Lake County Coalition for the Homeless

10/15/2026

LCCH Partners with Housing Justice Collective to Advance PLEE Work

The Lake County Coalition for the Homeless (LCCH) is excited to announce that we have signed a five-month contract with the Housing Justice Collective (HJC) to support the continued development of our Persons with Lived Experience and Expertise (PLEE) strategy!

Over the next five months, HJC will work alongside LCCH staff, Steering Council members, and PLEE members to strengthen our approach to lived experience engagement and support the development of a standing PLEE Advisory Committee within LCCH’s governance structure.

The work will include assessing our current practices, providing training and technical assistance, and developing recommendations and tools to support the committee’s structure, recruitment, compensation, and ongoing partnership with the CoC.

We are excited to work with HJC on building a more inclusive and sustainable approach to lived experience engagement in Lake County.

If you have questions about this work or are interested in getting involved, please contact Jason Lenzi CEAM Chair at [email protected]

10/06/2026

You're invited to join a special Housing Policy and Advocacy 101 training session on Friday, October 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. via Zoom, hosted by the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless and facilitated by Housing Action Illinois!

08/27/2026

We are hiring! The Lake County CoC (IL-502) is looking for a Property Engagement Specialist to expand housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness in Lake County.

This position will focus on building relationships with landlords and property owners, identifying available units, and helping strengthen housing partnerships across our system.

Learn more and apply here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lakecountyil/jobs/5462616/property-engagement-specialist?sort=PostingDate%7CDescending&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

Please share!

Welcome to the Lake County application process! You can now apply online by clicking on the job title you are interested in and clicking on the "Apply" link! After viewing the position details, click the 'Apply' tab. If this is the first time you are applying using our online job application, you w...

08/10/2026

Join Lake County Coalition for the Homeless in a listening session for youth experiencing homelessness or looking for resources.

Register via QR code

September 14th 4:00- 5:30 Waukegan Public Library Classroom B

07/29/2026

The Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (OPEH), in partnership with LEAP4ward, is pleased to offer a free, six-month Management Community of Practice for managers, directors, and senior leaders working in Illinois' housing, homelessness, and re-entry sectors.

The Management Community of Practice is designed for managers, directors, and senior leaders who supervise staff with lived experience and/or have lived experience themselves. Participants will gain practical leadership skills, professional coaching, peer learning, and strategies for leading teams and supporting staff with lived experience.

The deadline to apply is August 7th, next Friday.
Apply Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyuZHxAwNvkWOTmE1mJs0P4kPPilqiUd0SpYn-mYEPn1IyWQ/viewform?usp=send_form

04/02/2026

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.

03/30/2026

Join us for a 2-hour Empathy & Action Training focused on practical tools for supporting others while taking care of yourself.

The training was developed with input from PLEE Coalition members to keep it grounded in real perspectives.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Hybrid (in-person and virtual)

CEUs available. Scan the QR code to register.

01/23/2026

Update on the 2026 Unsheltered PIT

Each year, Lake County Coalition for the Homeless volunteers spend one night in January counting unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in Lake County. An unsheltered count is required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development every other year, though Lake County has historically done it every year. However, due to recently announced changes in federal funding that have shifted staff attention to ensuring critical continuation of programming, the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless, in partnership with Lake County Community Development, will not conduct the unsheltered portion of the annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count in January 2026. This decision reflects a careful balance between current realities and our commitment to maintaining high-quality data and a stable local homeless response system.

While this unsheltered count will not take place in 2026, the Continuum of Care team and Homeless Management Information System Administrator will still complete all required data collection for people experiencing homelessness who are staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing and permanent housing programs.

We remain confident that the sheltered count and housing inventory data collected will provide valuable information to support planning and informed decision-making across Lake County.

A summary of the 2026 Point-In-Time and Housing Inventory data will be released in spring 2026.

For questions, please contact Malin Gembra, Continuum Care Coordinator, at [email protected].

10/06/2025

We are inviting volunteers to join a taskforce to update the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless Bylaws to include a Persons with Lived Experience or Expertise (PLEE) Advisory Council. We are especially looking for members with lived experience or expertise who can offer valuable insights.

Here’s what participation involves:
• Meet weekly for about an hour
• Work together to review and edit the bylaws
• Goal: Have a draft ready to present to the full board on November 4th

All PLEE members are eligible for compensation for participation. For more information see PLEE Compensation Guidelines.

https://www.lakecountyhomeless.org/lived-experience?mc_cid=53a69e37a3&mc_eid=c6346e2e2e

If you’re interested, please fill out the survey below.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=9WxT3f2S_0KnVOmGZst6ll80umvQcZtIqOmJf-ifz3NUMUxZS0xTTUk1RE9TUUdBRE9SSVdCUlhUSS4u

Your input will help ensure our governance reflects our commitment to supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

08/29/2025

This past week, providers from across Lake County gathered for our annual Lake County Coalition for the Homeless Picnic. More than just a time of fellowship, this event helps strengthen partnerships, foster collaboration, and build lasting relationships among providers.

By working together, we can better coordinate services and respond to the needs of our unhoused neighbors with compassion and efficiency.

We are deeply grateful to all providers, partners, and community members for their continued dedication to ending homelessness in Lake County.