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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION 412

 
2     WHEREAS, It is the long-standing policy of this State that
3 no person should suffer unnecessarily from cold or hunger, or
4 be deprived of shelter or the basic rights incident to shelter;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, At the present time, many persons have been
7 rendered homeless as a result of economic adversity, a severe
8 shortage of affordable housing, and increased stress due to the
9 complexity of daily living that has created an inability on the
10 part of those persons to interact in society; and
 
11     WHEREAS, It is the intent of the House of Representatives
12 to lessen the adverse affects and conditions caused by the lack
13 of residence or a home; and
 
14     WHEREAS, No person's rights, privileges, or access to
15 public services should be denied or abridged solely because he
16 or she is homeless; such a person should be granted the same
17 rights and privileges as any other citizen of this State; and
 
18     WHEREAS, These rights include but are not limited to the
19 following:
20         (1) a person's right to live in any community in this
21     State in which he or she can afford to live;
22         (2) a person's right to choose a type of living
23     arrangements in accordance with local regulations without
24     harassment or interference from any other citizen or from
25     any public or private entity;
26         (3) a person's right to employment and training
27     opportunities in accordance with his or her interests and
28     abilities;
29         (4) a person's right to access to emergency medical
30     health services in any health care facility doing business
31     in this State;

 

 

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1         (5) a person's right to manage his or her own personal
2     finances notwithstanding his or her living arrangements,
3     unless (i) the person voluntarily signs a written
4     agreement, sworn to and witnessed before a notary public,
5     authorizing an individual or agency to manage his or her
6     finances, (ii) the person resides in a shelter for homeless
7     persons and has enrolled in a savings program designed to
8     provide rent money upon the person's departure from the
9     shelter, or (iii) the person has been ruled or adjudicated
10     by a court of competent jurisdiction to be incompetent to
11     manage his or her financial affairs;
12         (6) a person's right to not be coerced or penalized in
13     any way for not taking any medication or for not undergoing
14     any medical treatment that has not been authorized by a
15     qualified physician;
16         (7) in the case of a group living arrangement or
17     long-term care facility, a person's right to receive and
18     sign any check, voucher, or other warrant or legal tender
19     issued in his or her name before the moneys may be expended
20     by the person's landlord or a public or private agency,
21     unless the person waives the right in a writing sworn to
22     before a notary public; if the person is unable to sign his
23     or her name, the person may make his or her signature with
24     an "X" that is witnessed by 2 other persons not employed or
25     directly associated with the landlord or agency,
26     preferably a relative or guardian of the person or someone
27     designated by the person beforehand;
28         (8) a person's right to vote, which may not be denied
29     solely because the person does not have a permanent
30     residence;
31         (9) a person's right of visitation with family members,
32     friends, clergy, and professional or public consultants
33     notwithstanding the person's living arrangements, as long
34     as the visitation does not interfere with the smooth
35     operation of the person's place of residence;
36         (10) a person's right to receive public services or

 

 

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1     accommodations offered to any other citizen of this State
2     in accordance, with established eligibility guidelines for
3     those services; and
4         (11) a person's right to confidentiality of records;
5     homeless shelters should obtain a voluntary written
6     release from a homeless person prior to disclosing any
7     personal information regarding the homeless person,
8     including, but not limited to, name, social security
9     number, and birth date, except in aggregate form; the right
10     to confidentiality of records includes the dissemination
11     of materials to other agencies, either private or public;
12     and the homeless person should be given the option of
13     whether to release records via informed consent, based on
14     guidelines from the Office of Human Research Protections,
15     United States Department of Health and Human Services,
16     including:
17             (A) the expected duration of the subject's
18         participation;
19             (B) an explanation of whom to contact for answers
20         to pertinent questions about the research and research
21         subjects' rights, and whom to contact in the event of a
22         research-related injury to the subject;
23             (C) a statement that participation in releasing
24         records is voluntary, refusal to participate will
25         involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which the
26         subject is otherwise entitled, and the subject may
27         discontinue participation in the record release at any
28         time without penalty or loss of benefits to which the
29         subject is otherwise entitled;
30             (D) a description of any reasonably foreseeable
31         risks or discomforts to the subject; and
32             (E) a statement describing the extent, if any, to
33         which confidentiality of records identifying the
34         subject will be maintained; therefore, be it
 
35     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2 the House Task Force on the Rights of Homeless Persons is
3 established, to consist of 6 members, 3 appointed by the
4 Speaker of the House of Representatives and 3 appointed by the
5 Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; the Speaker
6 shall designate one of his appointees as the chairperson; and
7 the members shall serve without compensation but shall be
8 reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from
9 moneys appropriated for that purpose; and be it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study ways in which the
11 Department of Public Health could monitor and enforce the
12 rights of homeless persons set forth in this Resolution,
13 including ways in which the Department could utilize one or
14 more local health departments or local health officers to
15 monitor and enforce those rights; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall also study ways in
17 which the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity could
18 establish priorities of eligibility for temporary rental or
19 other housing assistance among the various categories of
20 persons needing assistance in obtaining or retaining housing,
21 including, without limitation, persons subject to immediate
22 eviction for nonpayment of rent or subject to foreclosure for
23 nonpayment of mortgage installments or property taxes, when
24 nonpayment is attributable to illness, unemployment,
25 underemployment, or any other failure of lack of resources
26 beyond the person's control; and be it further
 
27     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall receive the assistance
28 of legislative staff and shall report its findings to the House
29 of Representatives on or before January 12, 2005.