SR0370 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0370 LRB101 12155 MST 59752 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Housing is our State's most important social and economic infrastructure; nearly one in three Illinois families struggles with housing costs; over half of our State's renters need an affordable home, including over half of seniors who rent their homes; we face a critical shortage of an estimated 23,000 supportive housing units for our most vulnerable populations, those who are veterans, disabled, and/or at risk of homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right to housing as a human right; and

WHEREAS, Illinois cannot thrive if young adults cannot afford housing and leave Illinois, if businesses leave for states with lower housing costs, and when families struggle to keep a roof over their heads; and

WHEREAS, The 2009 capital budget set a precedent for investing in housing as infrastructure through an allocation of approximately $145 million for affordable housing; nearly $70 million of these funds were used to create 694 affordable rental homes across the State, leveraging an additional $82.5 million in public and private resources; capital budget dollars allocated towards affordable housing were highly leveraged with private and public money and were extremely impactful in creating jobs, creating housing, broadening the tax base, and creating new economic activity; and

WHEREAS, Communities across our great State still struggle to provide an adequate supply of affordable homes to our residents; and

WHEREAS, Allocating $1 billion towards affordable housing in the State's next capital budget provides us with an opportunity to make a sizable impact on the housing needs of our communities; and

WHEREAS, This investment in affordable housing would allow the development of homes meeting a wide range of needs, including, but not limited to, affordable homes for working families and seniors, supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, accessible housing for people with disabilities, and affordable memory care homes for people with Alzheimer's disease; homeownership could be supported by rehabbing vacant and abandoned properties; and

WHEREAS, This investment would be used across the State in urban, suburban, and rural communities to rebuild neighborhoods, create new jobs, attract new investment, and broaden the property tax base; and

WHEREAS, With $1 billion in capital budget funds we could build 10,000 affordable rental homes for working families, seniors, veterans, and people who need supportive housing, create 16,000 jobs in the first year alone, and generate $755 million in taxes and other revenue for local governments and $3.9 billion in local income for businesses and workers over the course of 15 years; and

WHEREAS, This investment would provide resources to meet the goals of the Comprehensive Housing Planning Act (310 ILCS 110), which is to maintain the economic health of our communities by requiring a comprehensive and unified policy for the allocation of resources for affordable housing and supportive services for historically underserved populations throughout the State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize one of the most urgently required, realistic, and important ways to rebuild our State means investing in where our families live; increasing Illinois' stock of affordable housing would give people more reasons to stay here and entice employers and families to relocate here, save money, build wealth, and achieve a middle-class standard of living; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge significant funding for affordable housing be included in any new capital spending plan; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the offices of the Governor, the Capital Development Board, the Housing Development Authority, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department on Aging, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs.