[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6200138,"mediaKeyId","3818719-acba919600a8efc137566f03c0bb3ce7","parentId",3818719,"title","Residents urge McLean County Board to investigate ICE activity outside courthouses and reaffirm Illinois Trust Act protections","audioSeconds",316,"startMs",877000,"endMs",1193000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3818719-acba919600a8efc137566f03c0bb3ce7&start=877&end=1193","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3818719-acba919600a8efc137566f03c0bb3ce7/thumbnail_877000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6200138/McLean-County/Illinois/Residents-urge-McLean-County-Board-to-investigate-ICE-activity-outside-courthouses-and-reaffirm-Illinois-Trust-Act-protections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200138-40dd22e10900859c9d9290861e3efac7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773453149&Signature=KZcU6Jwj4ov45Oi1SHfZFzlVWhg8t5hrDClj4YkLQnAL1h37UMY9lLHn2DyPjEY52mz0FS8uT0cEZWxFxYV2kV1HC30edj9lYlFQgZ~J5Ocvg8KLHlmDFiDM25H17dUuRbUPNlU73njKuoXf9AUyiWcCaYymDbCejgaW40S6YLX3aS64k~hQbCtTpHUmS4Yrmo1GMLbKYaop-JoDIg7Set8P2~COGXTvNz8sEsnJqb4UDqcqnPDpdEaZrnToNQ20Z3Tk3p7JNkbdmPdgi9eiXADR2jVxEj0vZ0jpI7orYN2eOjj49eZ9RqA~E8iPEOty58lS~JHyZdgDHCllc4IXkw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","McLean County, IL","date","2025-06-13T11:59:37Z","article","A series of public commenters at the McLean County Board meeting pressed elected officials to investigate and restrict Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity near local courthouses, saying the presence of agents is deterring community members from accessing courts and services.

Community members and university students urged the board to ask the sheriff's office and the Justice Committee to review interagency collaborations with ICE, to release records of jail holds and Form I‑247 detainers, and to reaffirm compliance with the Illinois Trust Act.

\"This presence directly threatens the accessibility of the immigrant community to due process,\" said Giselle Ortiz, a McLean County resident and volunteer with the Immigration Project, citing national reports that ICE activity at courthouses deters court attendance.

Several commenters referenced the Illinois Trust Act. Juliet Lind, speaking for Illinois State University’s CAUSA group, quoted the statute and asked the board to \"reaffirm support for the Illinois Trust Act, which states that, 'unless presented with a criminal arrest warrant or otherwise required by federal law, a law enforcement agency or official may not participate, support, or assist in any capacity with an immigration agent's enforcement operations, including any collateral assistance such as coordinating arrest in a courthouse or other public facility.'\" Lind urged the board to request the sheriff's office produce documentation of any collaboration with ICE and to audit all current and past jail holds and detainers.

Speakers described community fear following visible ICE activity outside courts. Araya Matich and others said families have been terrified to leave home or attend school; several urged the board to prioritize funding for local health, education and family support services rather than enforcement. Student speakers described children staying home from school and families avoiding court appearances out of fear of detention.

What the board did and did not do
The public comment segment of the meeting generated repeated requests for an audit and for an explicit affirmation of the county’s adherence to the Illinois Trust Act. The transcript records no motion or formal board action in response to those requests during the meeting; requests were framed as appeals to the sheriff's office, the Justice Committee and to the full board to initiate reviews or audits.

Ending
Speakers concluded by asking the county board to use its oversight authority to request records and to publicly confirm that local law‑enforcement cooperation with ICE will be limited to what state law requires. The meeting record shows no formal directive or vote on that request during this session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","County Board 6/12/25","oneSentenceSummary","Multiple residents and students urged the county board to seek documentation of sheriff's office cooperation with ICE, to audit I‑247 detainers, and to reaffirm protections in the Illinois Trust Act to preserve access to courts for immigrant residents.","taxTitle","McLean County, Illinois","taxId",2553,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6200143,"McLean County approves Home Sweet Home Ministries non‑congregate shelter after debate over costs and long‑term funding",1721,2018000,3739000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3818719-acba919600a8efc137566f03c0bb3ce7&start=2018&end=3739","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3818719-acba919600a8efc137566f03c0bb3ce7/thumbnail_2018000.jpg","/articles/6200143/McLean-County/Illinois/McLean-County-approves-Home-Sweet-Home-Ministries-noncongregate-shelter-after-debate-over-costs-and-longterm-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200143-e42938166ad0e138b650cc45dbbbbe6b/orig.mp4?Expires=1773453149&Signature=lISpvR8NB8OrzvAsKepmPcVSnAriaAyWGIcjHFMNBO-7s~6eJ1IQ8yvrRJWfTUzg2WGPSUCJinQdLlrVs0ApMOegWwgFSXN5XfoP1nx9RL~hHayISO~g4sQpDxtxRbT2EGGHHOIzgbIQlyj7249E1qMW9tpItTR6NVpyUiELMgW2~yGUUG2WMforB96~jQOFJ8Atex8bmyXVVQP-wYwSiC~BfQSMtW1nbadJdD8deY7t-tDlwWIVvdrxU74M3EdcCLRemEiNb1rod2AlTXKtzog8nHMmhrrYjHiYL5rDXFag6iy8fqvB9iyDaofjSwx7NnErC~7uvZbQN0Vl2V8d9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The McLean County Board on a roll‑call vote approved an award of a request for proposals to Home Sweet Home Ministries to build a non‑congregate shelter village intended to house up to 56 people at a time.

The vote came after extended discussion about construction costs, how ongoing operating expenses would be funded and program design features such as centralized bathrooms and services to move people into permanent housing.

The award authorizes Home Sweet Home Ministries to develop a cluster of private sleeping units the organization says will provide temporary housing and wraparound services. \"The capacity for the shelter village at any given time is 56 individuals,\" Home Sweet Home representative Matt Burgess told the board, adding the facility is expected to serve “far more than 50 individuals over the course of a year's time” as residents move through the program.

Why it matters: County officials and service providers said the non‑congregate model serves people who have not been able to stabilize in traditional congregate shelters because of trauma, behavioral‑health or substance‑use issues. Supporters said the project is a more cost‑efficient, flexible response than constructing a single large shelter building; critics questioned whether the construction budget and the proposed operating funding plan are adequate.

Supporters and design details
Home Sweet Home officials told the board the proposal is intended to reduce unsheltered homelessness by offering private sleeping units, on‑site behavioral‑health services and case management aimed at moving residents into permanent housing. Burgess said the organization's existing congregate shelter serves \"2 to 300 people every year\" and that non‑congregate space can better serve people who struggle in shared settings.

Burgess described the project as fiscally efficient compared with building one large shelter and said the units would use a centralized bathhouse rather than plumbing each sleeping unit. \"It would cost considerably more to run plumbing to every unit,\" Burgess said. He also said he had \"made progress in securing approximately $200,000 in operational funding\" and described plans to blend local, state, federal and private dollars to meet an estimated annual operating cost the proposal lists at roughly $690,000.

Board concerns and conditions
Several board members pushed back on elements of the plan. Member Adam Reeves questioned the construction budget and whether basic fixtures could have been included, asking, \"For $2,500,000 can't we get plumbing?\" Burgess and others responded that adding individual plumbing would substantially increase construction costs and that centralized facilities are commonly used in similar projects.

Member Ziebarth asked how confident the sponsor was in securing ongoing operating funds beyond the initial local contribution; Burgess said he had secured about $200,000 and expressed a \"high degree of confidence\" in continuing to assemble a funding mix but acknowledged the need to blend multiple sources and that, without full funding, the program could be limited to seasonal operation.

Questions about demand and prioritization
Board members also asked about potential demand from outside the county and how residents would be prioritized. Burgess said the provider's outreach and intake work finds roughly 75% of unsheltered people in the community have lived in the county for a year or more; he added the program will prioritize people by vulnerability, including a focus on veterans.

Other operational details discussed included turnover expectations — Burgess said typical turnover in their existing shelter is about two to three months, and that turnover for this population may be longer — occupancy targets (the provider said it would aim for high utilization, citing a goal near 90 percent after a startup period), and a residential partnership agreement that focuses on safety, service engagement and restrictions such as refraining from panhandling within a one‑mile radius of the site.

Formal action
The board motion to award the RFP to Home Sweet Home Ministries was made and seconded during the meeting. The roll‑call record in the transcript shows recorded votes for a subset of members: Mark Klaus (nay); Leah Klein (aye); Alex Duffy (aye); Sean Fagan (aye); Buck Farley (aye); William John Frederick (nay); Eric Hansen (aye); Val Lehman (aye); Adam Reeves (nay); Jim Rogau (yes); Natalie Roseman Mendoza (yes); Jeff Tompkins (yes); Crystal Abel (yes); Beverly Bell (yes). The clerk announced \"the ayes have it\" and the motion passed.

Next steps and funding source
Board members confirmed the capital request and initial local contribution come from shared sales tax funds administered through the local behavioral‑health funding process. Member Tompkins asked for confirmation that the $1,300,000 county contribution identified in board materials would be provided from the shared sales tax mental‑health/public‑safety allocation; officials confirmed the funds are from the shared sales tax and that the project had been vetted by the funding partners.

The provider and county staff said they will continue to pursue additional grants and private dollars to cover ongoing operating costs and return to the board if changes to the funding structure are necessary.

Ending
The approved award is intended to create immediate non‑congregate capacity while the county and nonprofit partners work to secure stable operational funding and finalize program agreements. No timetable for construction completion was specified in the board discussion recorded in the transcript.","The McLean County Board voted to award an RFP to Home Sweet Home Ministries for a non‑congregate shelter village with 56‑person capacity; board members raised questions about construction costs, operating funding and fixtures, while the award was defended as a cost‑effective alternative to a large building.","actionData","errors"]

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Residents urge McLean County Board to investigate ICE activity outside courthouses and reaffirm Illinois Trust Act protections

McLean County approves Home Sweet Home Ministries non‑congregate shelter after debate over costs and long‑term funding