The Home for Good Coalition came together at the start of this year to explore whether it was possible to make a case that Illinois should expand housing for people who face barriers because of an arrest or conviction. The statewide coalition of more than 50 groups did just that, working over the next five months to advocate for the Home for Good program (HB3162 / SB2403) during the Illinois General Assembly’s spring legislative session. The Coalition demonstrated that expanding housing opportunities would make Illinois safer and stronger.
The Home for Good program was not funded by the General Assembly.
The Coalition, however, is not giving up. The group remains laser-focused on its mission, outlined here by Victor Dickson, Jose M. Muñoz and Ahmadou Dramé in a Chicago Sun-Times opinion piece:
“Our coalition includes reentry and community violence intervention organizations — groups working most directly with those pushed to the margins of the housing crisis. From violence intervention workers on Chicago’s West Side to reentry specialists downstate, we reflect the full geography and humanity of Illinois — standing united behind a shared belief: that everyone deserves a home.”
The Coalition thanks those who have supported this effort already. Stay tuned.
Home for Good expands successful housing programs and support services for those returning home from prison and those who have high exposure to gun violence.
Home for Good provides housing programming that is vital given the unique barriers people exiting prison and those with criminal records face to find housing.
Home for Good was designed with direct input from those who have been incarcerated and those at risk of gun violence, alongside policy and research partners.
Home for Good is a coalition of 50-plus organizations who know first-hand the barriers and the struggle of finding safe, stable housing. They also know the solution.
Home for Good is a statewide investment that will make Illinois communities safer and stronger.
Home for Good (HB 3162 and SB 2403) is sponsored by Representative Maurice West and Senator Willie Preston.
Campaign updates
South Side Weekly: “Opinion: Safe and Stable Housing is Essential to Public Safety”
May 29, 2025
The TRiiBe: “Here are 5 criminal justice reform bills that advocates want to see passed in Springfield”
May 29, 2025
The Pantagraph: “Ahmadou Dramé: Home for Good bill offers pathway to public safety – and fiscal responsibility”
May 24, 2025
Crain’s Chicago Business: “Opinion: What’s missing from Chicago’s debate over housing supply”
May 19, 2025
Subject matter hearing held in the Illinois House Appropriations-Health and Human Services Committee
May 8, 2025
Chicago Sun-Times: “Expanding housing access to recently incarcerated Illinoisians a worthwhile investment”
May 7, 2025
WTTW: “Illinois Lawmakers Seek to Boost Housing Resources for People Leaving Prison”
May 2, 2025
Illinois Times: “Released from prison with nowhere to go: Home for Good advocates stable housing for 20,000 released each year”
April 24, 2025
Chicago Tribune: “Rep. Maurice West and Arne Duncan: Illinois must invest in housing support for people exiting prison”
March 28, 2025
Home for Good was assigned to the Illinois House Appropriations- Health and Human Services Committee.
March 11, 2025
About Home for Good
The Problem: People with criminal records face distinct housing barriers
Stable housing & support services help people build lives as contributing members of strong and safe communities. However, people with arrest and conviction records face barriers in accessing stable housing, including discrimination, stigma, & inadequate affordable housing supply
45% of people leaving IDOC are unemployed for at least 3 years.
60% of CVI program participants request support finding or affording housing. 80% have an arrest or conviction record that is a barrier to securing housing.
Only 34 affordable & available homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income IL renters.
People leaving prison don’t qualify for existing homelessness supports upon release.
20,000 people are released from IL state prisons every year. Almost 40% of them return to prison within 3 years. Each return to prison costs over $190,000 in taxes and lost wages. Research shows that stable housing and employment reduces the likelihood of a return.
The Solution: Home for Good expands housing opportunities and options
Codify Home for Good, a public investment in housing & support services designed to stabilize communities and support successful reentry outcomes by meeting the needs of people at risk of gun violence and/or with arrest and conviction records.
The Home for Good program would allocate $103 million for the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) to support people with records through housing and community-based support services.
Provide long-term rental subsidies to people with records where recipients pay up to 30% of their income
Continues & expands IHDA’s Re-Entry Rental Assistance Program
Subsidize housing for people ($28.8M)
Increase affordable housing stock ($48M)
Distribute grants for organizations to acquire, rehabilitate, & build transitional and permanent units to house people with records
Continues & expands IHDA’s Housing for Justice-Involved Individuals Program (HJIIP)
Connect people with services ($18.2M)
Provide wraparound supports, including case managers & housing navigators, to people with records
Establish the Home for Good Institute ($3M)
Provide cohort-based training & technical assistance to reentry providers interested in housing development
There are 4 main elements to Home for Good, all of which interact with each other to create a comprehensive solution to the housing problems faced by people with arrest and conviction records. Two elements address short-term housing needs; two provide sustained funding and a structure to address long-term root causes.
The Illinois Housing Development Authority runs the Housing for Justice-Involved Individuals Program (HJIIP). Under Home for Good, HJIIP will expand to support the development of permanent housing units (in addition to the transitional housing units it currently creates) and will receive sustained funding to provide grants to community-based organizations developing housing.
The Home for Good Institute will help reentry and CVI organizations build technical and administrative capacity to acquire, build, rehab, and manage housing. Graduates of the Home For Good Institute will receive additional points on applications for affordable housing development resources from IHDA.
Community-based organizations, receiving state-funded Home for Good grants, will provide housing stipends to program participants. Housing navigators, specializing in communicating with the target population and connecting with reluctant landlords, will help program participants find stable housing.
Community-based organizations, receiving state-funded Home for Good grants, will staff caseworkers (“reentry navigators” or “life coaches” as they are often called) to directly connect participants to support services like physical and behavioral healthcare, workforce development, acquiring IDs and social security cards, and any other needs that a participant has identified.
Home for Good is supported by the following organizations:
For media inquiries, contact Annie Sweeney at annie@iljp.org.
To get involved with advocacy, contact Isabel Kennon at Isabel@iljp.org.