SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To help at-risk women and girls, state Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, is advancing a bill that would require homeless shelters to provide feminine hygiene products free of charge.
“It is troubling when vulnerable girls and women lack critical access to fundamental human needs,” Greenwood said. “These situations are particularly alarming in instances where at-risk women and girls do not have adequate financial resources to support the well-being of their feminine hygiene and health. That is why I’m sponsoring a bill to require homeless shelters to provide these products at no cost.”
Greenwood’s House Bill 2656 would create the Feminine Hygiene Product for the Homeless Act as a pathway for providing at-risk or struggling women and girls with access to sanitary feminine hygiene supplies to maintain good health. Specifically, the legislation requires homeless shelters across the state to make these products readily accessible for those who utilize shelters and their services.
“My goal with this bill is to offer a solution to an increasingly prevalent problem by providing our vulnerable communities with the support they desperately need,” Greenwood said. “I am committed to taking a stand for our underserved and underrepresented communities.”