The Center for Housing and Health (CHH), dedicated to bridging the housing and healthcare systems to improve the lives of Chicagoans experiencing homelessness, is debuting its first official set of policy priorities.  Developed by people with lived experience of homelessness, coalition partners, and Center staff, including Housing Policy & Advocacy Manager Dominique Chew, the priorities outline support for city and statewide budget and legislative actions that would improve health and housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, housing instability, and chronic health conditions.   

CHH is a subsidiary nonprofit of AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC).  Operating as a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit while sharing some core operations, CHH is dedicated to supporting a critical element of AFC’s mission: ending homelessness.  Because people who experience homelessness are more likely to receive an HIV diagnosis in their lifetimes, HIV and homelessness are considered “syndemic,” meaning conditions occurring in tandem due to structural factors that combine to worsen health outcomes. CHH operates to reduce homelessness’ impact on crisis systems like emergency rooms and rehabilitation centers, understanding that housing is a primary, if not the primary, social determinant of health.  Since its inception, CHH has been growing rapidly and is now one of Chicago’s leading providers of housing for people and families with children. This first expansion into the policy and advocacy space comes at a critical time for people experiencing homelessness, in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling enabling criminalization of sleeping outside.   

The CHH policy priorities were developed with people with lived experience at the center of the process, which began with an “Ask & Listen” phase starting in early 2024. CHH consulted with multiple advisory boards consisting of members with lived experience, including youth, as well as their governing board to develop the policy priorities.  Listening sessions lasted approximately one hour each, and participants responded to focus group-style discussion questions about challenges that people experiencing homelessness and housing instability face in achieving their best health, challenges to accessing and maintaining stable housing, and solutions to these challenges.  

 CHH also conducted a state-wide, online, anonymous survey where respondents answered similar questions and could elect to provide demographic data. Read responses from the focus groups and statewide survey.  CHH reviewed the responses and data and took stock of already existing policies or work being done in the housing advocacy space. From there, they determined the following priorities.  Read the detailed policies below, or download and share. 

Illinois 

SB2158 – Stop the Revolving Door from Re-Entry to Homelessness to Prison  

Housing is the basis for stability and success, but current Illinois registry and housing banishment laws systematically displace, exclude and reincarcerate people – disproportionately Black men – with past convictions, while failing to support survivors. CHH is proud to work alongside The Chicago 400 to support SB2158, legislation that would reduce housing banishment zones from 500 to 250 feet, allow Illinoisans experiencing homelessness to register at police stations annually or quarterly (like housed people do) rather than weekly, and shrink the registry footprint by reducing failure to register penalties from a felony to a misdemeanor.  

Medicaid 1115 Waiver – Behavioral Health Transformation   

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to extend by five years an existing 1115 Medicaid Waiver-Behavioral Health Transformation has been approved. HFS applied for this five-year extension to provide additional services not yet covered under Illinois’ Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) program. Three examples of the additional service categories in the 1115 Waiver include housing support, employment assistance, and services for people returning from prison or jail. CHH will advocate for full and equitable implementation of the 1115 Waiver to ensure that Illinoisans enrolled in Medicaid who are living with chronic health conditions, experiencing homelessness or housing instability, have experience with the criminal legal system, and/or need employment assistance will benefit from these additional services and have a better opportunity to achieve their best health. One focus of CHH’s work will be to advocate for Medicaid to adopt streamlined billing and reimbursement systems for supportive housing services.  

Illinois State Budget - Ending homelessness for people living with chronic health conditions, including mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or HIV  

Housing and health are deeply interconnected. In coalition with our organizational partners, CHH will advocate for increased state funding for housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness and housing instability, who are also living with chronic health conditions, including mental health conditions, substance use disorder and HIV. Permanent supportive housing - affordable housing coupled with supportive services - is a model proven to keep individuals and families sustainably housed for the long-term. Along with our partners, CHH will also work to ensure the timely allocation and spending of these funds by state agencies, with special priority on getting money to the state’s permanent supportive housing providers to ensure that people living with chronic health conditions can lead their healthiest lives.   

City of Chicago  

City Budget - Ending homelessness for people living with chronic health conditions, including mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or HIV  

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is a model that combines housing with supportive services that help people remain stably housed. CHH is advocating for funding in the City’s budget for affordable housing and supportive services, including $11.2 million for fiscal year 2025 (FY25) for the Flexible Housing Pool Program, to create a path to housing stability for the 68,000 Chicagoans currently experiencing homelessness. This funding must be spent in a timely manner to ensure that Chicagoans experiencing homelessness have access to the housing and supportive services they deserve, and that organizations providing these services can do so without financial disruption in order to adequately attract and retain staff.  
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While not an exhaustive list of all the policy and advocacy work that will be supported by the Center for Housing & Health, these priorities are reflective of CHH operating from the “Racism is a Public Health Crisis” framework – a message that guides us as we work to dismantle entrenched racist policies that created the crisis of homelessness in the first place. We hope you’ll join us to end homelessness and ensure that every Illinoisian is able to lead their healthiest life.

If you would like to keep up with CHH’s policy & advocacy work, sign up for our Mobile Action Network. You can sign up by texting “AFC” to 40649 or by visiting https://p2a.co/sjJqISb.