Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.

( )

775 ILCS 45/1

(775 ILCS 45/1)

Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the

Bill of
Rights for the Homeless Act.

(Source: P.A. 98-516, eff. 8-22-13.)

775 ILCS 45/5

(775 ILCS 45/5)

Sec. 5. Legislative intent.

  It is the long-standing policy of
this
State that no person should suffer unnecessarily from cold or
hunger, be
deprived of shelter or the basic rights incident to shelter, or be subject to unfair discrimination based on his or her homeless status.
At the present time, many persons have been rendered homeless as
a result
of economic hardship, a severe shortage of safe and affordable housing,
and
a shrinking social safety net.  It is
the intent of this
Act to lessen the adverse effects and conditions caused by the lack of
residence or a home.

(Source: P.A. 98-516, eff. 8-22-13.)

775 ILCS 45/10

(775 ILCS 45/10)

Sec. 10.

Bill of
Rights.

(a) No person's rights, privileges, or access to
public services may be denied or abridged solely because he or she is
homeless.  Such a person shall be granted the same rights and privileges as
any
other citizen of this State.  A person experiencing homelessness has the following rights:

(1) the right to use and move freely in public

spaces, including but not limited to  public sidewalks, public parks, public transportation, and public buildings, in the same manner as  any other person and without discrimination on the basis of his or her housing status;

(2) the right to equal treatment by all State and

municipal agencies, without discrimination on the basis of housing status;

(3) the right not to face discrimination while

maintaining employment due  to his or her lack of permanent mailing address, or his or her mailing address being that of a  shelter or social service provider;

(4) the right to emergency medical care free from

discrimination based on his or her housing status;

(5) the right to vote, register to vote, and receive

documentation necessary to prove identity for voting without discrimination due to his or her housing status;

(6) the right to protection from disclosure of his or

her records and information  provided to homeless shelters and service providers to State, municipal, and private entities  without appropriate legal authority; and the right to confidentiality of personal records and  information in accordance with all limitations on disclosure established by the federal Homeless  Management Information Systems, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability  Act, and the federal Violence Against Women Act; and

(7) the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy

in his or her personal property to the same extent as personal property in a permanent residence.

(b)
As used in this Act, "housing status" means the status of
having or not having a fixed or regular residence, including
the status of living on the streets, in a shelter, or in a
temporary residence.

(Source: P.A. 98-516, eff. 8-22-13.)

775 ILCS 45/15

(775 ILCS 45/15)

Sec. 15. Damages and attorney's fees.

 In any civil action alleging a violation of this

Act, the court may award appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief, actual damages, and

reasonable attorney's fees and costs to a prevailing plaintiff.

(Source: P.A. 98-516, eff. 8-22-13.)

775 ILCS 45/99

(775 ILCS 45/99)

Sec. 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

(Source: P.A. 98-516, eff. 8-22-13.)