Dear SHPA Members, Leaders, and Advocates,

Before sharing our end of session recap, I want to take a moment to thank you.

In the face of unprecedented challenges, SHPA members and advocates showed up! Over the course of this session, you sent over 300 emails to your General Assembly members, you answered every call for witness slips, you made your presence felt during Advocacy Day, and most importantly, you made your voice heard.

SHPA’s ability to advance supportive housing in Illinois depends entirely on the strength of our members, Peer Leaders, and community partners. I am incredibly proud to represent this network every day at the Capitol and even more proud to stand alongside you in the fight to ensure that every person in this state has access to safe, stable, and permanent housing.

Thank you,



Max Seeley

Director of Government Affairs

FY2027 State Budget Statement



Thanks to our advocates, Peer Leaders, and partners, we were able to prevent a proposed $10 million cut to HOME Illinois. We are grateful to our partners at Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, Housing Action Illinois, and the Illinois Shelter Alliance, and our legislative champions Rep. Lindsey LaPointe and Sen. Adrianne Johnson, who all played significant roles in earning this important victory.

However, this budget fails to meet our current moment. The FY2026 CoC NOFO's abandonment of Housing First principles threaten the stability of local programs, cuts to SNAP and Medicaid through HR1 are beginning to hit Illinois residents, and municipalities continue to criminalize unsheltered homelessness rather than invest in services. This budget also includes a $1.4 million cut to the Supportive MI Housing line item, reducing access to housing for people with severe mental illness.

As members of the Illinois Revenue Alliance, we know meaningful investment in homeless services requires structural tax reform. The new Digital Ads Tax is a result of the persistent advocacy of the Illinois Revenue Alliance and our legislative champions. This new progressive revenue policy is an important step forward, but more must be done to ensure large corporations pay their fair share.

SHPA remains committed to safe and stable housing for every person in Illinois and we will keep fighting to build the infrastructure that makes it possible.

Legislative Wins!

Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act (HB 3564 & HB 5234)

Legislative Sponsors: State Representative Nabeela Syed & State Senator Mike Simmons

The Rental Fee Transparency Act is an important bill that will increase fairness and accessibility to rental housing. This bill bans predatory “junk fees”, like fees for using an online rental portal, basic maintenance, pest control, and lease renewals. It also caps application fees at $50, which will reduce the upfront cost of rental housing. All non-optional fees will need to be clearly disclosed on the first page of the lease. The Rental Affordability and Fee Transparency Act has passed both chambers and now awaits Governor Pritzker's signature. Once signed, this bill will take effect on January 1, 2027.

Thank you to our partners at the Law Center for Better Housing, Housing Action Illinois, New Moms, Citizen Action Illinois, Uptown People’s Law Project and others.

Community Partners Fair Contracting Act (HB 4340)

Legislative Sponsors: State Representative Dagmara Avelar & State Senator Michael Halpin

The Community Partners Fair Contracting Act will provide important reforms to the state’s grant contract and payment systems. This act requires contracts to be issued within 60 days after the start of the fiscal year, or notice of award, requires contract payments to be made within 30 days of the state receiving an invoice, and creates a clear timeline for court of claims proceedings.

Thank you to our partners at Forefront, Illinois Partners for Human Services, Illinois Collaboration on Youth, and others

Progress Made

Ending the Criminalization of Homelessness (HB 1429)

HB 1429 is a response to the June 2024 US Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which determined that people experiencing homelessness can be arrested and fined for sleeping outside even when there are no alternatives. The focus of this bill is on preventing the further criminalization of homelessness, without restricting pre-existing municipal powers.

We will continue to advocate for the protection of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Thank you to our partners at the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness and Housing Action Illinois for leading this effort.

Home for Good Act (HB 624)

Legislative Sponsors: State Representative Maurice West & State Senator Adrianne Johnson

The creation of the Home for Good program would develop improved access to housing and supportive services for people returning from prison. By utilizing the supportive housing model, this program would provide rental assistance, wraparound services and case management support, and invest in reentry housing, all while understanding the unique barriers that people with criminal records face.

SHPA is proud to be a member of the Home for Good Coalition and will continue to advocate for the creation of the Home for Good program. Thank you to our partners at the Illinois Justice Project for leading this effort.

Living Wages, Thriving Communities Campaign:

During this legislative session the living wages, thriving communities campaign continued to gain momentum, as we work towards our long-term goal of fair pay for human service staff. This session, subject matter hearings were held to highlight the low pay that our highly skilled human service workers face and provide real policy solutions to address the need for equitable pay. SHPA continues to support this effort and is committed to ensuring supportive housing providers and staff are fairly compensated.

Thank you to our partners at Illinois Partners for Human Services for leading the Living Wages, Thriving Communities coalition.