing Action submitted comments on the disparate impact proposal through a letter we drafted that was signed by 53 organizations. We also worked with Representative Nikki Budiuzski who with 12 of her fellow members from Illinois sent a letter to HUD. The  proposed rule would rescind the existing regulation that should be better used to address facially neutral practices—such as redlining, exclusionary zoning, and discriminatory infrastructure and siting decisions—that produce lasting and measurable disparities.

Additional harmful proposals, particularly regarding allowable uses of funding, could affect  nonprofits implementing the Continuum of Care Program, fair housing programs, and the Housing Counseling Program. Some of these policy changes remain the subject of litigation. Other proposed changes could impact the entire nonprofit sector, such as a proposal requiring applicants or recipients of federal grants to sign vague and overly broad certifications under the threat of civil and criminal penalties. 

The requirements are intended to align with an executive order from President Trump and guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice. Together, these policies would ban support for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs and could require organizations that receive federal funding to take on roles related to immigration enforcement and anti-terrorism compliance. More than 1,300 organizations, including Housing Action Illinois, have signed a letter from the National Council of Nonprofits opposing this change.

As we finalized this update, we are glad to report that there have been two positive court decisions related to Continuum of Care (CoC) program: 

• On March 31, the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island ruled HUDs implementation of the CoC Builds NOFO was in violation of federal law.
• On April 1, the First Circuit Appeal Court rejected HUD’s request to overturn a lower court’s temporary injunction against HUD’s planned changes to the CoC Program through the FY25 funding competition.

In the coming days, we will circulate a sign-on letter to oppose HUD’s proposed rule on barring mixed immigration status households from federally subsidized housing, an unnecessary proposal that is contrary to statutory language and against our values. It will also cost Illinois and the nation millions of dollars in costs due to increased homelessness and administrative burdens.

Building Support in Congress

Whatever good work we have been able to accomplish at the federal level is made possible by strong relationships with members of our Illinois Congressional delegation, including with Senator Dick Durbin and Representative Mike Quigley, both members of the subcommittees that determine and have oversight of the HUD budget.

Recent movement on the “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act” demonstrates bipartisan support and momentum for affordable housing solutions. We urge the House to take up the bill and pass it as soon as possible.

Speak Up With Us

There are many ways to support our work—from contacting your elected officials to filling out a witness slip for a committee hearing at the State Capitol to endorsing one of our campaigns. Visit our recently launched Action Center to get involved.  

If you have any questions or want to join specific campaign efforts, please contact our Housing Policy Organizer Foluke Akanni.

Support our work by donating or becoming a member today »

Deadline: All comments must be submitted by April 21, 2026.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has proposed yet another policy that will destabilize immigrant families, putting Illinois seniors and children in particular at risk.

In February, HUD published a proposed rule that targets mixed immigration status families (households with members who are both eligible and ineligible based on immigration status) who receive HUD-funded housing. Overall, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimated these changes could cause 80,000 people nationwide to lose their rental assistance, including 37,000 children.

Currently, federal law and longstanding HUD policy allow for mixed-status families to live under the same roof and receive HUD subsidies for only those members of the family who are eligible based on immigration status. The proposed rule would eliminate this assistance, requiring families to either separate or face potential eviction and housing instability.

Additionally, through the proposed processes, many more people, including U.S. citizens, would have to verify their citizenship by providing specific documentation. The CBPP reports that approximately 3.8 million US citizens lack proof of citizenship and 17.5 million cannot easily access those documents—putting many more people at risk of losing their housing because they cannot meet the high burden of the proposed rule.

How you can help:

File a public comment opposing this cruel rule.

In collaboration with the Keep Families Together campaign, Housing Action is mobilizing people to oppose this proposed rule and keep families together, safe, and housed. Take just 5 minutes and join us:

1. Visit regulations.gov to file a public comment.
2. Draft your comment; feel free to customize one of the Keep Families Together examples. Fill out the complete form and hit submit.
3. Let the campaign know you submitted a comment.

All comments must be submitted by April 21, 2026.

Your voice makes a difference. In 2019, we mobilized our collective voice to tell HUD and the Trump Administration that we opposed a similar cruel rule. It worked; the rule was never adopted. Now we need to create a new flood of comments and refuse to allow this rule from being adopted.

Thank you for helping keep families together.

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Support our work by donating or becoming a member today »

For Immediate Release: March 5, 2026
Contact: Kristin Ginger, Director of Communications & Development, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or 312-854-3333

CHICAGO, IL – A new report by Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, finds a national shortage of 7.2 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renter households—and only 34 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 of these households in Illinois.

These findings come amidst multiple proposed rules from the Trump administration that will make it more challenging to promote access to federally subsidized rental homes.

“We need federal policies that increase the availability and access to affordable housing, not attempt to take it away or make it more difficult to qualify for,” said Bob Palmer, Policy Director for Housing Action Illinois.

These harmful rules include:

• Allowing Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and owners of project-based rental Section 8 assistance to implement time limits and work requirements. The proposal ignores that federal programs are necessary because of the high cost of housing in the private market, not because people aren’t already working or don’t want to work if they are able. More than half of non-disabled, working-age Illinois households receiving federal rental assistance include at least one worker.
• Changing federal law and ending long-standing federal policy by prohibiting families with mixed immigration status from receiving housing assistance and creating burdensome citizenship documentation requirements for U.S. citizens. Contrary to HUD’s false claims, people who are undocumented do not receive housing subsidies under current policy. If the eligible individual is part of a mixed status family, the family receives prorated housing assistance only for the eligible individual. These families therefore pay a higher amount of rent than other households.
• Eliminating the requirement that PHAs and property owners receiving HUD funding to provide 30-day written notice for nonpayment of rent prior to eviction. Without the protection of the 30-day notice rule, HUD tenants in Illinois could be evicted with only 5 days notice to pay what is owed.

“Without the 30-day notice rule, the tenants we serve in Illinois will be at much higher risk of losing their housing due to rent that they don’t even owe. HUD multifamily housing owners make ledger errors and miscalculate balances that families need time to resolve,” said Noah Moskowitz, Organizing Director for the Jane Addams Senior Caucus. “By rescinding this rule, HUD is forcing our families through an impossible five-day timeline to address administrative errors, pay the erroneous charges, or face homelessness.”

The report finds that 439,933 extremely low-income renter households live in Illinois, but only 150,317 affordable rental homes are available to them—leaving a staggering shortage of 289,616 affordable rental homes. Extremely low-income households have annual incomes at or below 30% of their area median income (AMI). As a result, 74% of extremely low-income renters in Illinois are severely housing cost-burdened, spending more than 50% of their income on housing, with little left over for food, healthcare, and other basic necessities.

The picture is even worse in the Chicago metro area, where only 31 affordable and available homes exist per every 100 extremely low-income renters.

Even for those with a slightly larger household budget, there are not nearly enough options available; in Illinois, there are only 63 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 very low income households in Illinois. Very low income households have annual incomes of 50% or below AMI.

The private market alone cannot provide an adequate supply of housing affordable, especially for the lowest-income renters. Investments are needed to produce new affordable housing, preserve existing affordable housing, and subsidize the difference between what the lowest-income renters can afford to pay and market rents.

Released annually, The Gap investigates the affordability and availability of rental homes for households of different income levels nationwide and in every state and major metropolitan area. For the full report, visit: https://nlihc.org/gap

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About Housing Action Illinois

Housing Action Illinois has been leading the movement to end homelessness, address the shortage of affordable rental housing, and expand homeownership opportunities in Illinois for nearly 40 years. With our 200+ member organizations, we bring everyone together to work toward our vision of an Illinois where everyone has a stable, good home.

Deadline: 4:00 pm CT on Friday, February 13, 2026

Housing Action Illinois invites organizations across the state to sign on to a letter opposing HUD’s proposal to eliminate its Fair Housing Act disparate impact regulations.

HUD’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, published January 14, would eliminate critical enforcement regulations that help identify and address housing discrimination that is not be overt, but still causes harm, particularly to communities of color, people with disabilities, and families with children.

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, familial status, and religion.

There are different types of discrimination, including intentional discrimination (e.g., a landlord refuses to rent to a family because the household includes young children) and discrimination that has a disparate impact based on a protected characteristic such as race or sex (e.g., a local ordinance has an unjustified disproportionate effect on Black residents but does not explicitly mention race).

While intentional discrimination is often easier to uncover, disparate impact helps identify discriminatory practices that are facially neutral. Discriminatory housing policies are not always overt; thus, disparate impact is an important tool to enforce fair housing protections.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2015 that the FHA allows for disparate impact claims. HUD rescinding the current disparate impact regulations cannot change the underlying law. However, HUD’s existing regulations promote a consistent understanding of how to analyze disparate impact claims and are worth keeping.

We urge HUD to fully enforce the Fair Housing Act, including through the use of disparate impact.

The deadline to add your organization’s name to our letter is 4:00 pm CT on Friday, February 13, 2026.

Please join us: add your organization to the letter »

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Support our work by donating or becoming a member today »

For nearly forty years, Housing Action Illinois has led the movement to expand affordable housing and end homelessness across our state. Our year-round collaboration with other advocates, our members and allies, direct service providers, and people with lived experience of housing instability informs this annual policy agenda, which serves as a roadmap for our advocacy work.

Our 2026 Policy Agenda includes a variety of federal and state level initiatives focused on:

• Protecting federal housing programs »
• Ending homelessness »
• Expanding affordable rental housing & protecting renters »
• Promoting sustainable homeownership »

If you’re interested in a summarized agenda, you can view a PDF one pager here »

View our 2026 Mid-Session Legislative Update »

The Problems We Face Today

As 2026 begins, we recognize that the landscape in which we’ve been working has changed drastically. Still, we are facing a situation long in the making: the culmination of many years of under-investment in affordable housing, stagnant wages, rising rents, and systemic discrimination. The supply of affordable homes is simply not enough to meet our communities’ needs.

As federal policy decisions have exacerbated the increase in costs for basic needs such as housing, health care, and food, the term and issue of “affordability”—though not new—has caught on in the public discourse and gained fresh urgency.

While people facing housing instability all have their own unique challenges, they share one thing in common: the need for a stable, affordable home that can serve as a foundation for their lives. We continue to make sure public resources and policies relate to housing as a basic human need and a human right.

For all the issues we work on, we can point to data and other evidence that systemic inequities and discrimination worsen these problems and disproportionately impact people based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender, age and other factors. All of our campaigns we work on have a racial and/or economic justice component.

Advancing Solutions

This agenda focuses on investments and policy changes that will bring us closer to an Illinois where everyone has a stable, affordable place to call home. Housing Action prioritizes systemic change that will end homelessness, expand affordable rental housing, and build sustainable homeownership in all Illinois communities.

We support proven strategies—such as Housing First programs, tenant protections, fair housing enforcement, housing counseling, and homelessness prevention—while aiming to address root causes. Our emphasis is on policies that will stabilize households, preserve existing affordable housing, prevent displacement, and create pathways to long-term housing security and homeownership.

In the past year, we have faced tumultuous challenges at the federal level, and in 2026, we will continue to ramp up our federal advocacy in response. At the same time, we will advocate for key state legislation that protects people, communities, and programs that work.

There are many ways to get involved; you can support this work by:

• Sharing this agenda
• Visiting our newly launched Action Center to join campaigns, endorse bills, contact legislators, and more
• Becoming a member
• Making a donation

Whatever action you take, we hope you will join us.

2026 Federal Policy Agenda

Advocating for People Who Need Housing and Protecting the Federal Programs that Serve Them

In 2025, the Trump Administration significantly reduced HUD’s workforce and proposed eliminating many programs entirely, as well as recommending cutting the HUD budget in half. As we enter 2026, essential, evidence-based programs that have been historically under-funded are facing intensified threats.

We are advocating for the highest possible funding level for the HUD budget, overall. Specific programs and resources at stake, which we are mobilizing to defend, include:

• Housing First programs to end homelessness. More than $182 million in current Continuum of Care funding is at risk; these resources support permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing and other critical programs across Illinois.
• Fair housing education and enforcement. These programs protect people from housing discrimination and ensure the freedom to live in the community of one’s choice.
• Housing counseling programs. These provide unbiased, expert guidance to help individuals and families achieve financial stability, become homeowners or renters, and navigate challenges such as eviction or foreclosure.
• Housing Choice Vouchers, which make it possible for nearly 100,000 households in Illinois to afford the rent and lift families with children, people with disabilities, seniors and others out of poverty.

We know that other challenges and needs will arise during the year, and we will be prepared to respond and defend other programs and policies as needed.

2026 Illinois General Assembly Agenda

Preventing & Ending Homelessness

Protect & Increase Funding for the State Plan to End Homelessness

Chief Sponsors: Seantor Adriane Johnson (SB 2969) and Represenative Lindsey LaPointe (HB 4568)

We need continued annual state investments in homelessness programs to address current threats to federal funding and to fully implement HOME Illinois, the state’s plan to prevent and end homelessness. While the state is facing its own budget challenges, we cannot stop investing in programs that serve our most vulnerable residents, people who have no place to call home.

Shelters and outreach programs continue to be overstretched and underfunded, hourly wage workers and families are sleeping in cars, and punitive local responses—such as ticketing and fining people who are unsheltered for sleeping in parks or in their cars, or for resting on park benches—are on the rise.

For some programs under HOME Illinois, we are urging Governor Pritzker to support modest funding increases, totaling $28.5 million, to advance the state’s plan to prevent and end homelessness. We are also advocating for an additional significant increase for Permanent Supportive Housing to help offset potential losses in federal funding. We request:

• $14 million increase for the Emergency and Transitional Housing (ETH) program to fund approximately 700 new shelter beds. This investment addresses part of the 5,379 shelter beds identified as needed in the HOME Illinois plan and is especially critical as more municipalities pass ordinances that outlaw encampments and criminalize homelessness.
• $7.5 million increase across three line items funding Supportive Housing Services. Investments in essential case management services have not kept pace with the expansion of new supportive housing units. Our request will support supportive housing services and provide the necessary services to keep permanent supportive housing residents safe and stably housed.
• $5 million in additional funding for the Homeless Prevention Program to serve approximately 1,350 additional households.
• $2 million in funding for the Homeless Youth Program to help providers expand shelter capacity and case management services for youth experiencing homelessness.
• Additional funding, up to $60 million, for Scattered Site Permanent Supportive Housing to make up for federal funding that is still at risk of being lost due to proposed policy changes to the federal Continuum of Care program.

Funding these increases will help build on previous investments and help to continue sustained efforts to reach functional zero homelessness in our communities.

Our state budget request is subject to an increase based on what happens with federal funding for the Continuum of Care Program. We also realize that the State of Illinois needs additional progressive revenue to adequately fund these and other priorities (see more information on that below).

See fact sheet »

For more information, contact: foluke@housingactionil.org

Partners: Homeless service providers throughout the state, Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, Illinois Shelter Alliance, Supportive Housing Providers Association

Expanding & Preserving Affordable Rental Housing

Pass the Community Safety Through Stable Homes Act

Chief Sponsors: Senator Karina Villa (SB 2264) and Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz

This bill prevents discrimination and protects renters from being unfairly forced from their homes due to so-called “crime-free housing and nuisance ordinances” (CFNOs). These ordinances discourage people from calling 911, disproportionately harm survivors of domestic violence and people with mental health issues, and destabilize households. This legislation will help people contact police without fear and focus on better responses to crime while also keeping individuals and families in their homes.

This legislation builds on five years of organizing and advocacy to challenge local CFNOs across Illinois.

See press coverage regarding introduction of our 2024 legislation on this issue and subsequent coverage about a case challenging a local CFNO »
Read national New York Times press coverage »
See fact sheet »
Learn more & endorse »
For more information, contact: bob@housingactionil.org

Partners include: Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Open Communities, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence

Stop Criminalizing People Experiencing Homelessness

Chief Sponsor: Representative Kevin Olickal (HB 1429)

We will continue to work on HB 1429, to stop the increasing criminalization of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness by local governments in Illinois. We will also advocate that local governments partner on constructive solutions to ensure that everyone has a safe affordable place to call home, such as increasing street outreach and access to shelter.

This bill protects people from being fined or penalized for basic survival activities, such as trying to stay warm, resting, and eating. In response to a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Johnson v. Grants Pass, we are aware of more than 30 local municipalities that have adopted ordinances criminalizing homelessness.

See fact sheet »

See press coverage »
Learn more & endorse »
For more information, contact: foluke@housingactionil.org

Partners include: Homeless service providers from throughout the state, Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness

Pass the Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act

Chief Sponsors: Representative Nabeela Syed and Senator Mike Simmons (HB 3564)

This bill addresses the mounting move-in fees and non-optional junk fees that renters are facing. Fees that have typically been included in the price of rent are now being tacked on, making price shopping for leases difficult and leading to surprise fees for renters. This legislation requires that landlords place all non-optional fees on the first page of the rental agreement, and prohibits 11 different junk fees that are simply unnecessary. The legislation works to ensure that fees are fair and transparent.

See fact sheet »
Learn more & endorse »
To get involved, contact: bob@housingactionil.org

Partners include: Law Center for Better Housing, New Moms, Supportive Housing Providers Association

Protect Tenants in Federal Subsidized Housing

Chief Sponsors: Senator Ram Villivalam (SB 3084) and Representative Maurice West (HB 4377)

This legislation preempts a Trump administration proposal to allow Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and owners of project-based Section 8 housing to establish work requirements and time limits. The bill will prohibit these policies that could result in people losing their housing, unless required by federal law. Decades of research show these policies are ineffective and costly, as well as difficult to administer. Voluntary programs to help people increase their incomes and improve their job skills are far more effective and will remain permissible under this bill.

See fact sheet »
For more information, contact: bob@housingactionil.org

Partners include: Impact for Equity

Preserve Affordable Homeownership

Support Homeowner and Community Interests in Property Tax Sale Reforms

Chief Sponsor: Senator Celina Villanueva (SB 3940)

In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Tyler v. Hennepin decision, we are advocating for property tax sale reforms that protect homeowners’ equity and prevent unnecessary displacement. Under Illinois’ current tax sale system, people can lose their homes and all accumulated equity over relatively small tax debts. We support a solution that would require competitive auction of the property and return the most money to the person who lost their home.

This is a matter of racial justice as well as housing justice; our 2021 research found that the vast majority of tax sale evictions by the Cook County Sheriff occur in majority-Black communities.

This legislation we are pursuing also includes provisions to prevent homeowners from becoming delinquent on their property taxes in the first place and making it more affordable to redeem past due property taxes.

See fact sheet »

See press coverage »
Learn more about the Tyler v. Hennepin case and reform options for Illinois »
For more information, contact: bob@housingactionil.org

Partners include: Chicago Community Trust, Cook County President’s Office, Cook County Treasurer’s Office and Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago

Increase Resources for Senior Home Repair: Fix Our Homes Illinois

Chief Sponsor: Representative Kevin Olickal (HB 5169 and HB 5170)

We are members of Fix Our Homes Illinois, a broad-based coalition dedicated to ensuring that Illinois provides low-income older homeowners the resources they need to age safely, comfortably, and affordably at home. The coalition is advocating for HB 5170, The Senior Home Preservation Program Act, creating a program provide eligible low-income older homeowners with up to $40,000 worth of basic home repairs by qualified home repair specialists at little to no cost to the homeowner. The accompanying appropriations bill (HB 5169) requests $22 million over three years.

See press coverage »
See fact sheet »
Learn more & endorse »
For more information, contact: foluke@housingactionil.org

Partners include: H.O.M.E.

Even More Priorities

We continue to partner with others on a variety of equally important issues; stay tuned for more information about efforts to advance these and other campaigns:

• Progressive Revenue: As a member of the Illinois Revenue Alliance and Responsible Budget Coalition, we advocate for progressive and equitable revenue streams for the State of Illinois to better fund programs that are essential to basic human needs and help individuals and families thrive. At a time when federal budget cuts to health care, food assistance and more are making it more challenging for the residents of our state, there needs to be a greater focus generating revenue to fund our short and long-term needs. This will require people and corporations with the highest incomes to do a bit more to satisfy the moral imperative of supporting Illinois’ lowest-income households and communities.
  • Worldwide Combined Reporting (HB 5318/SB3486) (West/Martwick): This ensures that multinational corporations cannot shift assets to avoid Illinois tax. This could contribute to $1.2 bill in revenue annually.
  • Billionaire Tax (HB 5215/SB 3376) (Mah/Villa): Taxes the asset growth of billionaires to ensure they’re paying their fair share, just like low and middle income residents do. This could bring in $916 million in revenue annually.
  • Digital Advertising Tax (HB 4894/SB 3353) (N. Hernandez/Peters): A tax on the largest companies’ digital advertisements. Estimated to bring in $1.1 billion annually.
  • Decoupling from Federal Tax Giveaways (HB 5125/SB 3796) (LaPointe/Collins): Disentangling corporate loopholes in Illinois from federal tax code, with the potential to bring in approximately $710 million annually to Illinoisans.
• Federal and IL CRA: We co-lead the IL CRA Coalition, a group of organizations dedicated to protecting and strengthening the federal and the Illinois Community Reinvestment Acts as tools for building more equitable communities and addressing the racial wealth gap. In 2026, we will continue our outreach and education for community based organizations and other stakeholders about the IL CRA, monitor the state exam process as it ramps up, and be prepared to comment on any proposed federal rule changes should they be released this year.

Other issues we’ll be supporting in 2026 include strengthening Community Land Trusts, the State of Illinois’ Annual Comprehensive Housing Plan, and various measures to increase the supply of housing. 

Take Action

Visit our Action Center »

Support our work by donating or becoming a member today »

In a letter to Secretary Scott Turner, advocates outline importance of maintaining funding for housing programs

For Immediate Release: November 14, 2025
Contact: Kristin Ginger, Director of Communications & Development, Housing Action Illinois (kristin@housingactionil.org) and Emily Moen, Chief Communications Officer Director, Thresholds (emily.moen@thresholds.org)

CHICAGO, Ill. — Yesterday, nearly 300 groups from across Illinois sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner urging the Department to renew existing grants in order to prevent a harmful gap in funding of housing and services for people who have experienced homelessness. Signatories include a diverse cross-section of stakeholders comprised of housing providers and advocates, health and disability rights groups as well as faith-based organizations and others.

The letter, led by Thresholds and Housing Action Illinois, responds to reports that HUD would issue a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Continuum of Care (CoC) awards — instead of renewing existing grants for another year. The NOFO for fiscal year 2025 was not released until the evening of November 13, even though the fiscal year ended on September 30. The deadline to apply is January 14, 2026. 

Existing awards have various end dates in 2026. Some will begin to expire as soon as the end of January next year, creating a funding gap that will threaten the ability of agencies to continue providing housing and services.

Based on the 2024 HUD Point in Time Count, on any given night, nearly 26,000 Illinoisans are experiencing homelessness. This includes more than 7,200 children, over 2,800 survivors of domestic violence, nearly 700 seniors, and more than 550 veterans. Because of the lack of affordable housing — the root cause of homelessness — even more people are doubled up or otherwise do not have a home of their own.

“Existing federal grants start to expire early in 2026. At this late date, there is no way the federal government can undertake a brand-new funding competition without causing a monthslong gap between the end of many existing awards and the beginning of new funding,” said Bob Palmer, Policy Director for Housing Action Illinois.

For several weeks, there have been reports that the NOFO would be a vehicle for fast-tracking a dramatic restructuring of the program, including a 30% cap on the funds that can be used for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and other permanent housing, which is in the released NOFO. Currently, more than 80% of federal CoC funding in Illinois is used for these purposes—an evidence-backed, market-based approach to ending homelessness that also generates economic activity in the form of rent to property owners and on-site services. 

“Rather than making drastic changes to the CoC program with no input from stakeholders or Congress, we urge HUD to renew existing grants for one more year as authorized by Congress to prevent a devastating gap. This will keep our community members safely, stably housed, and avoid pushing them back into homelessness,” said Mark Ishaug, President and CEO of Thresholds, one of the state’s largest providers of permanent supportive housing. 

The CoC Program has longstanding bipartisan support. Illinois’ 19 CoC networks provide the foundation for local efforts to prevent and end homelessness, currently supporting more than 21,400 people maintaining permanent housing across the state, as well as more than 27,000 emergency and transitional beds. Across Illinois, federal CoC funding currently supports more than 330 CoC grants, totaling approximately $182.5 million, to nonprofit and local government agencies. 

The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that 60% of all permanent supportive housing in Illinois is federally funded, although in many downstate and rural communities, the percentage is much higher.

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About Housing Action Illinois

Housing Action Illinois has been leading the movement to end homelessness, address the shortage of affordable rental housing, and expand homeownership opportunities in Illinois for nearly 40 years. With our 200+ member organizations, we bring everyone together to work toward our vision of an Illinois where everyone has a stable, good home.

About Thresholds

Founded in 1959, Thresholds provides healthcare, housing, and hope for thousands of persons with mental illnesses and substance use conditions in Illinois each year. Through care, employment, advocacy, and housing, Thresholds assists and inspires people with mental illnesses to reclaim their lives. Learn more about Thresholds at thresholds.org.