Over 1,700 homeless in Kane County in 2024, new report says

In total, 1,718 people in Kane County experienced homelessness in 2024 – seniors, people with disabilities, families affected by domestic violence and children, according to a new report.

The Kane County Continuum of Care 2025 Homelessness Report and Needs Analysis offers a comprehensive look at homelessness in the county and identifies key gaps and priorities for improving housing stability and health outcomes. The study covers the county’s fiscal year from Dec. 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2024.

The bottom line: Kane County has an urgent need for low-cost housing. The county has one of the highest housing costs in the state, according to the report, making it difficult for low-income people to overcome and avoid homelessness.

“While the general vacancy rate for rental units in Kane County is around 5%, the vacancy rate on affordable units is around 1%,” the report states.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition identifies Kane County as the second most expensive county for housing in Illinois.

“This report reinforces that where we live affects how well we live,” Michael Isaacson, executive director of the Kane County Health Department, said in a news release.

“By integrating housing efforts within the Health Department, we are aligning services that address both the immediate needs of individuals experiencing homelessness and the broader systemic factors that impact health and well-being,” Isaacson said in the release.

Key findings:

• More than 300 households sought emergency housing after fleeing domestic violence.
• An average of 367 people stayed in emergency shelters each night.
• 351 children from birth to age 17 were housed in emergency shelters or transitional housing during the data collection period.
• 657 reported one or more disabilities including mental health, substance abuse, chronic health conditions, physical and developmental.
• Of 1,073 people who moved out of shelters to permanent housing, 229 did so with a housing subsidy, 86 went into a rental unit with no subsidy, 58 went to stay or live with friends or relatives, nine moved into a home they owned.

Both Lived Experience Focus Groups and homeless service providers identified affordable housing, mental health services and transportation as critical needs, according to the report.

The Kane County Continuum of Care is a network of nearly 30 local agencies collaborating to prevent and end homelessness.

It acts as a pass-through for about $6 million of state and federal funds each year and supports a variety of housing and services for homeless individuals and families including rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, street outreach, emergency shelter services and shelter diversion.

The report is part of a federally mandated process to assess the scope, causes and trends of homelessness in the county and is an important tool for the Continuum of Care’s strategic planning, funding allocation and program development.

The full report is available online at kanehealth.com.