Amends the Education for Homeless Children Act. Allows a school district to provide for an extended motel stay for a child who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Effective immediately.
Creates the Illinois Veterans Homes Expansion Task Force to study the need for the expansion of high-quality, specialized, and affordable long-term care for aged and disabled veterans through the Illinois Veterans Homes system.
Amends the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act. In provisions requiring the Illinois Housing Development Authority to determine which local governments are exempt from the requirements of the Act, requires the Authority to collect data on owner-occupied and rental units for each local government as follows: (1) by totaling the number of owner-occupied housing units in each local government that are affordable to households with a gross household income that is less than 80% of the median household income and is between 80% and 140% of the median household income within the county or primary metropolitan statistical area; and (2) by totaling the number of rental units in each local government that are affordable to households with a gross household income that is less than 60% of the median household income and is between 80% and 140% of the median household income within the county or primary metropolitan statistical area. Provides that data collected for the 80% AMI to 140% AMI households is to be used for informational purposes and shall not factor into the determination of exempt local governments.
Creates the Hospitals and Homelessness Support Act. Requires the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness within the Department of Human Services to maintain on its publicly accessible website information on how a hospital or healthcare system may connect a patient experiencing homelessness or otherwise in a vulnerable housing situation with shelter and homeless support services for each continuum of care in the State. Requires the Department to ensure that the information required includes, for each continuum of care, any phone number, email address, physical address, primary agencies, or any other information that may be necessary for a person in that continuum of care territory to begin accessing shelter or other homelessness services. Requires the Department to include, where possible, a specific phone number that a hospital or health care facility may call and specific language to use. Requires the Department to also include on its website a way for the hospital or healthcare system to determine which continuum of care applies based on the physical location of the hospital or healthcare system. Requires other information, all of which must be added to the Department's website by October 31, 2025. Contains provisions concerning annual audits.
Amends the School Code. Requires school districts to annually report to the State Board of Education the following: (1) the amount of funds received by each school district in the preceding school year; (2) the amount of funds reserved by each school district in the preceding school year to serve homeless children and youth; (3) the number of homeless children and youth identified and enrolled in each school district for that same school year; (4) the amount of such funds that were spent on homeless children and youth; (5) the activities on which such funds were spent; and (6) any auxiliary funding provided to the school district through supplemental funding. Requires the State Board to post the information on the State Board's website.
Amends the Electric Vehicle Charging Act. Exempts any tiny home for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and in need of secure, long-term affordable housing, if that tiny home is constructed by a specified nonprofit organization that exclusively funds and administers tiny homes for veterans. Provides that every county and municipality that has the power to issue building permits and otherwise control the construction of buildings shall require by ordinance that an applicant seeking a building permit to construct tiny homes for at-risk veterans must include with the permit application a completed and signed affidavit stating that all buildings constructed under the permit are designated for the exclusive use of qualifying veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and in need of secure, long-term affordable housing. Prohibits a county or municipality, including a home rule unit, from adopting any building code or ordinance that requires EV-capable parking spaces for tiny homes constructed for the purpose of providing affordable housing for at-risk veterans under the provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Mobile Home Landlord and Tenant Rights Act. Provides that a park owner is prohibited from requiring a tenant to pay for utility service in which the public utility company charging for those services includes any service to common areas, other mobile homes, areas used or occupied by persons other than the individual tenant, and persons occupying the same mobile home with the tenant. Provides that a park owner may not request or cause a change in billing in metered utilities during the term of a lease (i) from a tenant to the park owner or landlord or (ii) from the park owner to a tenant. Requires the park owner to provide a minimum of 90 days' notice to each affected tenant before changing the service but no less than 90 days before the expiration of a lease. Allows the park owner and tenant to agree to amend the lease to effect such a change as long as the amendment is in writing and signed by both parties. Provides that any term or condition in a rental agreement between the park owner and the tenant that is inconsistent with the Act is void and unenforceable. Requires park owners to provide detailed copies of monthly utility bills to tenants for utilities paid by the park owner regardless of the metering arrangement.
Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to make reasonable efforts to develop a youth-driven transition plan for each youth in care aged 18 and over for whom the court has set a permanency goal of independence or home environment not appropriate. Requires the plan to address, at a minimum, the youth's housing, mental and physical health and well-being, financial stability, employment, education, connections to supportive adults and peers, transition to adult services, if applicable, and child care and parenting supports, if applicable. Requires the Department to make reasonable efforts to assist the youth in accomplishing the plan and to ensure the youth is aware of any post-case closure supports and services and how to access such supports and services. Requires the Department to assist a youth in care in obtaining a list of persons, with contact information, who are willing to provide the youth with support. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Require the court to conduct Successful Transition to Adulthood Review hearings for minors who are 18 years old and older for whom the court has entered a goal of independence or home environment not appropriate. Lists certain information the Department shall provide the court 14 days prior to the hearing as well as certain Department actions that are subject to the court's review. Provides that if the court finds the Department has failed to make reasonable efforts to assist the minor in developing a plan toward independence, the court may enter such orders it deems necessary to ensure the minor is prepared to achieve the goal of independence when the minor turns 21 years of age. Makes conforming changes.
Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that unless otherwise required by State law or federal requirements, a service provider shall not be subject to a matching funds requirement in order to be eligible to receive funds from the Department for the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program or the Supportive Housing Program. Provides that, when making funding determinations, the Department of Human services retains discretion to take into consideration the ability of a service provider to leverage other funding sources, as well as other factors that may demonstrate fiscal solvency of the service provider and that the service provider is not solely reliant on State funds for the provision of services. Effective immediately.
