Get ready to see homeless camps in parks across Illinois if a bill gaining traction in the Illinois House becomes law. It would override local restrictions to allow homeless encampments in all public parks. Local towns, park districts, cities, forest preserves and all other municipalities of any kind would have their home rule authority on the matter stripped away.
It’s House Bill 1429, the Local Regulation of Unsheltered Homelessness Act, which says local governments wouldn’t be able to establish or enforce a rule fining or criminally punishing homeless people for participating in “life sustaining activities.”
But “life sustaining activities,” under the bill’s definition, means most anything people routinely do. It would include, but not be limited to, “moving, resting, sitting, standing, lying down, sleeping, protecting oneself from the elements, eating, drinking 5(excluding alcohol), and storing personal property as needed to shelter oneself.”
It has 21 sponsors to date including House Speaker Chris Welch, and 872 homeless advocates and organizations have filed witness slips supporting the bill. An April 15 Housing Committee hearing is the next step.
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*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.