SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — State lawmakers could pass a bill this spring to create safer and stronger communities by improving housing and support services for people returning home from prison.

Around 15,000 people leave Illinois prisons annually, but the vast majority of those Illinoisans are unable to find stable housing due to inequities in the housing markets and gaps in human services.

The Home for Good plan calls for rental subsidies and wraparound services for returning residents.

"Everyone deserves a home. Everyone, in fact, needs a home," said Illinois Justice Project Director Ahmadou Dramé. "But for decades, Illinois has failed to create and effectuate a strategy to effectively address reentry, which has an outsized impact on Black and brown communities throughout Illinois."

The legislation also calls for reentry housing development to minimize the possibility of landlord discrimination. It would create a Home for Good Institute to provide training and technical assistance to community-based organizations helping with reentry housing as well.

Sponsors and advocates told reporters in Springfield Wednesday that the program would cost $50 million. The Illinois Justice Project found that every $1 invested in funding Home for Good will result in $5 in public savings and economic activity over the next three years. Advocates project a cost benefit of $477 million within the first few years of implementation.

"Illinois can't afford to continue to look the other way when it comes to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity for people returning from prison," said Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford). "Under the status quo, we are failing people, failing our communities and leaving hundreds of millions of dollars on the table every year. Home for Good establishes the required coordination, accountability, and sustained, at-scale funding that will be revolutionary for our communities." 

The Illinois Housing Development Authority, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and Illinois Department of Corrections would be responsible for adopting rules to implement the bill if it becomes law.

Senate Bill 4162 has not been assigned to a committee at this time. 

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