About Office to Prevent and End Homelessness

Mission

Coordinating State of Illinois agency strategies and investments and partnering with the community to build a strong safety net and permanent housing for Illinoisans facing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Vision

No resident in the State of Illinois lives on the street, in a shelter or in overcrowded housing. Illinoisans earn a living wage that allows them to afford housing in their community, without fear of eviction. When a housing crisis occurs, safety nets supports allow quick resolution to stabilize housing.

Executive Order to Fight Homelessness in Illinois

In September 2021, Governor Pritzker signed the Executive Order to Fight Homelessness in Illinois (EO) effective September 03, 2021. The executive board created two new commissions within State Government and a new position to lead the work:

• Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness (Task Force): The Task Force membership comprises leadership of Illinois State Agencies. The Task Force is charged with delivering a State plan on homelessness and delivering it to the Governor and General Assembly. The key purpose of the Task Force is to coordinate strategy, effort, and impact to programs for persons experiencing homelessness and housing instabilities. The Task Force will make regulatory, policy and resource changes to end homelessness. The Task Force will "make oversight recommendations that will ensure accountability, results, and sustained success; and develop specific proposals and recommendations for action."
• Community Advisory Council on Homelessness (Advisory Council): Advisory Council provides guidance and recommendations to the Task Force on the strategy and implementation of the Illinois Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The representation on the Advisory Council is representative of rural, urban, and suburban communities.
• State Homelessness Chief (Chief): The Chief serves as the chair of the Task Force and co-chair of the Advisory Council. The EO identifies the role of the Chief to "serve as a policymaker and spokesperson on homelessness prevention, including coordinating the multi-agency effort through legislation, rules, and budgets and communicating with the Illinois General Assembly, federal, and local leaders on these critical issues." As operationalization of the EO commences, the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (IOPEH) is created to provide administrative support and infrastructure for the cross-agency work of the Task Force and Advisory Council.

Interagency Task Force Membership

*Chair

Community Advisory Council Membership

* Co-Chair