Housing insecurity is one of the most common and vexing barriers that parents involved in the family regulation system face. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has an obligation to assist parents in securing permanent housing when doing so could enable reunification of their families, but it is not always easy to access that assistance. The purpose of this Toolkit is to equip Illinois family defense attorneys with knowledge, strategies, and tools to effectively advocate in cases where lack of safe and affordable housing is creating barriers to reunification.
This Toolkit conveys information only and does not constitute legal advice. Although we hope that it will be useful to attorneys practicing anywhere in the state, we acknowledge that it focuses disproportionately on Cook County because that is where we practice and that is where much of the housing-related resources available through DCFS are concentrated. Certain information contained in this Toolkit may have application in other states, but the majority of it is specific to Illinois.
Part of the Legal Professionals library, sponsored by Quilling, Selander, Lownds, Winslett & Moser.
