Senator Asks for Home for Good Vote in Veto Session

Illinois Sen. Adriane Johnson wants House Bill 624 considered when lawmakers return for the fall veto session.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Criminal Justice

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a brass key resting on a stack of cream blocks, one stepped into a house silhouette, against a deep teal field. — Illinois Sen. Adriane Johnson has asked that House Bill 624, a Home for Good reentry housing bill with up to $35 million in initial funding, be considered in the Nov. 17-19 veto session. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should Illinois spend state money on housing for people leaving prison?

Illinois state Sen. Adriane Johnson has asked that Home for Good legislation be considered during the fall veto session, which is scheduled for Nov. 17-19. House Bill 624 would take an initial amount of up to $35 million from the state budget for reentry services, civil legal aid and economic development.

Why it matters

The bill targets housing for the roughly 15,000 people who exit Illinois prisons each year, most of whom cannot find stable housing. Supporters argue that stable housing lets people work and earn wages, which would grow the state sales tax base and reduce recidivism costs.

The bill is awaiting consideration, with no vote scheduled in the source material, and the veto session is set for Nov. 17-19. Recidivism costs taxpayers roughly $1.1 billion annually, but the projected savings from House Bill 624 have not yet been measured.

The players

Adriane Johnson

Illinois state senator representing the Buffalo Grove area, who has asked that Home for Good legislation be considered during the fall veto session.

Illinois Sentencing Policy Council

State body that produces Illinois sentencing and recidivism research, including the inflation-adjusted cost estimate of nearly $200,000 per recidivism event.

Illinois Department of Human Services

State agency that filed a witness slip in opposition to House Bill 624 last spring.

Illinois Housing Development Authority

State housing agency that filed a witness slip in opposition to House Bill 624 last spring.

The details

House Bill 624 would create the Home for Good Institute to train and assist community-based organizations interested in developing and operating reentry housing. Last spring, the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Housing Development Authority filed witness slips opposing the bill.

Last spring: The Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Housing Development Authority filed opposing witness slips.
Nov. 17-19: Fall veto session, when Sen. Johnson has asked that the legislation be considered.
Dec. 1-3: Additional scheduled session dates for the fall veto session.

Legal Context

House Bill 624 would direct up to $35 million toward reentry services, civil legal aid and economic development, an approach that treats stable housing as a corrections-cost measure. The proposal would be weighed against the more than $2 billion Illinois already spends each year on its Department of Corrections.

If passed, the bill would fund new reentry housing units and training for community organizations that serve people leaving Illinois prisons. Residents would see the effect through changes in how the state spends its budget and in the availability of housing programs for people returning to their communities.

The takeaway

Stable housing is presented as a way to reduce the roughly $1.1 billion in annual recidivism costs borne by taxpayers, though the savings remain a projection that the veto session debate will test.

What happens next

Lawmakers return for the fall veto session on Nov. 17-19, and Sen. Johnson has asked that Home for Good legislation be considered during that session.