| Housing
Action Illinois 2010 State Policy Agenda
RESOLIVNG THE STATE BUDGET CRISIS
Support Progressive Fiscal Reform
Support progressive fiscal reform to address Illinois’ structural
budget deficit and restore cuts to housing-related human service
programs. As of the beginning of 2010, Illinois is delinquent in
paying more than $5 billion it owes to private sector providers
of human and health-care services and others. Going into fiscal
year 2011, Illinois is facing a $13 billion budget deficit and
another year of cuts to human service programs.
Overall total state and local tax burden as a percentage of income
in Illinois ranks 41st in the country. This tax burden figure includes
every tax and fee charged by any unit of state or local government
in Illinois, versus those charged by every unit of state or local
government in every other state. Housing Action Illinois
will work with Responsible Budget Coalition to organize support
for progressive fiscal reform in targeted legislative districts.
Restore State Funding for the Homeless Prevention Program
The program provides financial assistance to prevent individuals
and families from becoming homeless and help those who are experiencing
homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized. For fiscal
year 2010 funding was reduced to $2.4 million from $11 million
in the previous fiscal year, a 78% cut. While the federal
Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) stimulus
funds has very similar allowable uses, we need to restore state
funding to insure that resources are available when HPRP funds
are exhausted.
Emergency Food and Shelter Funding/Rebranding of Program
Restore prior year budget cuts for the Emergency Food and Shelter
Program. The program provides overnight shelters, transitional
housing and supportive services. Funding for fiscal year 2010 is
$9.1 million. Funding in fiscal year 2003 was $9.7 million.
We will also request the renaming of the “Emergency Food & Shelter” line
item to “Emergency and Transitional Housing.” This
proposed name more fully captures the role of overnight shelters
and transitional housing programs in the long-term process of rehousing
individuals and families.
ADDRSSING THE FORECLOSURE CRISIS
House Bill 5735: Amend State Foreclosure to Promote Loss Mitigation
Compliance
Loss Mitigation laws, such as the federal Home Affordable Modification
Program (HAMP), provide homeowners an opportunity to refinance
into more affordable monthly payments (loan modification) or provide
mortgagors and mortgagees with foreclosure alternatives. But
servicers are not fulfilling their duties under these programs.
Our proposed amendments to Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law would
require that foreclosure complaints state whether loss mitigation
requirements apply to the mortgage and how the lender is complying
with those requirements; requires judicial findings about compliance
with applicable loss mitigation programs as a part of a foreclosure
judgment; and allow foreclosure judges to reject the foreclosure
sale if it finds that the lender has not complied with applicable
loss mitigation laws.
Cook County Mediation Program Design
The Cook County Board has appropriated $3.5 million for the creation
of a countywide foreclosure mediation program for borrowers and
servicers to be implemented in 2010. We will work as part
of the Chancery’s Court Mediation and Housing Counseling
Subcommittee and other key stakeholders to design and implement
the program.
Promote Servicer Accountability
This initiative is designed to track individual loan modification
cases opened by nonprofit housing counseling agencies in order
to evaluate how successful loan servicers are in carrying out their
loss mitigation procedures and how likely they are to work with
a HUD-certified housing counseling agency. Through a combination
of interviews, reports, and public meetings, we will administer
a program that will analyze the success rate of practiced loss
mitigation strategies, create communication and accountability
systems between housing counseling agencies and loan servicers,
and develop appropriate public policy responses.
PROMOTE FAIR HOUSING AND HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES
House Bill 5163: Promote Fair Housing for Seniors in Assisted
Living
The Illinois Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (IAL/SHA)
is inconsistent with the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the
Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), allowing Illinois seniors to
face discrimination and denial of needed services and housing because
of race or disability. The proposed amendments amend the provisions
of the IAL/SHA that govern the licensing, construction and operating
standards of an Assisted Living establishment to reinforce that
senior housing providers must comply with the FHA and the IHRA.
House Bill 5523: Affirmative Defense from Eviction for Survivors
of Sexual Violence
Amend to the Forcible Entry and Detainer Act to provide an affirmative
defense from eviction from rental housing predicated on the tenant’s,
lessee’s, or household member’s status as a victim
of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual violence.
The law will expressly permit the landlord to still pursue an eviction
against a tenant if that tenant was the perpetrator of the violence.
House Bill 5125 and Senate Bill 3497: Not-for-profit Rental of
Condominiums and Townhouses
We will reintroduce legislation to protect the ability of not-for-profit
organizations with federal tax-exempt charitable status to rent
condominiums and/or townhouses that they own in order to provide
affordable housing.
Additional information on our state leglslative
inititiaitves can be found at http://www.ilga.gov. |