By a 12-0 vote, the Kankakee City Council turned down a conditional use permit request by Fortitude Community Outreach to operate a homeless shelter.

The Kankakee City Council denied a conditional use permit request by Fortitude Community Outreach to operate a homeless shelter on East Court Street by a 12-0 vote on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025.

Fox News Channel host Brian Kilmeade apologized on Sunday for advocating for the execution of mentally ill homeless people in a discussion on the network last week, saying his remark was “extremely callous.”

Trinity Services began in 1950 when a group of parents started a school for their children, who had developmental disabilities and no options for education. By 2017, Trinity Services had become a statewide organization with 1,200 employees and a $56 million budget.

The Plano Library is holding an going drive to collect items to assist homeless individuals now through Dec. 15.

The Yorkville mayor said he'd like to form a community group to discuss providing access to social services for the community's homeless and possibly amending the recently adopted ordinance.

A move to have a permit for Fortitude Community Outreach to operate an overnight homeless shelter voted upon Tuesday failed to reach the floor and the matter will head to the Kankakee City Council on Sept. 15 for its vote.

MorningStar Mission serves all of Will County by providing food, housing, recovery, counseling and guidance with many programs for individuals. 

Yorkville city officials confirmed they are considering amending their recently approved ordinance to fine and possibly imprison the city’s homeless if they repeatedly refuse social services.

Fortitude Community Outreach gained its needed initial approval, however, its next step will be an OK from the Kankakee City Council in September.

Through a thunderstorm and unforgiving heat, organizers against Yorkville’s recently adopted ordinance fining and possibly jailing the city’s homeless, are making waves. Their campsite outside City Hall protests what the ordinance labels a “public camping” nuisance.

A Kankakee Planning Board hearing on Tuesday could play a significant role in determining the future of Fortitude Community Outreach's homelessness services in Kankakee.

Yorkville adopted an ordinance this week to fine and possibly jail the homeless persons and one resident is speaking out, saying the community needs "a humane and ethical way' to resolve issues.

CG Granite Countertops will host a special open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 16 featuring a pop-up showcase of fall fashions by Cabi.

DuPagePads will hold the 23rd annual Rock & Bowl to End Homelessness event from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 27 at Fox Bowl, 1101 Butterfield Road in Wheaton.

Culver’s restaurants in Dixon and Rock Falls partnered with TwinCities and PADS homeless shelters during the month of June, donating over $1,500 from a share day event and shelter-requested items given by the community.

The TALK-LINE interview for July 16 featured Shaw Local News representatives Charlene Bielema and Brandon Clark discussing local happenings, including the homeless situation in Sterling.

Myles Newberry speaks about the current conditions Tuesday, July 15, 2025, for homeless shelter needs in the area.

Seven months after Sterling approved a controversial public camping ordinance to address increasing complaints of homeless individuals breaking the law or harassing people, only a handful of citations have been issued and the broader issues surrounding homelessness remain.

The number of homeless people in Illinois is rising, but the state’s spending on homeless prevention and other housing programs is headed in the other direction

The downtown Kankakee Salvation Army is overwhelmed by a cash shortage and is having greater troubles serving those in need.

The Interagency Task Force on Homelessness is a statewide initiative housed within the Illinois Department of Human Services. Its mission is to lead and coordinate efforts to reduce homelessness and unnecessary institutionalization.

People in the community can bring their itemized or monetary donations to either Culver’s of Dixon to support PADS Homeless Shelter or Culver’s of Rock Falls to support TwinCities Homeless Shelter.

Illinois Valley Public Action to Deliver Shelter temporarily move its Ottawa operations to the former YMCA building on Jackson Street while construction begins on a new shelter facility.

The results are in from the most recent annual assessment of unhoused individuals in Lake County.

MorningStar Mission in Joliet launches Sponsor-A-Bed program in which a donation of $37.37 supports one night for a client.

A federal program is working behind the scenes to ensure students experiencing homelessness, including those in the Sauk Valley, do not fall between the cracks.

A longtime advocate for people experiencing homelessness and a mother of seven who broke the cycle of homelessness recently shared tips and resources to moms at Daybreak Center in Joliet.

Sandra Moore of Joliet, owner of Candy Kouture, also designs clothing to meet her customers's vision and styles.

Brightening midwinter will be concerts spanning diverse styles, along with a Market Craft Fair and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra appearing in the western suburbs.

MorningStar Mission in Joliet is holding a mother/daughter breakfast fundraiser at the Jacob Henry Mansion’s Victorian Ballroom in March, Tickets now available.

Sarah Oprzedek, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Will County, said "news of the federal funding freeze caught many organizations by surprise."

The annual Soup and Bread Event, which raises money for BEDS Plus organization, will be held Feb. 2 in Countryside

The 17th MLK Day of Service in Joliet attracted 700 volunteers performing 2,100 service hours in 30 different projects.

DuPage County and the DuPage Foundation will direct nearly $400,000 to DuPagePads to help the Wheaton-based nonprofit shelter those experiencing homelessness through the winter.

With homelessness increasing in Illinois, a coalition of shelter providers and advocates is calling for a $100 million increase in state funding to prevent homelessness and provide shelter to people without homes

Local officials are celebrating the acquisition of a commercial building that will be transformed into a permanent shelter to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness or a housing crisis in Lake County.

Will County agencies collaborate to meet increasing needs of many Joliet area residents facing challenges in gaining permanent housing.

The Twin Cities Homeless Shelter, known as PADS, in Sterling is asking the community for help following passage of a city ordinance banning public camping.

Public camping is now banned in Sterling as city officials try to address issues that have arose with Sterling’s growing homeless population.

Dixon’s City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to ban sleeping and camping in public spaces on Monday in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that now allows cities to do so.

Marking 20 years of service, Grundy Area PADS has provided emergency shelter as well as a separate program to rehouse people in apartments, but the agency’s availability of assistance faces a crisis of its own.

As winter approaches, Sterling Public Library staff members are expecting an increase in calls they will have to make to local law enforcement.

As one might expect, the unhoused population face a much harsher life compared to the housed; from 2017 to 2022, the average age of death in Illinois was almost 18 years earlier among people experiencing homelessness

Hope Manor Joliet has been providing housing and access to services for veterans experiencing homelessness in Will County since 2017.

Several Downers Grove organizations have joined forces this week to help those in need in an effort to combat hate through compassion and unity.

City Council starting discussions about if it should pursue creating an ordinance, and where to direct the homeless population.

City of Joliet grapples with homeless issues at Larkin Avenue site until Chick-fil-a arrives.

Tickets are now available for MorningStar Mission’s Culinary Caravan Progressive Dinner on Aug. 7, a fundraiser that benefits the Joliet mission’s work in Will County.

For every 10 locally made mattresses sold, Verlo Mattress of St. Charles will donate one to a guest of Lazarus House through a voucher.