When Andre Ruddock was born, doctors told his family they didn't think he would live.Ruddock had health problems because his mother was addicted to heroin when she was pregnant with him. “Obviously, I made it, but that's how I ended up as a ward of the state in the Department of Children and Famil y Services,” said Ruddock, 49, who grew up on the South Side.He doesn’t see his upbringing as a sad story. He got to interact with many different people from diverse backgrounds. But he does think he became a product of the negative parts of his environment.Ruddock was incarcerated at age 16 and spent 28 years in prison.As his release date approached after spending decades in prison, he faced the difficult reality of having no place to live.“I would be homeless upon my release. I didn't really know where I was going to go,” he said. “My family had kind of dissipated to the point where I knew I wouldn't be able to live with any of them.”When was released, Ruddock was told he had been approved for a rental assistance program through the Illinois Housing Development Authority's reentry rental assistance program that Home for Good aims to build upon.“At that time, I didn’t know what it was. I was just happy I had somewhere to go," he said. "I grew up in prison, so I’m 44 years old now. That’s my first time in the world as an adult. I left as a child. So I definitely never owned anything. To have my own set of keys was a big deal. That was a gigantic thing.”That is why Ruddock is advocating for legislation proposed by the Home for Good Coalition to increase housing and support services for people like him returning from prison. Andre Ruddock, founder of Returning Citizens in Memory of Henry Dee, speaks Thursday during a Home for Good Coalition rally at the National Public Housing Museum.Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times The group is made up of Illinois advocacy organizations working toward expansion of housing and support services for people who have spent time in prison.Illinois Senate Bill 4162 is a bipartisan proposal that aims to expand Home for Good as a statewide coordinated program helping people released from prison by providing them with rental assistance, job training, furniture, child care, food and other reentry resources.Proponents of the bill believe the law will strengthen the state and local economy and save taxpayers money.State Sen. Lakesia Collins, (D-Chicago), said this is a personal issue. Her father was in and out of the prison system, and she saw firsthand how powerful second chances are.“The more that we can do to stabilize people who are justice-involved, the better we are as a state,” Collins said. “You spend more money with them going into prison every single day, with food, housing them and the rent that you have to pay for a lot of these buildings.”Collins believes that money instead can go to people recently released from prison so they can get a job and give back to society. She said this could save the state money and allow funds to be redirected to other priorities, such as education.State Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) is sponsoring the plan. If it passes committee, it will proceed to the floor for a vote, and if it receives enough support, it will move to the House.“I'll be someone who's voting yes for it,” Collins said.To garner more support, the Home for Good Coalition held a rally to promote the legislation at the National Public Housing Museum on Thursday.Speakers included Ahmadou Dramé, director of the Illinois Justice Project; Joakim Noah, former Chicago Bulls All-Star and co-founder of Noah’s Arc Foundation; and Collins, among others.Noah said he attended the rally to show his support for reentry and community stability through housing and community programs. He retired from professional basketball five years ago and has continued working with at-risk children through his Noah’s Arc Foundation. Noah said advocating for Home for Good legislation aligns with his organization’s mission to promote violence prevention and community engagement.“I thank God that we can do this work, and being of service has given me so much purpose,” Noah said. “I really feel like this is who I am, and it's been a constant in my life for a long time. People change, and people deserve a second chance.” Joakim Noah, former Chicago Bull and co-founder of Noah’s Arc Foundation, speaks Thursday during a Home for Good Coalition rally at the National Public Housing Museum.Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times Ruddock has been out of prison for five years. He credits the support of his wife and rental assistance for helping him get back on track. He got a job as a truck driver and is now looking to own a home.Ruddock is also the outreach coordinator at the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance and founder of Returning Citizens in Memory of Henry Dee.“I describe myself as Neo from 'The Matrix.' Like Neo, I believe in myself. I'm proud of who I'm becoming,” Ruddock said.“When I came home, I didn't know I was going to drive trucks. I didn't know I was going to do any of the things that I ended up doing. And now that I'm in it, and I'm in this work, and I'm actually good at it, I'm proud of myself once in my life.” ...read more read less