Supportive Housing Annual Report FY 18

Illinois Department of Human Services

State Fiscal Year 2018 PREFACE

On August 18, 1993, House Bill 267 was signed into law to provide state-funded supportive services for low-income families and individuals who were formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The supportive services included, but were not limited to alcohol and substance abuse counseling, mental health programs, transportation, advocacy, child care, case management and other support services necessary for residents of permanent or transitional supported community facilities, Single Room Occupancy (SRO) facilities and family developments to maintain their community based housing. The services are delivered by governmental units, community organizations, and not-for-profit agencies that operate supportive housing developments.

Introduction

The Illinois Supportive Housing Program (SHP) was developed to provide supportive services coupled with housing to low-income homeless individuals and families. The SHP enables formerly homeless individuals and families or those at risk of becoming homeless the ability to sustain their housing by providing necessary support services. The supportive services prevent the program participants from returning to homelessness and enhances their ability to function more independently in the community.

In State Fiscal Year 2018, $15.6 million in funding was allocated to the IDHS Supportive Housing Program for persons who are homeless.

Program Goal

The goal of the Supportive Housing Program is to provide the necessary supportive services to low-income homeless individuals and families that will assist them to live in community based housing. The program requires the provision of community-based transitional or permanent housing (funded from other sources). The supportive services are delivered to the residents in the transitional or permanent housing that will enable them to continue to live as independently as possible.

Program deliverables require that:

  • All participants are provided with case management services, counseling services, and advocacy services within five days of admittance to the program. All participants must also have documented access, when applicable, to other supportive services.
  • All participants have a service plan developed for implementation within the first week of admittance to the program. The individual service plan must detail monthly outcomes as well as ongoing goals to be accomplished by the participant(s) with the assistance of the provider.
  • All participants will 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 a completed intake and assessment done upon entry into the program. Providers must submit all intake and assessment forms to IDHS annually for approval.
  • All progress and supportive services for participants will be tracked and progress reported within each participant's case file that includes, at a minimum, a record of the participant's supportive services, case management, progress and benefit assistance.
  • 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(s) they administer for IDHS. This plan must include outreach to the other community service agencies, the local FCRC, and other outreach entities. IDHS must be advised of any publication and distribution of flyers, printed materials, and brochures that are part of the IDHS funded Supportive Housing Program.
  • All providers have a written agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for referrals to other social service agencies. The MOU must include:
    • a description of the types of service(s) to be provided;
    • a description detailing how referrals will be handled by each entity; and
    • a description of any follow-up actions.
  • 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 and disability assistance, as well as other resources that address the needs of the program participants.
  • All providers have the ability to download the IDHS SNAP application and distribute it to eligible households.
  • All providers accurately report outcomes and submit reports to IDHS within the designated time frames utilizing the web-based reporting system.
  • The following projected data is included in the providers Funding Plan:
    • the projected unduplicated number of participants to be served during the fiscal year; and
    • the projected unduplicated number of households expected to be served during the fiscal year.

Administration

The Bureau of Basic Support administers the Supportive Housing Program for the Illinois Department of Human Services. Program staff perform all administrative and program management functions that include, but are not limited to the implementation of funding plans, contracting, program payments, and program monitoring. The SHP program deliverables are verified by staff from the Bureau of Basic Support through on-site field monitoring.

Funding

The Supportive Housing Program is funded by the state Health and Human Services Medical Trust fund and General Revenue Fund (GRF). All SHP funds must be obligated by the end of the agreement period and expended by the end of the lapse period. Typically, funding plans are distributed in February or March of each year with contracts distributed in June. The SHP funding cycle is based on the fiscal year of July 1st to June 30th each year.

The public and not-for profit organizations that participate in the SHP must provide supportive services that are matched with at least 25% of the program costs from other sources.

Reporting

In Fiscal Year 2009 the Department made significant improvements to the SHP 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 federal homeless program reporting formats. The Department also added data elements to the reporting system to provide statistical information regarding homeless children.

  • Fiscal Reporting: The Fiscal Report is based on a three-part budget submitted by each agency as part of their Funding Plan. The budget contains a Budget Summary, Personnel Detail, and Program Funding Sources. The Budget Summary consists of direct costs and administrative costs that are associated with the direct client services. The Personnel Detail provides specific cost information for staff responsible for direct care for program participants. The Program Funding Sources section requires SHP providers to disclose other funding resources that will meet the program match requirements.
  • Service Reporting: The SHP providers submit quarterly service web-based reports to the Bureau of Basic Support. The quarterly service reports provide information that includes but is not limited to the number and characteristics of the participants served, participant demographic information, supportive services, causes of homelessness, and special needs.

Program Services

The SHP provides supportive services which are delivered in conjunction with permanent housing to low-income individuals and families who are formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Supportive services assist families and individuals to return to self-sufficiency. The supportive services provided by the SHP are those deemed necessary to move participants to the highest level of self-sufficiency. Some of the eligible supportive services include, but are not limited to:

  • Advocacy - Intervening on behalf of program participants to assist in the receipt and use of services.
  • Alcohol Abuse Services - Providing or arranging services for participants to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or other programs to address alcohol abuse.
  • 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.
  • Counseling - Providing or arranging for individual or group counseling to alleviate physical, mental, substance abuse, skill and/or domestic obstacles to self-sufficiency. Family, financial, and life skills counseling services are also eligible.
  • Child Care - Providing or arranging for child care services
  • Children's Services - Providing or arranging for services for child-specific services, such as child abuse counseling or preschool programs.
  • Domestic Violence - Providing or arranging services for victims of domestic violence.
  • Education - Providing or arranging for 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/employment. This would include acquiring special tools or clothing to perform the job in which the participant is placed or working toward.
  • English as a Second Language - English language services available to persons who seek to improve their English language skills.
  • Follow-Up Services - Assessing the need and/or providing additional services upon completion of and discharge from the program.
  • Health/Dental Services - Providing or arranging services for participants and assuring use of needed medical and/or dental services.
  • HIV/AIDs Related Services - Supportive services related to the needs of participants diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
  • Housing Location/Inspection - Locating and/or initial inspection of rental property on behalf of participants to assure that the housing is decent and adequate for the household and meets general health and safety standards prior to occupancy by the program participant.
  • Legal Service Referrals - Referrals to any legal services which may be needed by participants.
  • Mental Health Services - Providing or arranging services that address serious and persistent mental disabilities.
  • Outreach - Locating and/or contacting homeless persons in the community and informing them of available services.
  • Substance Abuse Services - Providing or arranging services for participants to NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or other programs to address substance abuse.
  • Transportation - Transporting or purchasing transportation services, such as bus tokens or taxi fares for participants to acquire medical care, public assistance, education, training or other services not provided on site.

Fiscal Year End Program Data

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

Number of Homeless Persons

Homeless Persons Population Number
Adults 6,090
Children under age 18 2,818
Total 8,908

Number of Homeless Households

Homeless Households Population Number
Single Male 2,677
Single Female 1,630
Couple no Child 38
Couple with Child 100
Male with Child 51
Female with Child 1,222
Total unduplicated Households 5,718

Prior Living Situations

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

Living Situation Adults Children under Age 18
Non-housing (street, park, car, bus station, etc.) 976 177
Emergency Shelter 1,890 665
Transitional Housing for Homeless 825 382
Permanent Housing 700 580
Psychiatric Facility 25 0
Substance Abuse treatment facility 100 18
Hospital 30 13
Jail/Prison 45 2
Domestic Violence situation 109 142
Living with relatives/friends 757 471
Rental housing/eviction 436 250
Disaster/Fire 7 5
Condemned Housing 22 22
Other 168 91
Total 6,090 2,818

Other Shelters

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

Number of Participants using Shelters Adults Children under Age 18
None 3,983 1,902
1 1,531 650
2 396 217
3 112 33
4 21 6
5 or more 47 10
Total 6,090 2,818

Age and Gender

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

Adult Age and Gender Groupings Male Female
62 and over 455 133
51-61 1,128 597
31-50 985 1,280
18-30 611 890
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth 2 7
Total Adults 6,088
Children Age and Gender Groupings Male Female
13 to 17 505 305
6 to 12 538 574
1 to 5 427 448
Under age 1 98 105
Total Children 2,800

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 SHP program during the fiscal year is provided in this section.

Adult Age and Gender Grouping Male Female
62 and over 0 0
51-61 0 0
31-50 0 2
18-30 0 0
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 0 0
Total Reunited Adults 2

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

Children Age and Gender Groupings Male Female
13 to 17 0 0
6 to 12 2 3
1 to 5 1 1
Under Age 1 5 6
Total Reunited Children 18

Ethnicity

This section provides the ethnicity of the SHP participants entering the program with in the fiscal year.

Participants Ethnicity Adults Children Under Age 18
Hispanic or Latino 396 305
Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino 5,694 2,513
Total 6,090 2,818

Race

This section provides the race of participants entering the SHP program during the fiscal year.

Participants Race Adults Children Under Age 18
American Indian/Alaska Native 28 15
Asian 34 14
Black/African American 4,366 2,150
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 15 4
White 1,425 468
American Indian/Alaskan Native and White 18 6
Asian and White 4 4
Black/African American and White 77 108
American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black/African American 15 0
Other* 108 49
Total 6,090 2,818

*Note: 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 SHP Program participants upon entering the program. (A participant may have multiple special needs.)

Types of Special Needs/Conditions Adults Children Under Age 18
Substance Abuse (SA) 1,312 7
Alcohol Abuse (AA) 869 3
Mental Illness (MI) 2,456 48
Developmental Disability (DD) 397 86
Physical Disability (PD) 933 29
HIV and/or AIDS (HIV) 586 8
Chronic Medical Health Problems 1,087 44
Domestic Violence 687 256
Unaccompanied Youth 9 0
Pregnant/Parenting Teen 56 1
Ex-Offenders 676 0
Other 107 84
Total 9,075 566

Disabling Condition

There were 4,119 program participants declaring a disabling condition upon entry into the program.

The definition of a disabling condition is:

  • A disability as defined in Section 223 of the Social Security Act;
  • 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;
  • a developmental disability as defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act;
  • the disease of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or any conditions arising from the etiological agency for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; or
  • a diagnosable substance abuse disorder.

Veterans

There were 512 participants that declared themselves as a veteran* that participated in the SHP program.

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

Cash Income

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

Amount of Income Entering the Program Adults Children under 18
No Income 2,168 2,128
$1 to $150 93 26
$151 to $250 165 16
$251 to $500 488 109
$501 to $1000 2,146 323
$1001 to $1500 631 146
$1501 to $2000 251 64
$2001 plus 148 6
Total 6,090 2,818
Amount of Income Exiting the Program Adults Children under 18
No Income 409 504
$1 to $150 11 9
$151 to $250 25 3
$251 to $500 78 22
$501 to $1000 396 57
$1001 to $1500 155 15
$1501 to $2000 94 7
$2001 plus 72 2
Total 1,240 619

Sources of Cash Income

The sources of cash income for all participants entering the SHP program are provided in this section. Participants may have multiple sources of cash income.

Income Source Entering the Program Adults Children under 18
AABD 5 27
Alimony/Spousal Support 5 0
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 109 102
Employment and Training 67 16
Employment Income 1,370 299
Pension/Retirement 88 2
Private Disability Insurance 4 0
Social Security 160 14
SSDI 895 68
SSI 1,205 112
Targeted Work Initiative 3 0
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 335 134
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 66 0
Unemployment Benefits 92 19
Veterans Benefits 106 3
Work First/Work Pays 2 0
Worker's Compensation 39 41
Total 4,551 837

The sources of cash income for all participants exiting the SHP program are provided in this section. Participants may have multiple sources of cash income.

Income Source Exiting the Program Adults Children under 18
AABD 1 35
Alimony/Spousal Support 1 0
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 23 27
Employment and Training 28 11
Employment Income 391 52
Pension/Retirement 12 0
Private Disability Insurance 0 0
Social Security 27 2
SSDI 150 2
SSI 213 13
Targeted Work Initiative 4 0
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 40 17
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 12 0
Unemployment Benefits 9 1
Veterans Benefits 29 2
Work First/Work Pays 1 0
Worker's Compensation 1 0
Total 942 162

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.

Source of Benefits Entering the Program Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 9 439
Child Care Assistance 91 60
Emergency Food Assistance 796 148
LIHEAP 138 46
Teen Parent Program 45 36
WIC 146 181
Medical Card 4,229 1,860
Other 925 80
Total 6,379 2,850
Source of Benefits Exiting the Program Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 3 73
Child Care Assistance 9 11
Emergency Food Assistance 176 16
LIHEAP 29 21
Teen Parent Program 19 12
WIC 42 40
Medical Card 759 434
Other 190 12
Total 1,227 619

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.

SNAP Program Number of Participants
Enrolled Prior to Entering 4,157
Enrolled After Entering 705
Ineligible 856
Total Households 5,718

Shelter Nights

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

Population Type Number Served
Male Adults 789,091
Male Children 386,312
Female Adults 836,655
Female Children 390,908
Total 2,402,966

There were 220,222 meals served/purchased or vouchered for all SHP participants during the fiscal year.

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 47,900 3,674
Case Management 225,345 12,412
Financial Counseling 30,059 1,378
Life Skills Counseling 114,070 4,098
Other Counseling Services 22,022 1,063
Alcohol Abuse Services 15,832 231
Child Care 3,911 2,143
Children's Services 5,249 16,321
Domestic Violence 2,896 1,599
Education 26,377 4,665
Employment Services 39,669 441
English as a Second Language 1,027 194
Follow-up Services 12,88 3,022
Health/Dental Service 26,075 1,306
HIV/AIDS Related Services 4,463 10
Housing Location/Inspection 16,750 787
Mental Health Services 47,795 863
Legal Service Referrals 2,496 137
Outreach 12,240 1,003
Substance Abuse Services 17,760 6
Transportation 63,199 2,701
Other Counseling Services 167,098 861
Total 905,071 58,915

GRAND TOTAL of Supportive Services: 963,986

Length of Stay

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

Time Period Adults Children under Age 18
Less than one month 77 15
1 to 2 months 103 28
3 to 6 months 240 92
7 to 12 months 165 104
13 to 24 months 231 161
25 months to 3 years 207 95
4 to 5 years 108 80
6 to 7 years 49 32
8 to 10 years 38 8
10 years and up 22 4
Total 1,240 619

Reason for Departure

Upon departing from the Supportive 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 115 33
Completed program 474 226
Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge 54 20
Non-compliance with project 155 126
Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence 37 14
Reached maximum time allowed in project 33 55
Needs could not be met by project 44 4
Disagreement with rules/persons 30 21
Death 67 3
Voucher funds exhausted 1 0
Voluntary Departure 123 65
Unknown/disappeared 38 14
Other 69 38
Total 1,240 619

*Note: 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) 249 190
Public Housing 18 30
Section 71 85
Shelter Plus Care 6 0
HOME Subsidized house or apartment 146 67
Other subsidized house or apartment 91 37
Homeownership 10 11
Moved in with family or friends 146 66
Transitional Housing Destination (24 months or less) Adults Children under Age 18
Transitional Opportunity 25 5
Moved in with family or friends 72 42
Institutional Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Psychiatric hospital 10 0
Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility 12 2
Jail/prison 24 0
Other Emergency Shelter Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Emergency Shelter 51 17
Other supportive housing 18 7
Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) 19 3
Other 121 24
Unknown Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Unknown 151 33
  • GRAND TOTAL of Adults who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 1,240
  • GRAND TOTAL of Children under the Age of 18 who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 619

Reason for Turn Away

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

Reason for Turn Away Adults Children under Age 18
No vacancy 7,376 3,680
No voucher funds 4 9
Inappropriate for shelter 796 359
Refused to accept rules 93 71
Found other housing 345 245
Total 8,614 4,364

There were 11,615 referrals made to program participants for other social services that were turned away from the Supportive Housing Program.

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
Albanian 0 0
Arabic 1 0
Bosnian 0 0
Bulgarian 0 0
Chinese 0 0
French 0 0
Gujarati 0 0
Hindi 0 0
Khmer 0 0
Korean 1 0
Lithuanian 0 0
Mandingo 0 0
Polish 3 0
Romanian 0 0
Russian 1 0
Spanish 54 82
Ukrainian 0 0
Urdu 2 0
Uzbek 0 0
Vietnamese 0 0
Other - Asian 0 0
Other - African 3 1
Other - Central and South American 0 0
Other - European 0 0
Other - Indian 0 0
Other 2 0
Total 70 83