Questions and Responses from the Home Illinois FY 25-26 Webinar (11.19.2024) - Office to Prevent and End Homelessness and Partner Agencies
Question: What options are available for seniors who can no longer afford their homes but are unable to find housing or move, especially given the increasing risk of homelessness and the shortage of senior living facilities that accept Medicaid?
Response: Please see the Home Illinois FY25-26 Plan (pp. 70, 73-74, 77) for a number of commitments from Illinois' Department on Aging (IDoA) specific to preventing homelessness among seniors and serving seniors experiencing homelessness. Nationally, we know that the number of seniors experiencing homelessness has been rising for several years. For example, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR): Part 2 documents that nationally: there were 2.35 million very low-income older households with severe housing problems in 2021. This was an increase of more than 100,000 households compared with 2019. Households with worst case housing needs are vulnerable to the experience of homelessness. It is therefore not surprising that in 2022 -- the following year - nearly 20,000 more people over the age of 64 accessed emergency shelter, transitional housing, or safe havens than in 2019, a 36 percent rise. Much of this increase consisted of people in adult-only households, particularly people with chronic patterns of homelessness. Increases in elderly homelessness occurred despite the overall number of people experiencing sheltered homelessness being about 68,000 people or five percent lower in 2022 than it was in 2019.
Question: With the increase in funding for FY25-FY26 for shelter/homeless services, and since the IDHS-ETH cycle doesn't restart till April 2026, how will the additional funding be distributed and is there a way to apply?
Response: Currently any new funding is allocated to existing program grantees, new applicants may apply only during the open competition period unless a special NOFO is required.
Question: To what extent are we tracking the spending for court based rental assistance at a regular cadence? How is spending going so far?
Response: Court-based rental assistance spending is closely monitored with weekly internal reporting and monthly reporting from IHDA to IDHS. As of November 24th, 2024, 1,129 applications were approved for $8.7 million in assistance.
Question: I know that DHS has funding for eviction prevention legal aid services this year. When will that funding be released? And is eviction legal aid prevention a part of the FY25-27 plan?
Response: The FY25-26 Home Illinois Plan documents eviction legal aid assistance administered by DHS, including the Eviction Mitigation Legal Assistance Program, which is a state-funded network of 12 nonprofit organizations providing legal aid and mediation services, as well as referrals to resources like rental assistance, to Illinoisans facing eviction at no cost to tenants . In FY25, this program is funded at $5 million. The Home Illinois FY25-26 also documents the State Court-Based Rental Assistance Program administered by IHDA. In FY25, this program was funded at $75 million through the Home Illinois line item in the Illinois General Revenue Fund (GRF) budget.
In addition, DHS has $2 million in FY25 for Court-Based Legal Assistance. This appropriation will fund grants to counties with court-based eviction early resolution programs and associated legal assistance, mediation and other services. There has been a delay due to initial program start-up for this program and a NOFO will be released as soon as possible.
Question: With IDHS looking at more closely aligning with HUD reporting requirements can we expect to see an increase in available funds that can be used to administer HMIS including staff time and licenses?
Response: Program funding is appropriated on an annual basis by the Illinois General Assembly. There is no plan to increase funding in FY25. However, some projects will be allowed to use existing funding to support these costs and/or can use these costs to meet any match requirements.
Questions:
- The number of current PSH/OSH units declined between the first two-year plan and the second. Was this due a data issue and/or other factors?
- Is the decline in current RRH units between the first plan and the second plan due to the expiration of ARPA and/or other pandemic recovery funds? And/or other factors?
- Is the decline in current TH units due to the expiration of ARPA and/or other pandemic recovery funds? And/or other factors?
- Does the increase in emergency shelter beds from 6,769 to 7,909 between the first and second two-year plan reflect beds created due to the FY24 budget increase for ETH? And/or is it other factors?
Response: The housing data on (page 40 of the FY25-26 Home Illinois Plan) is taken from the Housing Inventory Chart (HIC), reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annually by each of Illinois' 19 Continuums of Care. This report is based on standard methodology from HUD (2024 HIC and PIT Count Data Submission Guidance). OPEH found that the decrease in PSH beds in the chart partly reflects a change in HIC reporting methodology where some providers switched from reporting beds to reporting units. In addition, some PSH programs ended in Chicago based on the loss of funding. These two changes drove the decrease of CoC PSH beds in Chicago. However, additional beds have been created in 2024 since the HIC was last reported, and Chicago's PSH number has increased again. The HIC methodology reports Rapid Rehousing (RRH) capacity based on the number of occupied units on one night. This methodology does not capture the number of available, unoccupied RRH units in a community. The year over year variation is driven by many factors including funding and housing market factors. The increased use of motels for emergency shelter have increased shelter capacity across the state. These beds are supported by a variety of funding sources, including IDHS' Emergency-Transitional Housing Program. Overall, the FY25-26 Home Illinois Plan reports an increase in CoC Homeless Dedicated shelter and housing units by 3,134 from 2020 to 2023. The Home Illinois budget did not begin significantly until FY24 (beginning in the second half on calendar year 2023), so OPEH expects continued increased to Homeless Dedicated units reflecting these investments in the future.
Question: What is the estimated proposed scale of the 1115 Medicaid waiver (in terms of how it will be operationalized) and when is the earliest people may feel the benefit? By that I mean, will it be everyone who needs these supports or just a specific subset? And are we talking hundreds of people or thousands of people? It's my understanding HFS sent the implementation plan to the feds at the end of September.
Response: HFS is currently engaged in implementation planning. Operational Protocols, which include information about member eligibility for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN), were submitted to CMS on September 30, 2024 and are pending federal approval. HFS is currently working on the next phase of implementation plans that need to be reviewed and approved by CMS. HFS anticipates a phased-in roll out of the newly approved services, but exact timelines are still being determined and may vary by service. Updates will be posted on the HFS website as approval is received and additional information becomes available: 1115demonstrationwaiverbhtfiveyearextension
Question: Is the unmet housing need available regionally, in order to see what regions within the state have the biggest unit/shelter/rapid rehousing gaps?
Response: No, unfortunately, the projections are not broken down on a regional or CoC level.
Question: In terms of Rapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing, what is the definition you are using for "availability of beds/units statewide"?
Response: The number of Rapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing units shown in slide 14 the statewide 2022 and 2023 Housing Inventory Count (HIC) for those housing types. The HIC can be found here: https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/3031/pit-and-hic-data-since-2007/. The Illinois HIC reflects Continuum of Care-connected units across Illinois, as reported by Continuums of Care (CoC) to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Some CoC-connected units receive State funding, and some do not.
Question: What is your explanation for why the number of available units in these two categories have decreased from 2022-2023?
Response: The housing resources described on pages 40 and 41 of the Home Illinois FY25-26 Plan, and in the graph on slide 14 of the Webinar slides, show an overall increase in the housing resources available statewide since the publication of the Home Illinois FY23-24 Plan of 84,600 units. The Rapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing described are based on the Housing Inventory Chart, as reported by Continuums of Care (CoC) to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HIC methodology reports Rapid Rehousing (RRH) capacity based on the number of occupied units on one night. This methodology does not capture the number of available, unoccupied RRH units in a community. The year over year variation is driven by many factors including funding and housing market factors.
