Emergency and Transitional Housing Program Annual Report FY2017

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 2017, $8.8 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 
23,198 9,595 32,793

Number of Homeless Households

Household Number
Single Male 11,824
Single Female 5,364
Couple No Child 164
Couple W/Child 779
Male W/Child 147
Female W/Child 3,786
Total Unduplicated Households 22,064

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.) 4,677 1,095
Emergency Shelter 4,859 2,581
Transitional Housing for homeless persons 378 160
Permanent Housing 304 140
Psychiatric facility 256 2
Substance abuse treatment facility 510 9
Hospital 552 59
Jail / Prison 935 7
Domestic violence situation 908 747
Living with relatives / friends 6,618 3,452
Rental housing / Eviction 1,845 867
Disaster / Fire 97 29
Condemned housing 194 56
Other 1,065 411
Total 23,198 9,595

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 13,223 5,768
1 5,821 2,446
2 2,440 963
3 830 286
4 514 85
5 or more 370 47
Total 23,198 9,595

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 846 383
51 - 61 3,314 1,393
31 - 50 5,160 3,857
18 - 30 3,974 4,211
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 30 29
Total Adults - 23,197
13-17 677 639
6-12 1,652 1,763
1-5 2,120 1,761
under 1 419 543
Total Children - 9,574

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 1
18 - 30 0 0
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 0 0
Total Reunited Adults  - 1
13 - 17 1 2
6 - 12 3 0
1 - 5 1 5
under 1 7 5
Total Reunited Children - 21

* 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 2,273 1,131
Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino 20,925 8,464
Total 23,198 9,595

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 109 66
Asian 144 28
Black/African American 13,087 7,104
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 54 79
White 8,300 1,511
American Indian/Alaskan Native & White 57 13
Asian & White 90 37
Black/African American & White 367 425
American Indian/Alaskan Native & Black/African American 32 16
Other * 958 346
Total 23,198 9,595

* 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) 3,409 28
Alcohol Abuse (AA) 2,621 8
Mental Illness (MI) 5,906 148
Developmental Disability (DD) 829 193
Physical Disability (PD) 2,535 79
HIV and / or AIDS (HIV) 310 1
Chronic Medical Health Problem 2,948 230
Domestic Violence 2,596 915
Unaccompanied Youth 128 14
Pregnant / Parenting Teen 358 23
Ex-Offenders 2,873 2
Other 194 17
Total 24,707 1,658

Disabling Condition

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

Total - 7,301

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 - 900

* 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 13,785 8,611
$1 to 150 505 60
$151 to 250 652 79
$251 to 500 1,380 214
$501 to 1000 4,404 364
$1001 to 1500 1,551 168
$1501 to 2000 581 69
$2001 + 340 30
Total 23,198 9,595
Exiting the Program Adults Children Under 18
No Income 7,814 6,145
$1 to 150 323 54
$151 to 250 385 52
$251 to 500 1,129 173
$501 to 1000 3,455 310
$1001 to 1500 1,391 155
$1501 to 2000 529 93
$2001 + 321 36
Total 15,347 7,018

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 12 6
Alimony / Spousal Support 34 4
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 307 179
Employment and Training 102 16
Employment Income 4,139 403
Pension / Retirement 225 0
Private Disability Insurance 12 0
Social Security 513 41
SSDI 1,621 41
SSI 2,374 181
Targeted Work Initiative 10 0
Temp. Asst. Needy Families (TANF) 780 353
Transitional / GA / Earnfare 67 3
Unemployment Benefits 223 11
Veterans Benefits 192 1
Work First / Work Pays 5 1
Worker's Compensation 15 0
Total 10,631 1,243

Exiting the Program

Income Source Adults Children Under 18
AABD 706 1,130
Alimony / Spousal Support 29 7
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 186 97
Employment and Training 122 32
Employment Income 3,340 350
Pension / Retirement 353 3
Private Disability Insurance 19 0
Social Security 358 28
SSDI 1,147 41
SSI 1,866 159
Targeted Work Initiative 0 0
Temp. Asst. Needy Families (TANF) 639 295
Transitional / GA / Earnfare 82 3
Unemployment Benefits 132 11
Veterans Benefits 113 1
Work First / Work Pays 6 1
Worker's Compensation 11 0
Total 9,109 2,158

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 578 1,809
Child Care Assistance 135 106
Emergency Food Assistance 3,948 1,303
LIHEAP 32 31
Teen Parent Program 31 27
WIC 425 557
Medical Card 10,752 4,827
Other 1,301 261
Total 17,202 8,921

Exiting the Program

Source of Benefits Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 531 1,525
Child Care Assistance 119 96
Emergency Food Assistance 3,223 1,071
LIHEAP 51 18
Teen Parent Program 25 16
WIC 272 340
Medical Card 8,139 3,109
Other 1,674 776
Total 14,034 6,951

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: 12,968

Enrolled After Entering: 6,472

Ineligible: 2,624

Total Households: 22,064

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 627,583 2,123 50,132
Male Children 230,883 2,097 92,782
Female Adults 437,740 3,169 141,912
Female Children 226,220 1,910 98,047
Total 1,522,426 9,299 382,873
Shelter Meals Overnight Shelter Voucher Shelter Transitional Shelter
Meals Served / purchased / or Vouchered for All Participants 1,449,213 5,269 309,494

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 99,831 186,915
Case Management 270,578 23,715
Counseling
Financial 61,860 4,703
Life Skills 171,208 23,468
Other Counseling Services 56,661 13,220
Alcohol Abuse Services 25,249 859
Child Care 5,682 6,599
Children's Services 8,433 18,225
Domestic Violence 10,220 7,727
Education 29,719 6,487
Employment Services 96,941 731
English as Second Language 2,976 929
Follow-up Services 64,760 6,440
Health / Dental Service 26,058 5,247
HIV / AIDS Related Services 6,351 10
Housing Location / Inspection 48,116 26,234
Mental Health Services 25,279 2,013
Legal Service Referrals 8,157 2,794
Outreach 41,951 3,836
Substance Abuse Services 26,505 74
Transportation 126,011 20,954
Other 72,625 8003
Total 1,285,171 369,183

Grand total of Supportive Services is 1,654,354.

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 8,044 2,983
1 to 2 months 3,161 1,487
3 to 6 months 2,886 1,610
7 to 12 months 818 596
13 to 24 months 283 243
25 months to 3 years 68 60
4 to 5 years 81 37
6 to 7 years 3 2
8 to 10 years 2 0
10 years and up 1 0
TOTAL 15,347 7,018

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 1,458 887
Completed Program 3,964 2,314
Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge 8 30
Non-compliance with project 1,132 508
Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence 272 152
Reached maximum time allowed in project 732 362
Needs could not be met by project 424 87
Disagreement with rules/persons 553 223
Death 23 2
Voucher funds exhausted 13 2
Voluntary Departure 3,903 1,804
Unknown/disappeared 2,474 565
Other 573 84
TOTAL 15,347 7,018

* 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) 1,602 942
Public Housing 227 187
Section 8 92 102
Shelter Plus Care 55 6
HOME subsidized house or apartment 477 264
Other subsidized house of apartment 628 512
Home Ownership 51 30
Moved in with family or friends 1,682 1,008
Transitional Housing Destination (24 Months or Less) Adults Children Under Age 18
Transitional Opportunity 335 187
Moved in with family or friends 1,301 631
Institutional Destination Adults Children Under Age 18
Psychiatric hospital 83 1
Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility 207 8
Jail/prison 108 13
Other Emergency Shelter Destination Adults Children Under Age 18
Emergency Shelter 696 343
Other supportive housing 124 50
Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) 358 33
Other 1,011 307
Unknown Destination Adults Children Under Age 18
Unknown 6,310 2,394
Destination Totals Adults Children Under age 18
Grant Total 15,347 7,018

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 13,330 10,293
No Voucher Funds 111 978
Inappropriate for shelter 6,674 2,506
Refused to accept rules 1,080 209
Found other housing 2,053 450
TOTAL 23,248 14,436

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 21,935 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 2 0
Arabic 17 3
Bosnian 0 0
Bulgarian 2 0
Chinese 2 1
French 11 7
Gujarati 0 0
Hindi 6 1
Khmer 0 0
Korean 0 0
Lithuanian 1 0
Mandingo 0 0
Polish 36 0
Romanian 1 0
Russian 6 0
Spanish 479 118
Ukrainian 4 2
Urdu 2 1
Uzbek 0 0
Vietnamese 1 0
Other - Asian 3 1
Other - African 15 14
Other - Central and South American 1 0
Other - European 1 0
Other - India 0 0
Other 153 36
Total 743 184