One way to reduce the number of homeless people in Lake County is to keep them in their homes when they are put in a situation where they must choose between paying rent or the mortgage and another life necessity.

Liz Werning, the interim director of housing counseling programs for the Lake County Housing Authority, said once a person is forced out of their residence through eviction or foreclosure, their problems can mount exponentially.

“Once they have to pack up and move out of their home, there are so many more things they have to deal with,” Werning said. “There may or may not be children in school. They have to explain it on a rental application.”

“We’re trying to help households on the verge of homelessness stay in their homes,” added Eric Foote, PADS’ director of finance and operations. “A lot of people have to make difficult choices.”

Waukegan Township Supervisor Marc Jones said there are several reasons an individual can fall behind on rent or their mortgage due to circumstances beyond their control, leaving them with excruciating choices. His office deals regularly with people in emergency situations.

“In my experience there is a wide array of potential hardships, from a dissolution of marriage, to unemployment, to unforeseen medical or health expenses,” Jones said.

Waukegan Township, the Lake County Housing Authority, and PADS Lake County are currently working in partnership with the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless to help people stay in their homes rather than join the ranks of the unhoused.

All three organizations are working on a $1.32 million grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services funneled through Lake County to provide help countywide to anyone not more than three months behind on their rent or mortgage or in need of help to make a security deposit.

Foote said applications will be processed until the funds are exhausted. Anyone who received help with housing payments in the past two years is not eligible. In a rental situation, Werning said the landlord must agree to participate.

All three organizations are processing applications — the program continues until the funds are exhausted — but Jones said only Waukegan Township is assisting those behind on a mortgage or utilities.

Werning said the hardship cannot be of the tenant’s or homeowner’s making. Jones said if the individual is unemployed, they must make an effort to find work. Along with bringing the mortgage or rent current, the assistance can cover the next two months.

“They have to identify how the hardship (came to be), and how you will have the income to allow you to be sustainable,” Jones said. “We can do a soft handoff to Lake County Workforce Development,” he added, as a way to help the individual find work.

Between the time the program started on July 16 and Friday, Jones said the township received 126 applications for assistance from around Lake County. Municipalities include Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion. Beach Park, Gurnee, Mundelein, Lake Bluff and Antioch.

“These numbers are staggering, but they also reflect the importance of this valuable initiative,” Jones said.

Mortgage and rent assistance from the state began in earnest with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. People started having issues with rent and mortgage payments then, and programs through the state have continued.

“It’s done nothing but go up since COVID,” Foote said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/29/waukegan-township-homelessness/