Advocates say the case of a man trying to secure a place to live after being released from prison sheds light on the need for the state to fund halfway houses. Thomas Kokoraleis (KO-KO-rah-liss) served decades in prison for murder and was recently released. A transitional housing facility in Aurora offered to take him in, leading to protests from residents who say they’re worried about public safety. Jennifer Vollen-Katz with the nonpartisan prison reform group the John Howard Association says state-funded halfway houses, and so-called “step down” programs, could help in a situation like this one. Vollen-Katz says Illinois no longer funds such programs.