Jeanne Ives spotted this ill-conceived bill, co-sponsored by Crystal Lake State Rep. Sue Ness:
If HB1429 becomes law, it would turn public spaces in Illinois into homeless encampments.
The bill allows the homeless to occupy playgrounds, parkways, forest preserves, your neighborhood park, or other public places indefinitely.
The homeless would be allowed to eat, drink, relax, sleep, and do any other life-sustaining activity in the parks. They are even allowed to store their personal property there.
The bill says authorities are allowed to request that they move to allow access to others, or if there are scheduled events there, but could only remove a homeless person in cases of emergencies defined as an Imminent risk that death, serious illness, or severe injury to a person or destruction of property would occur by letting the homeless person remain.
But before removal, authorities would have to give a 3-day notice and offer them transportation, social services, and other resources to solve their housing needs.
Let’s be clear – The homeless are already offered help through multiple non-profits and social service agencies. Just one grant in this year’s state budget will spend $27 million on homeless prevention. Another grant – the emergency and transitional housing program will spend over $90 million.
And that’s just two of many homeless grant programs. Maybe Democrats should assess the effectiveness of these grants before letting the homeless take over parks.
Most homelessness is a result of people with deep mental health or drug problems. Allowing them to overrun public parks doesn’t help them; it destroys any sense of goodwill between community members and those in need.
HB1429 is opposed by mayors and managers across the state, the Chiefs of Police, the Sheriff’s Association, and various local governments, including park districts and forest preserves.
Here’s the list of IL Democrat Representatives who think this is a good idea:
Rep. Kevin John Olickal – Emanuel “Chris” Welch – Dagmara Avelar – Lindsey LaPointe – Mary Beth Canty, Lilian Jiménez, Rita Mayfield, Suzanne M. Ness, Bob Morgan, Will Guzzardi, Kelly M. Cassidy, Barbara Hernandez, Michelle Mussman, Abdelnasser Rashid, Hoan Huynh, Anne Stava, Laura Faver Dias, Carol Ammons, Lisa Davis, Nicolle Grasse, Norma Hernandez, Theresa Mah, Edgar González, Jr., Michael Crawford, Nabeela Syed, Diane Blair-Sherlock, La Shawn K. Ford, Camille Y. Lilly, Justin Cochran, Yolonda Morris and Marcus C. Evans, Jr. – 31 Democrats, including the Speaker of the House.
