McHenry Times

A bill championed by Sen. Craig Wilcox will benefit veterans facing homelessness when the new law goes into effect, according to a news release from the senator’s office. 

Senate Bill 2005 requires that housing preferences be granted to homeless veterans, according to a July 2 news release. Sen. Wilcox made a statement regarding this matter.

"Seven hundred homeless veterans is seven hundred too many, and DHS says that number is likely an undercount due to a variety of factors related to identifying and documenting these individuals," Wilcox said. 

Craig Wilcox was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2018. A Republican, their legislative experience includes serving on the Agriculture Committee and Appropriations I Committee. Wilcox is a state senator who resides in McHenry, according to the Illinois Senate.

“It is common practice in Illinois to provide special benefits to specific classifications of Illinoisans, and veterans deserve the same type of assistance," Sen. Wilcox said. "I was pleased when this bill passed in the Senate and House with unanimous support. This law will go far in reversing a disturbing trend that affects our veteran heroes." 

Senate Bill 2005, now known as public act 103-0247, makes changes to the Housing Authorities Act to require that policies to give housing preferences to homeless veterans are developed and implemented. 

And these new policies must work alongside other preferences from a housing authority that a veteran may also qualify for. 

It was sponsored by Sen. Craig Wilcox and introduced in the Senate on Feb. 9, 2023. It arrived in the House on March 30, 2023, and was sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker on June 8. The governor signed the bill on June 30 and it will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

According to a November 2009 press release about the facility, the Prince Home opened in 2007 and is "a national model for meeting the needs of homeless and disabled veterans, including veterans who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."