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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Housing is our State's most important social and
3economic infrastructure; nearly one in three Illinois families
4struggles with housing costs; over half of our State's renters
5need an affordable home, including over half of seniors who
6rent their homes; we face a critical shortage of an estimated
723,000 supportive housing units for our most vulnerable
8populations, those who are veterans, disabled, and/or at risk
9of homelessness; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human
11Rights recognizes the right to housing as a human right; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Illinois cannot thrive if young adults cannot
13afford housing and leave Illinois, if businesses leave for
14states with lower housing costs, and when families struggle to
15keep a roof over their heads; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The 2009 capital budget set a precedent for
17investing in housing as infrastructure through an allocation of
18approximately $145 million for affordable housing; nearly $70
19million of these funds were used to create 694 affordable
20rental homes across the State, leveraging an additional $82.5
21million in public and private resources; capital budget dollars
22allocated towards affordable housing were highly leveraged

 

 

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1with private and public money and were extremely impactful in
2creating jobs, creating housing, broadening the tax base, and
3creating new economic activity; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Communities across our great State still struggle
5to provide an adequate supply of affordable homes to our
6residents; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that one of the most
9urgently required, realistic, and important ways to rebuild our
10State means investing in where our families live; increasing
11Illinois' stock of affordable housing would give people more
12reasons to stay here and entice employers and families to
13relocate here, save money, build wealth, and achieve a
14middle-class standard of living; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That allocating $1 billion towards affordable
16housing in the State's next capital budget provides an
17opportunity for us to make a sizable impact on the housing
18needs of our communities; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That investment in affordable housing would
20allow development of homes meeting a wide range of needs,
21including, but not limited to, affordable homes for working
22families and seniors, supportive housing for people

 

 

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1experiencing homelessness, accessible housing for people with
2disabilities, and affordable memory care homes for people with
3Alzheimer's disease; homeownership could be supported by
4rehabbing vacant and abandoned properties; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That investment would be used across the State in
6urban, suburban, and rural communities to rebuild
7neighborhoods, create new jobs, attract new investment, and
8broaden the property tax base; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That with $1 billion in capital budget funds we
10could build 10,000 affordable rental homes for working
11families, seniors, veterans, and people who need supportive
12housing, create 16,000 jobs in the first year alone, and
13generate $755 million in taxes and other revenue for local
14governments and $3.9 billion in local income for businesses and
15workers over the course of 15 years; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That this investment would provide resources to
17meet the goals of the Comprehensive Housing Planning Act (310
18ILCS 110), which is to maintain the economic health of our
19communities by requiring a comprehensive and unified policy for
20the allocation of resources for affordable housing and
21supportive services for historically underserved populations
22throughout the State; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2delivered to the offices of the Governor, the Capital
3Development Board, the Housing Development Authority, the
4Department of Human Services, the Department of
5Transportation, the Department on Aging, the Department of
6Children and Family Services, the Department of Corrections,
7the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the
8Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the
9Department of Veterans' Affairs.