HB-1429: Why Restore Gompers Park Coalition Opposes This Bill
The Restore Gompers Park Coalition strongly opposes Illinois House Bill 1429 because it removes critical local authority, undermines public safety, and ignores the real-world challenges facing communities like ours.
HB-1429 would prohibit local governments across Illinois from enforcing existing ordinances which govern public spaces, parks and forest preserves and certain activities tied to unsheltered homelessness in these spaces. The bill significantly limits the ability of municipalities, park districts, and law enforcement to manage public spaces responsibly, for both the safety of the unhoused and surrounding communities.
What the Chicago Tribune Editorial Got Right
On April 15, 2026, the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board opposed HB-1429, raising serious concerns about the bill’s unintended consequences. The editorial acknowledged the humanity of those experiencing homelessness, noting that “homelessness is punishing in itself,” but warned that simply removing enforcement tools is not a solution. Chicago Tribune_4.15.26
The Tribune’s core argument aligns with what communities like ours are experiencing firsthand:
• Compassion must be paired with accountability and structure
• Public spaces must remain safe and accessible for everyone
• Policy should focus on real solutions—not just removing consequences
The editorial emphasized that without adequate shelter, services, and housing, policies like HB-1429 risk shifting the burden onto neighborhoods and public spaces rather than solving homelessness itself.
Why HB-1429 Is the Wrong Approach
1. It strips local control
HB-1429 overrides the ability of local governments to respond to conditions on the ground. Communities differ, and one-size-fits-all mandates from Springfield ignore the realities faced by neighborhoods, park systems, and public safety officials. Chicago’s “home rule” authority is explicitly granted under Article VII, Section 6 of the Illinois Constitution. This bill would undermine that constitutional authority and restrict the ability of local governments to manage their own public spaces.
2. It limits basic enforcement tools
By restricting enforcement of certain ordinances, the bill removes options to address unsafe or unsanitary conditions, even when they impact children, families, and seniors using public spaces.
3. It shifts the burden to neighborhoods
Instead of investing in long-term housing, treatment, and coordinated services, HB-1429 effectively transfers the responsibility of managing encampments to local residents and park users.
4. It uses vague and overly broad language
The bill defines “life-sustaining activities” as including, but “not limited to,” actions such as sleeping, eating, and sheltering oneself. This open-ended language creates significant ambiguity and could be interpreted to include activities currently prohibited in parks, such as the use of open flames or propane tanks.
At Gompers Park alone, propane and open flames contributed to more than 25 fires, with similar incidents causing serious damage at Legion and Eugene Field Parks. The lack of clear boundaries raises real public safety concerns.
A Better Path Forward
Restore Gompers Park Coalition believes in compassionate, effective solutions that balance dignity with public safety. We have been campaigning for tiny home villages on vacant tracts of government owned land similar to “The Bridge” tiny home village being successfully executed now in Bloomington, IL - NPR_The Bridge. We have partnered with a Chicago engineering firm that has developed SRO plans for fully contained units which provide bathroom, kitchen and sleeping quarters. These plans have been shared with the Mayor’s office, Chicago Parks CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and heads of DFSS and former Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto. We will continue to champion this dignified, safe and humane approach to interim affordable housing where mental health and addiction counseling and case worker support can be offered in one location.
We agree with the Tribune’s underlying message: Illinois must address homelessness with real solutions, not policies that tie the hands of local communities while failing to solve the root problem.
We urge lawmakers to reject this bill and instead work collaboratively with local communities to develop policies that are both compassionate and effective. We urge all Illinoisians to contact their State Representative and ask them to VOTE NO on HB-1429. You can find your State Representative via: https://www.ilga.gov/members/FindMyLegislator