Eliminating homelessness in Lake County through the provision of leadership in the areas of assessment, advocacy, and community education
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Letters of Interest for IDHS Funding
Background
The Lake County Coalition for the Homeless (LCCH) is charged with allocating funds for the State of Illinois’ Department of Human Service (IDHS) for the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program. Agencies that provide emergency shelter, homeless prevention, rapid re-housing, or HMIS services are eligible to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI).
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
While the actual funding amount is unknown, LCCH will be moving forward with last year’s allocation of $210,237. Requests for funds must be a minimum of $25,000. No more than 60% of the total funds will be allocated for emergency shelter programs. The remaining funds, excluding admin, may be used for rapid re-housing, Street Outreach, or HMIS.
These amounts may change based on actual numbers from the State when published. The agency must provide a dollar match with non-federal sources for each dollar allocated.
This is the first year that the State will be running a 3-year grant cycle in an effort to reduce administrative burden on the CoC and Providers.
Letters of Interest are due to Malin Gembra mgembra@lakecountyil.gov by 5:00pm Friday April 3, 2026.
FY2026 HOME Illinois Funding
The Funding Work Group reviewed the SPSP recommendations and program utilization data from the prior year and approved the funding recommendations to continue supporting critical shelter diversion, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing services. Funding amounts remain consistent with the previous year. You can few the FY2026 HOME Illinois Funding recommendations here.
IDHS Homeless Prevention Funding
The Funding Work Group reviewed the Letters of Intent (LOIs) and made funding recommendations based on factors such as prior year spending, project reach, and additional criteria. You can take a look at the FY2026 funding recommendations here.
2025 Homeless Data
The Lake County Coalition for the Homeless has compiled local data to better understand and address homelessness in our community. Drawing from multiple sources—including the Point-in-Time Count, System Performance Measures, and the Annual Assessment of Coordinated Entry—this data provides valuable insight into the challenges faced by individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
These findings guide our efforts to develop lasting solutions and ensure that homelessness in Lake County becomes rare, brief, and nonrecurring.
Learn more from the 2025 Homeless Data Summary (pdf).