The Lake County News-Sun did an article about the consent decree resulting from an ACLU of Illinois case, Williams v. Quinn, which allowed people with mental illnesses to be able to move out of large institutions and into homes of their own. The ACLU's argument in Williams was that the State’s decision to needlessly warehouse people with mental illnesses in large institutions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act’s mandate that state-funded services be provided in the most integrated appropriate setting. Because of the victory in Williams, approximately 4,300 Illinoisans living in nursing homes were given the option to live independently.
Known as the Williams Consent Decree, the state agreed to fund several county programs and Lake County received a five-year grant of $4.5 million to help people transition to living on their own.
