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  "path": "/letters-to-the-editor/2026/05/18/home-for-good-recently-incarcerated-museums-bears",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-18T11:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>It seems like society never stops punishing people returning from prison. Any previous confinement can feel like a life sentence because exclusionary policies make it difficult to secure employment, transportation, needed documents and a place to live. </p><p>We see this often at <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.mercyhousing.org/lakefront/\" target=\"_blank\" >Mercy Housing Lakefront</a>, where our mission is to provide housing and support services for those with limited economic means.</p><p>The fact of the matter is that nobody goes anywhere good without being stably housed. Policymakers in Illinois have long turned a blind eye to the lack of housing for people returning from prison, contributing to a costly cycle in which nearly 40% of people return to prison within three years. It’s a policy failure that harms our communities, weakens our economy and costs taxpayers.</p><p>That’s why Mercy Housing Lakefront supports <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/05/07/housing-recently-incarcerated-prison-black-brown-victor-dickson-jose-munoz-ahmadou-drame\" >“Home for Good,”</a> legislation that would create a comprehensive strategy to improve housing and support services for people returning from prison. </p><p>The proposal, which recently passed the House, consists of four components: expanding rental assistance; increasing wraparound services; developing more reentry housing units; and creating the Home for Good Institute to provide reentry housing training to community-based organizations.</p><p>By formalizing and scaling up these proven strategies, Illinois can demonstrate that compassionate policy is smart policy. </p><p>Research shows secure housing provides dignity and stability and helps people returning from prison comply with the conditions of their release. </p><p>This reduces the chances of recidivism, which improves public safety and saves taxpayer money. Data shows that each recidivism event costs taxpayers an average of $199,011, adding up to $1.1 billion a year. That’s in addition to the $2 billion the state spends annually funding the Illinois Department of Corrections.</p><p>Home for Good would strengthen state and local economies; secure housing empowers more people to work and earn wages, growing the state’s tax base without raising taxes. Research estimates the proposal would generate $477 million in economic benefits within three years.</p><p>In our country, everyone has the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. If a person made a mistake, paid the price and is ready to move on, they should have the same rights. Everyone deserves a fair chance at a new start, not a life sentence.</p><p><i>Mark Angelini, president, Mercy Housing Lakefront</i></p><div class=\"RichTextSidebarModule Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"module-e60000\" name=\"module-e60000\"></a> <div class=\"RichTextModule-items RichTextBody\"><h3>Give us your take</h3><br>Send letters to the editor to <a class=\"Link\" href=\"mailto:letters@suntimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" >letters@suntimes.com</a>. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.</div> </div><p></p><h3>Mobilizing for museums </h3><p>On Monday, May 18, we celebrate <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://icom.museum/en/international-museum-day-2/\" target=\"_blank\" >International Museum Day</a>, an opportunity to recognize the institutions that preserve our history, inspire curiosity and strengthen our communities.</p><p>In Illinois, it should also serve as a call to action.</p><p>Museums are often viewed simply as destinations or attractions. But they are much more than that. Museums are economic engines, educational partners and community anchors that help drive growth across our state.</p><p>From neighborhood cultural centers to world-renowned institutions, museums support jobs, attract tourism, energize commercial corridors and contribute to local economies. They also create spaces where people can see themselves, their history and their communities reflected.</p><p>As chair of the Illinois House Museums, Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Committee, I have seen firsthand the impact these institutions have on families, students and neighborhoods. Museums expand learning beyond the classroom and open pathways to careers in science, technology, conservation, history, and the arts.</p><p>Yet many museums continue to face aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance and uncertain funding while being asked to do more with less.</p><p>That is neither sustainable nor strategic.</p><p>Investing in museums is not a luxury. It is a smart economic development strategy. Strategic investment strengthens educational programming, modernizes facilities, expands public access and supports tourism and hospitality industries across Illinois.</p><p>But our investments must also reflect equity and inclusion. Communities that have historically been overlooked deserve strong cultural institutions that preserve and elevate their stories and contributions.</p><p>International Museum Day reminds us that our public investments reflect our public values.</p><p>If we believe in education, economic opportunity and community development, then we must invest in the institutions that help make those goals possible.</p><p>Illinois has everything it needs to lead. Arts and culture are not extras. They are infrastructure.</p><p>When we invest in museums, we are not simply preserving the past — we are shaping the future.</p><p><i>State Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet, D-Chicago</i></p><h3>Bears fleece taxpayers </h3><p>Instead of working to figure out how to keep the Bears from being lured to Indiana, the politicians of our state should be pushing to make that happen. It is actually good for us if Indiana’s taxpayers want to pay to build a stadium for the billionaire McCaskey family. Let’s face it: This family has been sponging off the taxpayers of our region for half a century, yet as soon as money starts coming out of their own dusty wallets, they are more than happy to forget all that and escape the state.</p><p>Our politicians should focus on doing what they can to support local hero Joe Mansueto and his Chicago Fire as they proceed with <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/2026/05/13/chicago-fire-soccer-stadium-mcdonalds-park\" >McDonald’s Park</a>. Joe has done and is doing more for Chicago than the Bears' owners have ever done. You could say he is the Caleb Williams of supporting our city, while the McCaskey family is more like Mitch Trubisky in that way.</p><p><i>Don Anderson, Oak Park</i></p><h3>Bear the thought </h3><p>The only solution for the Bears is to have the great pumpkin, Donald Trump, intervene. He's always <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/donald-trumps-long-stormy-and-unrequited-romance-with-the-nfl/2017/09/23/979264a4-a093-11e7-8ea1-ed975285475e_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" >been obsessed with the NFL</a>. He can disregard any existing laws, moral codes and environmental concerns.</p><p>Most of all, the rich will prosper and again turn their backs on the majority.</p><p><i>Gene Jersha, Yorkville</i></p>",
  "title": "Housing support for people leaving prison benefits everyone",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-18T11:00:22.511Z"
}