Goals for This Conversation

  1. Recap areas of focus that emerged
  2. Confirm and align on those focus areas
  3. Brainstorm priority areas within each focus for 2021

Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness

Purpose is to plan for and develop a State plan to address homelessness and unnecessary institutionalization with the goals of

  • achieving functional zero homelessness
  • improving health and human services outcomes for people experiencing homelessness
  • strengthening the safety nets that contribute to housing stability.

The Community Advisory Council on Homelessness

  • advise the Interagency Task Force on its mission to achieve functional zero
  • discuss and make recommendations on improving health and human services for those experiencing homelessness, strengthening housing stability, and unnecessary institutionalization.

Recap areas of focus that I heard during listening meetings

  • 20 Listening Meetings
  • 15 CAC Members, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Housing Action IL., Supt. Housing Prov. Assoc.
  • IDHS Social Services Advisory Council

Very clear areas of focus emerged from conversations with CAC members…

  • Meaningful sounding board for Interagency Task Force
  • Build capacity
    • within State Departments
    • within CoC communities
  • Better coordinating community expertise and State resources
  • Policy

Meaningful Sounding Board

  • Board of Education
  • Board of Higher Education
  • Illinois Community College Board
  • Department of Aging
  • Healthcare and Family Services
  • Department of Public Health
  • Housing Development Authority
  • Commerce and Economic Opportunity
  • Department of Human Services
  • Department of Corrections
  • State Police
  • Department of Juvenile Justice
  • Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Department of Employment Security
  • Children & Family Services

Meaningful Sounding Board

Thus far…

  1. Feedback incorporated into Home Illinois
  2. Serving as advisor to State Homelessness Chief
  3. Input on ITF meeting agendas
  4. Other ideas?

Build capacity within State departments

Desire to Support State Staff

  • Heavy Workloads
  • Staff Turnover/Unfilled Positions
  • Need for Detailed Content Knowledge

Build capacity within provider and CoC communities

  • Build capacity of smaller CoCs to gather and utilize data
  • Build capacity of non-service provider agencies to administer and distribute funding, like ESG entitlement dollars

Build capacity

Thus far….

  • Home Illinois includes a new Illinois Technical Assistance and Training Center

Better coordinating community expertise and State resources to improve supports for people experiencing homelessness

  • Improve coordination of Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and InfoNet
  • Statewide Referral Network
  • IDHA tax credits: 10% of units for SRN, but no services funding
  • Lack of ability to use ESG for prevention
  • Opportunities for additional alignment IHDA/IDHS
  • Align Bureau of Homeless Services, Supportive Housing Program and Division of Mental Health requirements and NOFOs

Better coordinating community expertise and State resources

Idea to…..

  • Implement a CAC/State Workgroup

Policy

  • Examples of specific policy goals CAC members currently want to achieve
  • Understanding that additional policy implications will develop through our work together

Policy Idea to…

  • Establish a CAC policy-focused workgroup

Do these focus areas reflect your thoughts?

Are we missing anything?

What are your questions?

  • Meaningful sounding board for Interagency Task Force

  • Developing ideas to expand impact

  • Build capacity

  • within State Departments
  • within CoC communities
  • Partnering with the new IL Technical Assistance & Training Center

Better coordinate community expertise and State resources

  • Establishing new CAC/State workgroup

Policy

  • Establishing new CAC Policy Workgroup

Your top three ideas

Brainstorm opportunities to turn our priorities into action