Home Illinois report: homelessness down 6%, chronic cases up 28%

StatehouseCapitol News Illinois · Oct 4, 2026

Home Illinois report: homelessness down 6%, chronic cases up 28%

State plans almost $620M in FY2027 homelessness spending; Central Illinois count rose 31% as more rural areas were counted.

Homelessness in Illinois fell 6% from 2025 to 2026, but chronic homelessness rose 28%, according to a new Illinois Department of Human Services report marking five years of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Home Illinois plan, Capitol News Illinois reports. The state task force expects to spend almost $620 million in fiscal 2027.

The Central Illinois Continuum of Care saw a 31% increase, which local providers partly attribute to a count that reached more rural areas plus a shortage of affordable housing. The report says Illinois is short about 142,000 homes and notes rents rose 27% from 2019 to 2024.

Source: Capitol News Illinois (via Shaw Local) · News-Gazette

Paraphrased for the Oct 4, 2026 Sunday evening digest. Read the original at the source link. Not affiliated with the newsroom.