Emergency and Transitional Housing Program Annual Report FY2018

Preface

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Emergency and Transitional Housing Program (ETH) is compiled for the House and Senate Appropriation Committees of the Illinois General Assembly in accordance with 305 ILCS 5/12-4.5. This report provides historical and current fiscal year information about the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program, and outlines funding by detailing program expenditures, types of services, and number of people served.

This report should not be construed to represent the total homeless population in Illinois. This report contains data compiled from quarterly reports from organizations funded by the ETH Program.

Introduction

The Illinois Emergency and Transitional Housing (ETH) Program was developed to provide immediate food and shelter to homeless persons and families or persons and families at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The ETH Program was designed to provide meals, beds and supportive services through not-for-profit organizations to homeless individuals and families to assist them to return to self-sufficiency.

Funding for the ETH Program has provided funding for emergency shelters, transitional shelters, voucher programs, food, and an array of supportive services to homeless individuals and families across the state of Illinois.

In State Fiscal Year 2018, $9.2 million in funding was allocated to the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program providers.

Program Goal

The goal of the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program is to render immediate and comprehensive shelter services to homeless individuals and families or individuals and families at imminent risk of homelessness. The program provides food, shelter, and supportive services through local not-for-profit agencies. Program deliverables require that:

  • All participants be provided with case management services, counseling services and advocacy services within 5 days of admittance to the program for transitional programs and within 15 days for overnight programs.
  • All participants have access to case management services outside of normal business hours of operation including, but not limited to evening case management service hours.
  • All participants have complete intake and assessment done upon entry into the program. Providers must submit all intake and assessment forms to IDHS annually for approval.
  • All providers have a community outreach plan which includes a detailed description for notifying the community of the program, hours of operation, and admittance / eligibility requirements into the program they administer for IDHS. This plan includes outreach to other community service agencies and the local Family and Community Resource Center (FCRC). IDHS must be advised of any publication and distribution of flyers, printed materials and / or brochures that are part of the IDHS funded program.
  • All providers have a referral process that assists program participants with enrollment into public benefit programs such as TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), ALL Kids, medical assistance, disability assistance, as well as any other resources that address the needs of the program participants.
  • All progress and supportive services for transitional shelter participants be tracked and reported within each participant's case file through the development of an Individual Service Plan that includes at a minimum a record of the participant's supportive services, case management, outcomes, goals, progress notes, and benefit assistance.
  • All providers have the ability to download the IDHS Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) application and distribute to all eligible households.
  • All providers have a written agreement or memorandum of understanding for referrals with other social service providers. The agreement or memorandum of understanding includes at a minimum; the type of services to be provided, the referral process of each agency, and follow-up actions.
  • All providers accurately report outcomes and submit quarterly reports to IDHS utilizing the Emergency and Transitional Housing (ETH) web-based reporting system.
  • All providers report the following information in the annual Funding Plan:
  • an unduplicated number of projected participants to be served in the fiscal year.
  •  an unduplicated number of projected households to be served in the fiscal year.
  •  the projected nights of shelter to be provided during the fiscal year.
  • the projected number of meals to be provided, served, purchased, or vouchered during the fiscal year.

Administration

The IDHS Division of Family and Community Services, Bureau of Basic Supports administers the state funded ETH Program. Program staff perform all administrative and program management functions that includes, but is not limited to, the implementation of funding plans, contracting, program payments, and program monitoring. The ETH Program deliverables are verified by IDHS staff through on-site field monitoring.

Funding

The General Revenue Fund (GRF) allocation for the ETH Program provides food, shelter and supportive services to homeless individuals and families throughout the state. The allocation is divided between Chicago (54%) and the balance of the state (46%).

The public and not-for-profit organizations that participate in the ETH Program must provide shelter and supportive services and match at least 25% of the program costs from other sources. Fifty percent of the match must be cash. The other fifty percent may be cash and/or in-kind services, including volunteer services, or the value of the property.

Included in the ETH appropriation are funds allocated for technical assistance. The Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies provides monthly information to homeless agencies across the state regarding legislative and programmatic changes, public and private funding opportunities, and changes in federally funded homeless programs.

Reporting

In Fiscal Year 2009 the Department made significant improvements to the ETH Program by developing a web-based quarterly reporting system. In an attempt to capture the maximum amount of available data, the Department designed a reporting system compatible with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development homeless program reporting formats. The Department also added data elements to the reporting system to provide statistical information regarding homeless children.

Fiscal Reporting: Fiscal compliance, program activity, and program monitoring are employed by IDHS staff to ensure the effective administration of the ETH Program. Upon execution of the ETH contract, all agencies are required to report expenditures quarterly utilizing a web-based reporting system.

Service Reporting: Client activity is also reported quarterly on the IDHS web-based reporting system. The number of participants served, characteristics, services, causes of homelessness, special needs, and household types are just

some of the data elements collected.

Program Services

Shelter programs funded by the ETH Program include:

  • Overnight / Emergency Shelters that provide emergency sleeping accommodations for 12 or fewer hours that serve at least one meal and provide supportive services;
  • Voucher Programs that provide emergency shelter on a per diem basis at a nearby hotel or motel when other overnight shelter is not available and also provide supportive services and may provide food;
  • Transitional Shelters that provide shelter, food and supportive services for up to 24 months.

While the majority of the ETH funding provides for food and shelter, all organizations must also provide supportive services to receive funding from the ETH Program.

The supportive services provided by the ETH Program assist homeless individuals and families return to self-sufficiency. The eligible supportive services include:

Advocacy - Intervening on behalf of program participants to assist in the receipt and use of support services.

Alcohol Abuse Services -  Providing or arranging services for participants to attend AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or other programs that address alcohol abuse issues.

Case Management  -  Coordinating the acquisition, delivery and use of supportive services. Case management must include individual assessments that are used to develop individual service plans.

Child Care -  Providing or arranging child care services.

Children's Services -  Providing or arranging services for child-specific services, such as child abuse counseling or preschool programs.

Counseling -  Providing or arranging for individual or group counseling to alleviate physical abuse, mental health issues, substance abuse, and/or familial obstacles that are preventing a return to self-sufficiency.

Domestic Violence -  Providing or arranging services for victims of domestic violence.

Education -  Providing or arranging services for participants to complete a course of study leading to a diploma or specific skill certificate.

Employment Services -  Providing or arranging services for participants to complete job preparation and/or to secure job interviews or employment. This may include acquiring special tools or clothing to perform the job in which the participant is placed or receiving training.

English as a Second Language - English language services available to persons who seek to improve Language their English language skills.

Follow Up -  Assessing the need and providing additional services upon completion of, and discharge from the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program.

Health/Dental Services -  Providing or arranging services for participants and assuring use of needed medical and dental services.

HIV/AIDS Related Services -  Supportive services related to the needs of participants diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

Housing Location / Inspection -  Locating and/or the initial inspection of rental property on behalf of inspection participants to ensure that the housing is decent and adequate for the household and meets the general health and safety standards prior to tenant occupancy.

Legal Service Referral - Referrals to any legal services which may be needed by participants.

Mental Health Services - Providing or arranging services that address serious mental health issues that cannot be resolved through regular counseling services.

Outreach -  Locating and contacting homeless individuals or families in the community and inform them of available services.

Substance Abuse Services -  Providing or arranging services for participants to attend NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or other programs that address substance abuse issues.

Transportation -  Transporting or purchasing services, such as bus tokens or taxi fares for participants to obtain medical care, public assistance, education, training and other services not provided on site.

Fiscal Year End Program Data

The following statistics were downloaded directly from the Department's ETH web-based reporting system. All of the following program data was compiled from the quarterly reports submitted by the ETH providers.

Number or Homeless Persons

Listed below is the total number of adults and children under the age of 18 that utilized ETH during the fiscal year.

Adults Children Under 18 Total 
22,951 10,158 33,109

Number of Homeless Households

Household Number
Single Male 11,029
Single Female 5,501
Couple No Child 214
Couple W/Child 835
Male W/Child 216
Female W/Child 3,606
Total Unduplicated Households 21,401

Prior Living Situation

The ETH participants reported sleeping in the following places in the week prior to entering the program.

Prior Living Situation Adults Children Under Age 18
Non-housing (street, park, car, bus station, etc.) 4,795 1,538
Emergency Shelter 5,581 3,234
Transitional Housing for homeless persons 557 238
Permanent Housing 349 133
Psychiatric facility 236 4
Substance abuse treatment facility 451 21
Hospital 661 32
Jail / Prison 910 219
Domestic violence situation 1,736 1,501
Living with relatives / friends 5,127 2,226
Rental housing / Eviction 1,202 523
Disaster / Fire 141 52
Condemned housing 64 47
Other 1,141 390
Total 22,951 10,158

Other Shelters

This section provides the number of participants that used "other" shelters in the year prior to entering the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program. If no shelters were utilized during the prior year, the number of these participants were reported in the "None" category.

Number of Shelters Adults Children Under Age 18
None 12,706 6,221
1 6,330 2,744
2 2,397 782
3 809 267
4 363 110
5 or more 346 34
Total 22,951 10,158

Age and Gender

This section describes the age and gender of all participants that entered the program during the fiscal year.

Age Males Females
62 and over 896 445
51 - 61 3,292 1,506
31 - 50 4,992 4,067
18 - 30 3,499 4,168
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 32 53
Total Adults 22,950
13-17 601 808
6-12 1,941 1,950
1-5 1,940 1,976
under 1 436 492
Total Children 10,144

Age and Gender of Reunited Family Members or Newborns

The age and gender of newborns, other family members, emancipated minors, or unaccompanied youth reunited with a participant that entered the ETH program during the fiscal year is provided in this section.

Age Male Female
62 and over 0 0
51 - 61 0 0
31 - 50 0 0
18 - 30 0 1
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 0 0
Total Reunited Adults - 1
13 - 17
3
0
6 - 12 2 1
1 - 5 0 1
under 1 4 3
Total Reunited Children - 14

* Emanicipated or Unaccompanied Youth are defined as: emancipated minors, unaccompanied youth, married youth and/or a youth with a child

Ethnicity

This section provided the ethnicity of the ETH participants entering the program within the fiscal year.

Ethnicity Adults Children Under Age 18
Hispanic or Latino 2,388 1,294
Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino 20,563 8,864
Total 22,951 10,158

Race

This section provides the race of participants entering the ETH Program during the fiscal year.

Race Adults Children Under Age 18
American Indian/Alaskan Native 87 32
Asian 129 26
Black/African American 12,994 7,279
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 193 78
White 8,091 1,907
American Indian/Alaskan Native & White 219 22
Asian & White 20 7
Black/African American & White 416 388
American Indian/Alaskan Native & Black/African American 177 15
Other * 625 404
Total 22,951 10,158

* The "Other" category exists for participants that do not declare themselves in any of the given categories.

Special Needs

This section provides information regarding the types of special needs declared by the ETH program participants upon entering the program. (A participant may have multiple special needs.)

Special Need / Conditions Adults Children Under Age 18
Substance Abuse (SA) 3,032 35
Alcohol Abuse (AA) 2,368 17
Mental Illness (MI) 4,716 179
Developmental Disability (DD) 683 206
Physical Disability (PD) 2,469 69
HIV and / or AIDS (HIV) 231 1
Chronic Medical Health Problem 2,864 165
Domestic Violence 2,421 992
Unaccompanied Youth 110 2
Pregnant / Parenting Teen 303 15
Ex-Offenders 2,849 4
Other 1,565 58
Total 23,611 1,743

Disabling Condition

The number of program participants declaring a disabling condition upon entry into the program is reported in this section.

Total - 6,873

The definition of a disabling condition is:

  1. A disability as defined in Section 223 of the Social Security Act;
  2. a physical, mental, or emotional impairment which is expected to be of a long continued and indefinite duration; substantially impedes an individual's ability to live independently, and of such a nature that such ability could be more suitable housing conditions;
  3. a developmental disability as defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act;
  4. the disease of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or any conditions arising from the etiological agency for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; or
  5. a diagnosable substance abuse disorder.

Veterans

The number of participants that declared themselves as a veteran* that participated in the ETH Program is reported in this section.

Total - 765

* A veteran is anyone who has ever been on active military status.

Cash Income

This section provides monthly cash income levels for all ETH program participants entering the program and the income status of program participants when exiting the program.

Entering the Program Adults Children Under 18
No Income 13,560 9,328
$1 to 150 506 75
$151 to 250 724 94
$251 to 500 1,161 156
$501 to 1000 4,345 281
$1001 to 1500 1,542 122
$1501 to 2000 692 83
$2001 + 421 19
Total 22,951 10,158
Exiting the Program Adults Children Under 18
No Income 7,423 4,469
$1 to 150 455 43
$151 to 250 420 55
$251 to 500 855 131
$501 to 1000 3,252 215
$1001 to 1500 1,308 88
$1501 to 2000 647 52
$2001 + 421 13
Total 14,781 6,066

Sources of Cash Income

The sources of cash income for all participants entering the ETH program are provided in this section.

Participants may have multiple sources of cash income.

Entering the Program

Income Source Adults Children Under 18
AABD 50 86
Alimony / Spousal Support 52 1
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 263 84
Employment and Training 114 9
Employment Income 4,082 314
Pension / Retirement 143 0
Private Disability Insurance 7 0
Social Security 393 45
SSDI 1,551 62
SSI 2,491 147
Targeted Work Initiative 7 2
Temp. Asst. Needy Families (TANF) 869 280
Transitional / GA / Earnfare 46 2
Unemployment Benefits 207 2
Veterans Benefits 120 0
Work First / Work Pays 4 0
Worker's Compensation 12 0
Total 10,411 1,034

Exiting the Program

Income Source Adults Children Under 18
AABD 48 95
Alimony / Spousal Support 30 0
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 202 80
Employment and Training 101 11
Employment Income 3,639 329
Pension / Retirement 101 0
Private Disability Insurance 5 2
Social Security 305 12
SSDI 1,150 41
SSI 1,962 112
Targeted Work Initiative 9 8
Temp. Asst. Needy Families (TANF) 692 199
Transitional / GA / Earnfare 76 19
Unemployment Benefits 176 7
Veterans Benefits 111 0
Work First / Work Pays 1 0
Worker's Compensation 5 0
Total 8,613 915

Non-Cash Benefits

The non-cash benefits for all participants entering the program are provided in this section, as well as the non-cash benefits for all participants exiting the program during the fiscal year.

Entering the Program

Source of Benefits Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 383 1,427
Child Care Assistance 85 70
Emergency Food Assistance 3,651 1,063
LIHEAP 83 50
Teen Parent Program 43 8
WIC 376 426
Medical Card 11,255 5,135
Other 1,510 369
Total 17,386 8,548

Exiting the Program

Source of Benefits Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 236 943
Child Care Assistance 50 55
Emergency Food Assistance 2,851 637
LIHEAP 88 58
Teen Parent Program 33 14
WIC 226 194
Medical Card 7,776 2,928
Other 1,712 712
Total 12,972 5,541

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program / SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps)

This section provides an unduplicated number of households entering the program during the fiscal year that were either currently enrolled, agency enrolled or ineligible for the program.

Enrolled Prior to Entering: 13,196
Enrolled After Entering: 5,332
Ineligible: 2,873
Total Households: 21,401

Shelter Nights and Meals

The total number of shelter nights and meals served to all program participants during the fiscal year is provided in this section.

Shelter Nights Overnight Shelter Voucher Shelter Transitional Shelter
Male Adults 566,890 2,160 49,403
Male Children 185,667 2,295 88,789
Female Adults 359,242 3,470 140,892
Female Children 202,459 2,052 101,728
Total 1,314,258 9,977 380,812
Grand Total 1,705,047
Shelter Meals Overnight Shelter Voucher Shelter Transitional Shelter
Meals Served / purchased / or Vouchered for All Participants 2,236,829 20,176 238,979
Grand Total 2,495,984

Supportive Services

The supportive services provided to all program participants during the fiscal year is represented in this section. (Advocacy, Case Management, and Counseling are required supportive services.

Supportive Services Adults Children
Advocacy 98,684 103,250
Case Management 234,171 26,838
Counseling
Financial 53,079 11,995
Life Skills 117,090 19,630
Other Counseling Services 42,654 10,165
Alcohol Abuse Services 18,293 1,580
Child Care 4,201 4.203
Children's Services 9,043 14,862
Domestic Violence 6,715 2,608
Education 18,013 4,458
Employment Services 64,699 1,163
English as Second Language 4,162 1,744
Follow-up Services 54,768 9,615
Health / Dental Service 23,528 3,936
HIV / AIDS Related Services 7,362 2
Housing Location / Inspection 28,343 14,890
Mental Health Services 19,832 3,458
Legal Service Referrals 10,571 5,138
Outreach 33,396 7,868
Substance Abuse Services 20,034 21
Transportation 91,163 6,948
Other 60,292 8,548
Total 1,020,093 262,920

Grand total of Supportive Services is 1,283,013.

Length of Stay

This section provides information regarding the length of time participants spent in the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program before leaving.

Time Period Adults Children Under Age 18
Less than 1 month 7,899 2,883
1 to 2 months 2,936 1,114
3 to 6 months 2,550 1,126
7 to 12 months 837 503
13 to 24 months 414 299
25 months to 3 years 91 68
4 to 5 years 14 2
6 to 7 years 2 0
8 to 10 years 3 0
10 years and up 0 0
TOTAL 14,746 5,995

Reason for Departure

Upon departing from the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program, the following reasons were cited for all program participants during the fiscal year.

Reason for Departure Adults Children Under Age 18
Left for housing opportunity before completing program 1,276 724
Completed Program 4,110 2,318
Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge 61 8
Non-compliance with project 1,105 395
Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence 300 120
Reached maximum time allowed in project 464 257
Needs could not be met by project 181 53
Disagreement with rules/persons 468 164
Death 27 2
Voucher funds exhausted 7 4
Voluntary Departure 3,018 1,205
Unknown/disappeared 2,606 710
Other 1,123 35
TOTAL 14,746 5,995

* Transitional shelter programs are allowed to charge up to 30% of participant income for rent.

Destination

This section provides the destination of the participants who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return.

Permanent Housing Destination Adults Children Under Age 18
Rental house or apartment (non-subsidized) 1,520 860
Public Housing 177 153
Section 8 37 53
Shelter Plus Care 55 19
HOME subsidized house or apartment 229 131
Other subsidized house of apartment 507 343
Home Ownership 46 39
Moved in with family or friends 1,596 1,107
Transitional Housing Destination (24 Months or Less) Adults Children Under Age 18
Transitional Opportunity 273 159
Moved in with family or friends 1,261 552
Institutional Destination Adults Children Under Age 18
Psychiatric hospital 66 8
Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility 200 0
Jail/prison 118 10
Other Emergency Shelter Destination Adults Children Under Age 18
Emergency Shelter 859 417
Other supportive housing 95 31
Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) 302 15
Other 1,341 394
Unknown Destination Adults Children Under Age 18
Unknown 6,064 1,704
Destination Totals Adults Children Under age 18
Grant Total 14,746 5,995

Reason for Turn Away

This section provides information regarding the reason participants were turned away from the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program during the fiscal year.

Reason for Turn Away Adults Children Under Age 18
No Vacancy 10,274 3,769
No Voucher Funds 232 70
Inappropriate for shelter 7,771 2,989
Refused to accept rules 1,404 79
Found other housing 666 350
TOTAL 20,347 7,257

Turn Away Referral

This section represents a duplicated count of the referrals made to program participants for other social services that were turned away from the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program. There were 16,870 participants turned away during the fiscal year.

Primary Language

The Department is attempting to identify the total number of program participants that could not speak or read English. A duplicated count of the primary language for these program participants is provided in this section.

Category Number of Adults Number of Children Under Age 18
Albanian 1 0
Arabic 11 3
Bosnian 0 0
Bulgarian 0 0
Chinese 1 0
French 15 6
Gujarati 0 0
Hindi 7 0
Khmer 0 0
Korean 2 0
Lithuanian 0 0
Mandingo 0 0
Polish 32 0
Romanian 2 0
Russian 9 0
Spanish 436 83
Ukrainian 3 0
Urdu 1 0
Uzbek 0 0
Vietnamese 2 0
Other - Asian 3 5
Other - African 8 12
Other - Central and South American 1 0
Other - European 1 0
Other - India 4 0
Other 53 52
TOTAL 592 161