(110 ILCS 131/1)
(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date)
Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Higher Education Housing and Opportunities Act.
(Source: P.A. 102-83, eff. 8-1-22.)
(110 ILCS 131/5)
(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date)
Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"Institution of higher education" or "institution" means any publicly or privately operated university, college, community college, business, technical, or vocational school, or other educational institution offering degrees and instruction beyond the secondary school level.
"Student experiencing homelessness" or "homeless student" means an individual enrolled in an institution who lacks or is at imminent risk of lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or whose parent or legal guardian is unable or unwilling to provide shelter and care and includes a homeless individual as defined under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. For the purposes of this definition, the term "fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence" does not include residence in an institution of higher education's on-campus housing.
"Student in care" means any person, regardless of age, who is or was under the care and legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, including youth for whom the Department has court-ordered legal responsibility, youth who aged out of care at age 18 or older, or youth formerly under care who have been adopted and were the subject of an adoption assistance agreement or who have been placed in private guardianship and were the subject of a subsidized guardianship agreement.
(Source: P.A. 102-83, eff. 8-1-22.)
(110 ILCS 131/10)
(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date)
Sec. 10. Housing and Opportunities that are Useful for Students' Excellence (HOUSE) liaison.
(a) In an effort to provide assistance to students experiencing homelessness, each institution of higher education shall designate at least one staff member to serve as a liaison to assist homeless students enrolled at the institution. The designated staff member may be employed in the office of financial aid, in campus housing services, or in any other appropriate office or department as determined by the institution.
(b) The liaison designated under subsection (a) shall offer assistance and resources to any homeless student or student in care enrolled at the institution. The liaison shall have all of the following responsibilities:
At his or her discretion, the liaison may provide any additional service he or she reasonably believes is within the purview of the role of liaison.
(c) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall adopt rules, policies, and procedures to implement and administer this Act. Each Board must:
(d) After 3 academic years, if the data submitted to the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board, as appropriate, indicates that the number of students experiencing homelessness or the number of students in care exceeds 2% or more of the student body of the institution, the institution must create a position whose primary function is to carry out the responsibilities of a liaison as described in subsection (b).
(e) Each institution that provides on-campus housing for students enrolled at the institution shall:
(Source: P.A. 102-83, eff. 8-1-22.)
(110 ILCS 131/99)
(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date)
Sec. 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect August 1, 2022.
(Source: P.A. 102-83, eff. 8-1-22.)