Full Text of HB2983 101st General Assembly
HB2983enr 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning homeless youth.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Youth | 5 | | Homelessness Prevention Subcommittee Act. | 6 | | Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly | 7 | | finds that 1 in 10 young people ages 18-25 experience a form of | 8 | | homelessness over a 12-month period. Also 1 in 30 youths ages | 9 | | 13-17 experience a form of homelessness over a 12-month period. | 10 | | Homelessness disproportionately impacts African-American youth | 11 | | and mirrors the racial disparities in school suspensions, | 12 | | incarceration rates, and foster care placement. Youth who have | 13 | | interacted with State systems of care, such as the Department | 14 | | of Children and Family Services, the Department of Juvenile | 15 | | Justice, the Department of Human Services' Division of Mental | 16 | | Health, and the Department of Corrections, and youth who have | 17 | | been hospitalized for mental health problems are | 18 | | disproportionately overrepresented in the population of people | 19 | | experiencing homelessness. The U.S. Department of Education | 20 | | classifies youth living "doubled up" as homeless. "Doubled up" | 21 | | is a term that refers to a situation where individuals are | 22 | | unable to maintain their own housing situation and are forced | 23 | | to stay with a series of friends or extended family members. |
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| 1 | | The individual has no right or authority over the housing. The | 2 | | "homes" of such individuals are often unstable, not permanent, | 3 | | and can be as dangerous as living on the streets. As a result, | 4 | | doubled up housing situations are potentially detrimental to | 5 | | the health and well-being of these homeless youth. A study | 6 | | conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found that | 7 | | 12% of prisoners were homeless at the time of their arrest. | 8 | | Similarly, a national survey of jail inmates concluded that | 9 | | more than 15% of the jail population had been homeless at some | 10 | | point in the preceding year, a rate 8 to 11 times the national | 11 | | average. Illinois needs a cohesive strategy across our child | 12 | | welfare, mental health, corrections, and human services | 13 | | agencies that is designed to reduce the rates of homelessness | 14 | | among youth and to lessen the likelihood of youth experiencing | 15 | | chronic homelessness into adulthood. | 16 | | Section 10. Youth Homelessness Prevention Subcommittee. In | 17 | | 2016 the Governor, by Executive Order, created a Governor's | 18 | | Cabinet on Children and Youth to ensure that all children and | 19 | | youth in Illinois are healthy, safe, well-educated, and | 20 | | successfully launched into self-sufficiency. To better serve | 21 | | youth leaving State systems of care and to bring Illinois in | 22 | | line with the national goal of ending youth homelessness by | 23 | | 2020, the Cabinet on Children and Youth shall create a | 24 | | subcommittee to drive the State's strategic vision for | 25 | | preventing homelessness among youth leaving State systems of |
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| 1 | | care. The subcommittee shall be known as the Youth Homelessness | 2 | | Prevention Subcommittee. | 3 | | Section 15. Duties. The Youth Homelessness Prevention | 4 | | Subcommittee shall: | 5 | | (1) Review the discharge planning, service plans, and | 6 | | discharge procedures for youth leaving the custody or | 7 | | guardianship of the Department of Children and Family | 8 | | Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the | 9 | | Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health, | 10 | | and the Department of Corrections to determine whether such | 11 | | discharge planning and procedures ensure housing stability | 12 | | for youth leaving State systems of care.
| 13 | | (2) Collect data on the housing stability of youth for | 14 | | one year after they are released from the custody or | 15 | | guardianship of the Department of Children and Family | 16 | | Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the | 17 | | Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health, or | 18 | | the Department of Corrections.
| 19 | | (3) Based on data collected under paragraph (2) | 20 | | regarding youth experiencing homelessness after leaving | 21 | | State systems of care, create a plan to improve discharge | 22 | | policies and procedures to ensure housing stability for | 23 | | youth leaving State systems of care.
| 24 | | (4) Provide recommendations on community plans for | 25 | | sustainable housing; create education and employment plans |
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| 1 | | for homeless youth; and create strategic collaborations | 2 | | between the Department of Children and Family Services, the | 3 | | Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Human | 4 | | Services' Division of Mental Health, and the Department of | 5 | | Corrections with respect to youth leaving State systems of | 6 | | care. | 7 | | Section 20. Membership. The Youth Homelessness Prevention | 8 | | Subcommittee shall include the following members: | 9 | | (1) One representative from the Governor's office. | 10 | | (2)
The Director of the Department of Children and | 11 | | Family Services. | 12 | | (3)
The Director of the Department of Healthcare and | 13 | | Family Services. | 14 | | (4)
The Secretary of the Department of Human Services. | 15 | | (5)
The Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice. | 16 | | (6)
The Director of the Department of Corrections. | 17 | | (7)
The Director of the Department of Public Health. | 18 | | (8)
The Director of the Guardianship and Advocacy | 19 | | Commission. | 20 | | (9)
Four representatives from agencies serving | 21 | | homeless youth. | 22 | | (10)
One representative from a homeless advocacy | 23 | | organization. | 24 | | (11)
One representative from a juvenile justice | 25 | | advocacy organization. |
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| 1 | | (12)
Four youth who have a lived experience with | 2 | | homelessness. | 3 | | Section 25. Quorum. A majority of the members of the | 4 | | Subcommittee shall constitute a quorum, and all | 5 | | recommendations of the Subcommittee shall require approval of a | 6 | | majority of the total members of the Subcommittee. | 7 | | Section 30. Administrative support. The Governor's Office | 8 | | shall provide administrative support to the Youth Homelessness | 9 | | Prevention Subcommittee as needed, including with respect to | 10 | | compliance with State ethics laws, the Open Meetings Act, and | 11 | | the Freedom of Information Act. | 12 | | Section 35. Meetings. The Youth Homelessness Prevention | 13 | | Subcommittee shall hold at least 6 meetings each year, but | 14 | | otherwise shall meet at the call of the chair.
| 15 | | Section 40. Reports. The Youth Homelessness Prevention | 16 | | Subcommittee shall submit an interim report to the Governor | 17 | | every 6 months and an annual report to the Governor and the | 18 | | General Assembly.
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