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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Veterans of the United States Armed Forces served
3their country selflessly and honorably; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Veterans face numerous barriers to stable
5employment and stable environments; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Returning veterans who have served since 2001 have
7an unemployment rate 3.2% higher than the general population,
8which is just one contributing factor to many economic
9hardships they may face; and
 
10    WHEREAS, All veterans have a higher risk of mental health
11issues, which may include, but is not limited to,
12post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and
13substance abuse; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Many contributing factors lead to veterans, who
15comprise 7% of the total population, being 13% of the homeless
16population; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois State Senate and the
18Illinois House of Representatives recognize the need to ensure
19for the well-being of all veterans, to better protect homeless
20veterans, and to help homeless veterans reenter society as

 

 

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1productive citizens; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The licensing of halfway houses, shelters, and
3transitional housing programs that service homeless veterans,
4and oversight of such facilities and programs by local housing
5and community mental health boards, should be provided to
6protect the rights of homeless veterans; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
9CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Homeless Veteran
10Protection Task Force; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of one
12representative from the Department of Veterans' Affairs,
13chosen by the Director of Veterans' Affairs; one representative
14from homeless shelters, chosen by the Governor; one
15representative from the Department of Human Services, chosen by
16the Secretary of Human Services; one representative from the
17Department of Public Health, chosen by the Director of Public
18Health; and one representative from local governments, chosen
19by the Governor; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall conduct a comprehensive
21study with the goal of determining necessary protections and
22oversights of homeless shelters to better protect the rights of

 

 

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1homeless veterans; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve
3without compensation; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall
5provide staffing and administrative services to the Task Force
6upon request; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit a report of its
8findings to the Governor and the four legislative leaders no
9later than January 15, 2014.