“You know the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away …”

Sometimes it’s OK to lean hard into the cliché, hence opening today with a Paul Simon lyric that Gov. JB Pritzker ought to have ringing in his ears while reading damning new statistics about the pervasiveness of homelessness in Illinois.

Not that a governor is explicitly responsible for every resident having a roof over their head, but as has been detailed a few times here, Pritzker put this issue on himself almost three years ago with a bold, public prediction to reduce Illinois homelessness to “functional zero.”

“For those who don’t know and who may be listening,” Pritzker said at a July 2023 bill signing, “it’s a measurable metric of success that reduces homelessness to something that’s brief and rare and nonrecurring.”

The metric is measurable, but there’s no success to be found. According to a Monday Capitol News Illinois report, the Department of Public Health now estimates 10,000 people experienced “literal homelessness,” while between 108,000 and 233,000 live in unstable arrangements.

At the signing, state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, the Chicago Democrat who served as lead sponsor of House Bill 2831, estimated 4,500 people in Illinois are without a home each evening. The wait time for housing services is an average of 802 days. In fiscal 2022, emergency shelters turned away 9,800 people.

The new report is in line with trends. Between those data points was an October 2024 Department of Human Services task force report showing rates increasing, unsurprisingly given funding for housing program services in recent budgets.

For fiscal 2026, Pritzker suggested spending $7.6 million less on housing programs. Lawmakers actually cut $14.6 million, landing at $253.7 million. For 2027, Pritzker suggested the Home For Illinois program get no additional money, which means even if the General Assembly agrees, the state still won’t be able to deliver services at the same level.

Again, Pritzker isn’t responsible for people lacking shelter, and it’s fair to note this hasn’t exactly been a boon period for funding stability from the federal government, especially with regard to social services. But he chose to lay down the marker, and things have only gotten worse.

Would commentators have anything to say if Pritzker never aimed for “functional zero”? As a percentage of the overall state population, Illinois’ homelessness rate is the worst in the Midwest but far lower than in many other states. There are loads of other concerns demanding state attention and resources, including those affecting vulnerable populations such as people with developmental disabilities, the incarcerated and minors entangled in the child care services system.

It takes money to solve those problems. Fewer resources mean tougher priority choices. Homelessness numbers are likely to worsen.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.