.jpg)
State of Illinois Honors Leaders Advancing Housing Access and Justice Across Illinois
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
CHICAGO — The State of Illinois today recognized and celebrated the exceptional leadership of seven people and organizations leading work across Illinois to prevent and end homelessness through the Home Illinois Summit Recognition of Service awards.
The third annual Home Illinois Summit, held in Rosemont, IL, brought together people with lived expertise, service providers, philanthropic and advocacy partners, elected officials, and government staff working to end homelessness across the state and to advance best practices in homeless services and housing. The two-day gathering also celebrated the collective progress under Home Illinois — the State’s comprehensive interagency plan to prevent and end homelessness led by the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The plan leverages both established and innovative strategies to prevent shelter entry and reduce homelessness to a rare, brief, and one-time experience.
This year’s awardees have shown exceptional service and contributions to preventing and ending homelessness across Illinois and caring for people experiencing homelessness. Their work and commitment exemplify the spirit and goals of Home Illinois.
“These honorees represent the powerful and necessary collaboration that is fueling real change across our state,” said Chief Homelessness Officer Christine Haley of the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. “Through compassion, commitment to best practices, innovation, and leadership, they are helping ensure every Illinoisan has a place to call home. The State is deeply grateful for each of their remarkable service.”
The 2025 Home Illinois Summit Recognition of Service awardees:
- State Senator Adriane Johnson – Senator Johnson serves Illinois’ 30th District. In the 103rd Illinois General Assembly, Sen. Johnson championed the legislation that codified the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, the State Homelessness Chief role, the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness, and the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness. As the primary Senate sponsor of HB2831, Senator Johnson’s passion and support for Home Illinois have been vital to Illinois’ advancement of an interagency strategy to prevent and end homelessness and advance housing justice statewide. Without that commitment, the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness would not be here to implement a strategic plan aimed at decreasing homelessness, improving health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, and strengthening safety nets that contribute to housing stability. Sen. Johnson is an active member of the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness, where she brings her perspective as an elected representative and champion for equity to advance housing justice across Illinois.
- Liam Wheeler – Liam Wheeler is the Continuum of Care (CoC) Coordinator leading the Central Illinois Continuum of Care at The Center for Human Services. Liam leads the Central Illinois CoC, which covers a 11-county area including Blooming/Normal, with compassion and empathy, truly centering the needs of people experiencing homelessness. Continuums of Care are federally-mandated regional planning bodies which lead homeless service systems in local communities. Liam leads the Central Illinois CoC through a complex organization transition, going above and beyond to ensure a smooth transition. He has advanced best practices in his community including advancing CoC policy and governance structure, supporting the development of new programs, and promotion of best practices including trauma-informed care, housing-focused street outreach, and low barrier approaches. A person with lived expertise, Liam has dedicated his life to helping others overcome trauma and thrive, turning pain into purpose through advocacy and peer leadership.
- Yost Management Services and Illinois Affordable Housing, NFP – Based in Charleston, IL, Yost Management is a leader in affordable housing development and property management. With a proven track record in building and maintaining inclusive communities, Yost brings innovation, experience, and a deep commitment to creating housing stability for underserved populations. Yost’s development arm, Illinois Affordable Housing, NFP has developed 485 units across 10 properties using both the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program and the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s (IHDA) Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Development Program funding serving central Illinois. Most recently, Illinois Affordable Housing, NFP was the sponsor for The Commons of Mattoon, a 25-unit permanent supportive housing development in Mattoon, IL. The project was conceived through the Supportive Housing Institute led by the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and funded by IHDA’s 2023 PSH funding round. The community is now providing stable, affordable housing to 25 households who previously experienced homelessness.
- Trilogy – For over 50 years, Trilogy has empowered individuals across Chicago recovering from mental illness by providing holistic, person-centered care. The organization delivers comprehensive mental health services that help people live independently and thrive. Trilogy envisions a society where mental health recovery is met with compassion, support, and dignity — regardless of socioeconomic status. This award is given in recognition of Trilogy's work as the supportive services provider of the Pathways program, an intensive permanent supportive housing program within the Leland building in Uptown, Chicago. Established by Heartland Alliance in 1997, the groundbreaking program provides low-barrier housing for individuals with complex behavioral and co-occurring health needs and demonstrates unequivocally that housing is healthcare. When a new service provider was needed, Trilogy assumed management of the federal and state grants associated with the supported housing units at the Leland and stepped in as a service provider, ensuring a smooth transition of services for the residents who call Leland home.
- Heartland HOUSED – Serving Springfield and Sangamon County, Heartland HOUSED is the lead agency and backbone organization for the Heartland Continuum of Care. It develops strategy, supports implementation, and facilitates cross-sector collaboration to end homelessness at the local level. Their equity-focused approach ensures the region’s most vulnerable are prioritized in planning and service delivery. Through their participation in the Illinois Data Quality Cohort, Heartland HOUSED made substantial improvements to create a data system that accurately reflects people experiencing homelessness in real-time, allowing for improved service delivery across the local Continuum. Heartland HOUSED was recently certified from Community Solutions, the cohort facilitator, as having quality data, becoming the first Continuum from the cohort to achieve this milestone. This is a true innovation for the community and they have shared and trained other CoCs in Illinois, demonstrating their generosity and leadership. Additionally, through their participation in the 100-Day Challenge on Veteran Homelessness, Heartland has improved coordination with veteran providers, established a landlord risk mitigation fund for veterans and is making progress toward ending veteran homelessness in their community
- City of Elgin – The City of Elgin has taken a proactive, compassionate approach to serving residents experiencing homelessness, expanding affordable housing options and enhancing support services. The City continues to pursue sustainable solutions through community engagement, funding partnerships, and systemic change. Following a series of fires at an encampment, Elgin mobilized a rapid, compassionate response that prioritized the safety, dignity, and choice of some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. With support from the State’s Unsheltered Pilot Program, the City and Association for Individual Development (AID) were able to provide low-barrier, temporary, hotel-based housing alongside trauma-informed care. This was not just about moving people from tents to shelter—it was about restoring safety, stability, and hope. Elgin’s intensified outreach also resulted in stronger connections to the Coordinated Entry System and the Statewide Referral Network, and hiring a City staff member focused on leading Elgin’s work to support people experiencing homelessness.
- Willette Benford – A leading voice in criminal legal reform and reentry justice, and in uplifting the critical importance of housing in reentry, Willette Benford serves as Senior Advisor to First Lady MK Pritzker. Her accomplishments are many: in March 2025, Willette launched the Women’s Dignity of Choice pilot that provides housing support, workforce training, childcare, and wrap-around support for women with children impacted by incarceration. She was previously the City of Chicago’s first Director of Reentry and led Live Free Illinois’ de-carceration efforts. As Chicago’s Director of Reentry in 2022, she launched the SPRINGFORWARD Pilot that provided Housing and Workforce training for 400 individuals impacted by incarceration. Willette was also instrumental in advocating for the passage of Cook County’s Just Housing Ordinance, that made it illegal to deny justice involved individuals housing based on prior convictions alone. A Soros Justice Fellow, Willette founded the Cost of Dignity Project to elevate the voices of Black women impacted by incarceration. Willette’s life and leadership are testaments to resilience, faith, and transformative advocacy.
The Home Illinois Summit 2025 affirms the State’s commitment to ending homelessness through equity-driven, data-informed solutions that center people. With continued statewide collaboration and leadership, Illinois is advancing housing access and housing justice.
For more information about the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness or the 2025 Summit, please visit endhomelessness.illinois.gov.
###
