September 4, 2024, The Community Advisory Council on Homelessness

The Community Advisory Council on Homelessness

September 4, 2024

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Virtual and In-Person in Chicago

In-Person:

555 W. Monroe

4th Floor, Springfield Conference Room

Chicago, IL 60661

Agenda:

  1. Welcome and Introductions 
  2. Johnson V Grants Pass: The Supreme Court Decision and the impact on Illinois 
  3. Public Comment 
  4. CACH Business 
    1. Introduction of New Members of the CACH 
    2. Required Trainings 
    3. Co-Chair Interest 
  5. Introduction of New Members of the Office to Prevent & End Homelessness 
  6. Office to Prevent & End Homelessness Updates 
  7. CACH Work Groups 
    1. Home Illinois Summit & Summit Video 
    2. Benefits 
    3. Homeless Workforce 
    4. Communications/Narrative Change 
    5. CACH Annual Report

Minutes:

  1. Welcome and Introductions by Christine Haley
    • Community Advisory Council on Homelessness Members Present: 
      • Sandy Deters, ERBA
      • Otha Gaston, Lived Experience
      • Niya Kelly, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
      • Brandie Knazze, Chicago Department of Family & Support Services
      • Ron Lund, Project Now
      • Tamela Milan Alexander, Collaboration on Child Homelessness
      • John Herring, Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living
      • Susan Reyna, Covenant House
      • Carolyn Ross, All Chicago
      • Linda Warner, Stopping Woman Abuse Now, Inc. (SWAN)
      • Sherri Allen Reeves, Phoenix Foundation, Service Provider
      • April Redzic, DuPage PADS
      • Emily Krisciunas, Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness
      • Jennifer Hill, Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County
      • Nicole Wilson, Heart of Illinois United Way
    • Guests/ Partners Present:
      • State Rep Lindsey LaPointe
      • Monica Dillon, NWS Homeless Outreach Volunteers
      • Katie Eighan, Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County
      • Bob Palmer, Housing Action Illinois
  2. Moment of silence
    • It was confirmed that the individuals murdered, on the blue line train on Monday in Chicago, were all experiencing homelessness. Would like to open the floor for any thoughts or comments. 
      • Our young people are being victimized a lot. We frequently have youth come to us after beaten or assaulted on the train. For safety of individuals experiencing homelessness who ride the trains, would it be worth publishing a statement that acknowledges that it severely impacts everybody.
      • Historically we know that CTA is what we call the moving shelter. Once we name it and acknowledge it, we can now see what we can do as a collective to resolve some of the issues that occur. There are street outreach teams out there doing the work, but we still have some gaps that we need to fill in. Mental health services are needed. CTA is unable to solve the problem. When thing rise up then we acknowledge that it is a problem. Time to have real conversations on what we need to do. With the emergency shelters across the state, we have an opportunity to recognize how do we collaborate to solve the issue. How do we blur those lines and unify the system to just one system. That is someone's family member, we know them, they are us. It is a sad state of who we are, that one the person who shot them didn't get they help they needed and those who were sleeping on the trains did not have a bed.
      • We did a check right away to see if that person was on our client waitlist list. Riding public transportation is common for clients who are waiting for shelter. This is another very harsh example that we need beds in shelters. We have low barrier shelter, but do we have no barrier shelter. It may be time for us to pilot something.
    • Moment of silence for those impacted:
      • Margaret Miller, 64
      • Adrian Collins, 60
      • Simeon Bihesi, 28
      • Unnamed man, 52
    • Agenda review
  3. Johnson V Grants Pass: The Supreme Court Decision and the impact on Illinois by Bob Palmer and Niya Kelly
    • In June the Supreme Court made a decision that local government could have the power to ban camping. There are some communities in Illinois that had passed the camping bans or had them, but we have since seen a surge. 
      • Passed prior to Supreme Court decision included Alton, Godfery, Granite City, Wood River, Glen Carbon, and Brighton (Macoupin/ Jersey Counties). Passed bans since the Supreme Court decision includes Morton, Pekin, Rosemont. Introduced or public discussion of the ban includes Peoria, O'Fallon, Quincy, and Springfield. 
      • The ordinances that have passed are based on two different models. Alton's ordinance includes the camping ban, but it does state that prior to issuing any citation that the local investigating officer shall provide a verbal and written warning to cease the unlawful conduct and seek possible alternatives such as a transportation or shelter. There is a required 24-hour notice. There is a provision that the police shall exercise discretion to ensure that individuals are not cited for violating this chapter due only to a true personal necessity that requires their present unauthorized camping practices. Some addition provisions about fines. 
      • The other model that has been introduced which has more penalties and is harsher is the Illinois Municipal League Model Ordinance. No warning, only a 24-hour notice. This model does not include language about reaching out to homeless service providers or looking for other options. The fines are much higher and mentions the possibility of incarceration of up to 6 months. A separate offense of this Ordinance shall be deemed committed on each day on which a violation occurs or continue. 
      • Alton, Peoria Springfield had push back to the ordinance. 
      • Ideas on how to push back on the ordinances include:
        • Proactively advocate for policies that support Housing First strategies
        • Oppose the criminalization of homelessness
        • Where camping bans are proposed, determine if the motivation is making use of a newly sanctioned power and/or actual unsheltered homelessness in the community
        • Cite findings from Black Homelessness in Illinois: Structural Drivers of Inequality and Illinois Homelessness Morbidity and Mortality Report 2017-2022, as resources to the case against proposed ordinance
        • Oppose ordinances or negotiate change
        • Make use of Illinois Homeless Bill of Right
        • Make use of Illinois State Police resources developed with support of IDHS' Office to Prevent and End Homelessness and Project NOW in Rock Island.
        • Cite local collaborations between homeless service providers and law enforcement agencies as a more positive model
      • There has been a renewed interest in finding out about the Illinois Homeless Bill of Rights, which has been on the books since 2013. It does have many important protections, but it doesn't specifically restrict local government from doing camping bans according to the language. OPEH and Project Now worked together with the Illinois State Police to create resources to assist with creating or enhancing policies, while providing officers training and resource that will help while on the job.
        • Examples of local service provider/local government collaborations:
          • Springfield: "co-responder" model the department has employed since 2019 in which police work in conjunction with mental health professional
          • Rockford
          • Suburban Cook County: Homeless service providers and METRA
          • Chicago: Social service providers, City of Chicago and CT
        • Additional resources:
        • Question: What is the street cleaning provision? 
          • CCH and other organizations will post signs weeks in advance of street cleanings so that people who are homeless have notice. During the pre-cleaning they are throwing away people's birth certificates, medications, wheelchairs, and personal things without providing any notice. 
        • Some of the work CCH has been working on alongside ACLU Illinois to mobilize within these communities who are interested in pushing back. We can build a toolkit to address these issues and offer support as they come up. It includes talking points, do you want to testify. how to put your name on a list, what data is needed within these spaces, how to foster relationships, and more. If a community is home rule it is really hard to change things at the state level because you need a super majority to pass it. Looking at the Bill of Rights is maybe where we need to be looking at. It is our responsibility to ensure that everyone has safe housing, and the tragedy of Monday does not happen again. 
    • Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) by Alex Bautista, Deputy Director, and Betsey Madden, General Council
      • Who is the Department of Human Rights? 
        • A state agency with jurisdiction all over Illinois. Two principal offices, one in Chicago and one in Springfield. The office is mandated by statue to receive charges of discrimination. We enforce the prohibition on discrimination in public spaces, education, participation in housing or real estate, financial credit, and employment. 
      • Are there any barriers to accessing the Illinois Department of Human Rights' services? 
        • No. The largest barrier is fear. There are no costs for services. Individual's do not have to speak English. We ensure confidentiality. Undocumented individuals can access services. 
      • What happens at the end of the investigation? 
        • We issue a determination at the conclusion of the investigation identifying if there is or is not substantial evidence that discrimination occurred. When there is substantial evidence in housing, we will prosecute that in the Human Rights commission. If it is in employment, upon receiving our determination they will proceed in the Human Rights commission or a circuit court to move forward and prosecute. 
      • We are thankful to join this conversation. Is the department a first responder? 
        • No, we are a systemic discrimination actor. You all are the first responders. We can begin the process of investigating to make sure the person that discriminated is held accountable and the person who experience the discrimination is made whole. That person has to take action and cannot wait for the department to process. We are a process to make sure that it is corrected in the appropriate amount of time. Through outreach we help to assure that people, employers, housing know their rights. 
      • Addressing issues from systemic point of view, we examine how is discrimination proven?
        • Two theories for discrimination one being intentional discrimination which is called disparate treatment. The other is a rule, practice, policy, or ordinance that appears fair but has a discriminatory impact when operating. Local government can find themselves discriminating when passing ordinance that seeks to address health and safety or general safety. When we find a significant percentage of people experiencing homelessness who have a disability, of a particular race, are veterans then it can be considered a discriminatory based on impact. We are going to study and expand how we can ensure agencies assisting homeless individuals and persons experiencing homelessness know their human rights. 
      • What is the department doing? 
        • We are working to issue a statement about the responsibilities of local units or governments and other within our jurisdiction about what their responsibilities are. We are also looking at the Bill of Rights to see if we have any recommendations to strengthen them, alongside with Chief Haley. Studying the issue more, to determine if we need to amend our own Human Rights Act. Will be coordinating the Chief Haley and attending these meetings regularly. Also, we are elevating this issue with our partners at the Attorney General's office. 
      • The grants decision is dangerous, there is a lot of good in Illinois that will allow for us to be safe as we work out these issues. Safe zones have been created that we can grab on to. We are progressively looking to make sure that in the voids we are filling them back in with the appropriate support. Need to remain hopeful as we move forward. 
    • Do you represent nonprofits that, for example experience zoning discrimination in a municipality in acquiring a property or in trying to get a lease? 
      • We do not represent anyone in a charge, we will investigate. Any organization harmed by discrimination in housing including zoning, we will investigate. They can come with their attorneys and the attorneys at the end can co-prosecute. 
    • We invite everyone to go to our website for resources or needs: https://dhr.illinois.gov/ 
    • If there are things happening in your local community the Coalition for the Homeless and Housing Action Illinois is able to provide support with that work. 
  4. Public Comment
    • Would like to raise awareness around extreme weather planning for unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness. Weather related illnesses, injuries, and deaths are all preventable and winter is right around the corner. It was disheartening and shocking reviewing the state of Illinois mortality morbidity report released last month. All communities need to revisit their extreme weather response plan. Ask from this council would be to consider ways that the state of Illinois can provide support to the communities with recommendations for extreme weather. 
    • The subtext is that we are only going to apply this to people who have no other options or resources. Don't worry we don't have a lot of camping going on. And it is very troubling and speaks to the presentation provided by IDHR.
      • Our law project is currently working on ways to address these things from a legal standpoint. 
    • Really taken aback by how many communities were listed on the slides to implement the camping bans. 
    • Was rather surprised but did not think about it happening in Illinois. We have to be creative in how we interpret the law and implement rules. Hard that we have to do that because people don't want to do right by humanity.
    • Beyond evidence, the thing that will always be important in a democracy is educating the electorates in that region. You will be surprised how people will change their support once they recognize the ways in which they are impacted. Outreach can go a long way to pull out the support. 
    • As a member of the Community Advisory Council should we be considering what additional education should we be doing? How can we highlight this? How do we get ahead of this? 
    • Appreciate the presentation by helping us to see what to do if this happens. 
    • Think it is more education to really understanding what this means.
    • In a similar situation, where several local units of government passed an ordinance called crime free nuisance ordinances. Where if the police were called 3 times to a residence the landlord was required to evict the tenants. Research was conducted identifying the harm of this ordinance and many municipalities changed their ordinances immediately when an individual threatened to sue. We are looking to write a statement and a systemic view to address this. 
    • We went into depth about grants passed but would like to name that is an issue because we don't have enough emergency interim shelters. Excited about the $290 M investment. Most people do not know that is it very difficult if not impossible to access emergency shelter, let alone permanent shelter. If people knew that they would actually treat people and make their laws and local communities differently. Biggest take way from the Summit was when speaking to the metro police officer he shared that the Oak Park officer treated people different when they learned that persons experiencing homelessness do not have a place to go. We need to be aggressive to expanding those various steps of shelter and permanent housing. 
  5. CACH Business
    • Home Illinois Summit video
    • Introduction of New Members of the CACH
      • Sherri Allen Reeves, Phoenix Foundation, Service Provider
      • Emily Krisciunas, Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness, Philanthropy
      • Jose Munoz, La Casa Norte
      • April Redzic, DuPage PADS
      • Malena Kalafut, City of Kankakee
    • Required Trainings
      • All members have to attend a series of required trainings. We will identify the person from OPEH who will work with you all.
    • Volunteer agency needed
      • Looking for volunteers in Central/Southern Illinois for the Food Access Study with UIC.
    • Looking for host for the December 2024 meeting and/or March 2025 meetings. Local host usually will discuss what homelessness looks like for their community and any local approaches. Would like to also tie in site visits. Please let us know if interested in hosting. 
      • Covenant House interested in hosted the December meeting. 
      • How many seats are needed? 
        • Around 20 partners attend. 
    • Co-Chair Interest
    • Our former co-chair Debbie Reznick retired so we would like to understand who would like to serve as the co-chair of the Community Advisory Council. If interested in serving as co-chair, please reach out to homeless.office@illinois.gov .
  6. Introduction of New Members of the Office to Prevent & End Homelessness 
    1. OPEH Senior Leadership Team
      1. Colleen Mahoney, Senior Policy Advisor, Illinois Department of Public Health
      2. Brenda O'Connell, Senior Policy Advisor, Illinois Housing Development Authority
      3. Richard Rowe, Senior Policy Advisor, Illinois Department of Corrections
      4. Michael Mallory, Senior Policy Advisor, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services will begin on September 16th.
      5. TBD Associate Director, OPEH, Illinois Department of Human Services
      6. Also, welcoming Cindy Eigler to the OPEH team, who is a contractor working with us. 
  7. Office to Prevent & End Homelessness Updates
    • Home Illinois Plan is FY25-26 is anticipated to be release in October.
    • One System Initiative is in the process of closing the first Phase. September 19th at 3pm we will have a community meeting. Leadership affirmed 13 of the 14 recommendations on what the one system should look like. 
    • Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness is hosting a Home Illinois Funders Briefing in September.
    • Racial Equity Roundtables
      • Still working with UIC for the Latino Roundtable. Invitations have been delivered to individuals to join the board. The first meeting will be in November. 
      • September 10th UIC is hosting an event presenting the data on Black Homelessness report.
    • Would like to welcome David Esposito, Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Community Services, Associate Director, Office of Housing Stability
  8. CACH Work Groups
    • Home Illinois Summit 
      • We have started planning on the OPEH side. We anticipate having a workgroup to help guide the work of the Summit. 
    • Benefits Access
      • Will focus on access to pathways to improve access for persons with lived experience to obtain benefits. Looking for members who are interested in participating in this work group. 
    • Homeless Workforce
      • Want to understand a statewide strategy that would be inclusive of various agencies to create pathways forward into the workforce. 
    • Communications/Narrative Change
      • Want to move away from the narratives of substance abuse and move more towards a wider narrative change. Looking for volunteers to help drive the narrative change communications campaign. 
    • CACH Annual Report
      • When the legislation passed that authorized the creation of the Interagency Task Force and the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness it also requires an annual report that is due November 15th. We are working with our TA Center through SHPA to identify a consult that can help support the writing the report. Would like to identify members of the CACH who would be interesting in helping to support the work. 
    • Would suggest that the policy and advocacy workgroup be a broader focus to include the grants pass work? 
      • Makes sense to house that in withing that workgroup. 
    • With the workforce report, is it done or still in process? 
      • Almost done but still in process. 
    • To understand the workgroups, what is the time commitment? 
      • The time commitment will vary by group and how long it takes to complete the product. If you don't have the time, you can think about if you have people you can send from your agencies. 
    • In the process of securing consultants who would have more expertise for each workgroup.
    • As the workgroups start forming, we can engage to determine the cadence.
    • Our next meeting is scheduled for December 4th. We will follow up with where it will be held. We look forward to continuing this work.

Presentation:

September 4, 2024, Community Advisory Council on Homelessness Quarterly Meeting

Meeting Recording:

Recording