Supportive Housing Annual Report FY 19

Illinois Department of Human Services

State Fiscal Year 2019 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 2019, $15,671,413 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 7,765
Children under age 18 3,295
Total 11,060

Number of Homeless Households

Homeless Households Population Number
Single Male 3,462
Single Female 2,119
Couple no Child 73
Couple with Child 141
Male with Child 69
Female with Child 1,409
Total unduplicated Households 7,273

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.) 1,509 190
Emergency Shelter 2,535 954
Transitional Housing for Homeless 649 214
Permanent Housing 718 509
Psychiatric Facility 32 0
Substance Abuse treatment facility 110 16
Hospital 29 31
Jail/Prison 59 1
Domestic Violence situation 120 168
Living with relatives/friends 1,050 723
Rental housing/eviction 607 322
Disaster/Fire 1 5
Condemned Housing 34 28
Other 312 134
Total 7,765 3,295

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 5,050 2,240
1 2,021 848
2 421 147
3 120 35
4 49 13
5 or more 104 12
Total 7,765 3,295

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 610 278
51-61 1,351 792
31-50 1,216 1,563
18-30 743 1,197
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth 3 6
Total Adults 7,759
Children Age and Gender Groupings Male Female
13 to 17 350 344
6 to 12 644 637
1 to 5 556 488
Under age 1 117 131
Total Children 3,267

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 1
31-50 0 0
18-30 0 2
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 0 0
Total Reunited Adults 3

*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 2 1
6 to 12 1 1
1 to 5 7 1
Under Age 1 6 1
Total Reunited Children 23 4

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  509 369
Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino 7,253 2,921
Total 7,762 3,290

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 26 16
Asian 56 15
Black/African American 5,319 2,474
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 9 36
White 2,028 577
American Indian/Alaskan Native and White 15 3
Asian and White 18 5
Black/African American and White 91 112
American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black/African American 20 3
Other* 180 49
Total 7,762 3,290

*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) 1,563 6
Alcohol Abuse (AA) 1,099 3
Mental Illness (MI) 3,370 81
Developmental Disability (DD) 317 138
Physical Disability (PD) 1,303 40
HIV and/or AIDS (HIV) 623 4
Chronic Medical Health Problems 1,648 74
Domestic Violence 1,001 335
Unaccompanied Youth 26 2
Pregnant/Parenting Teen 106 3
Ex-Offenders 988 4
Other 132 26
Total 12,176 716

Disabling Condition

There were 5,448 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 547 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 3,151 2,677
$1 to $150 149 23
$151 to $250 214 60
$251 to $500 479 101
$501 to $1000 2,471 275
$1001 to $1500 753 96
$1501 to $2000 338 56
$2001 plus 210 7
Total 7,765 3,295
Amount of Income Exiting the Program Adults Children under 18
No Income 612 570
$1 to $150 17 12
$151 to $250 33 8
$251 to $500 89 22
$501 to $1000 530 56
$1001 to $1500 197 4
$1501 to $2000 127 16
$2001 plus 74 0
Total 1,679 688

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 20 0
Alimony/Spousal Support 13 4
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 113 120
Employment and Training 102 7
Employment Income 1,491 206
Pension/Retirement 101 2
Private Disability Insurance 1 0
Social Security 218 36
SSDI 1,040 123
SSI 1,477 91
Targeted Work Initiative 22 5
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 370 100
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 99 0
Unemployment Benefits 83 2
Veterans Benefits 108 1
Work First/Work Pays 4 0
Worker's Compensation 4 0
Total 5,266 697

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 8 0
Alimony/Spousal Support 6 4
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 20 20
Employment and Training 18 2
Employment Income 437 47
Pension/Retirement 31 0
Private Disability Insurance 0 0
Social Security 56 0
SSDI 224 24
SSI 307 30
Targeted Work Initiative 0 0
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 47 18
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 6 0
Unemployment Benefits 11 2
Veterans Benefits 36 0
Work First/Work Pays 0 0
Worker's Compensation 3 0
Total 1,210 147

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 19 499
Child Care Assistance 60 37
Emergency Food Assistance 1,327 301
LIHEAP 202 67
Teen Parent Program 52 60
WIC 163 169
Medical Card 4,646 2,002
Other 882 155
Total 7,351 3,290
Source of Benefits Exiting the Program Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 2 71
Child Care Assistance 3 7
Emergency Food Assistance 371 45
LIHEAP 38 33
Teen Parent Program 41 30
WIC 40 33
Medical Card 1,162 477
Other 180 9
Total 1,837 705

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 5,018
Enrolled After Entering 1,255
Ineligible 1,000
Total Households 7,273

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 1,037,484
Male Children 452,402
Female Adults 1,016,997
Female Children 439,192
Total 2,946,075

There were 329,297 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 56,148 4,777
Case Management 291,825 14,287
Financial Counseling 33,782 922
Life Skills Counseling 157,640 5,553
Other Counseling Services 31,263 1,864
Alcohol Abuse Services 18,108 27
Child Care 5,976 917
Children's Services 4,395 8,659
Domestic Violence 2,826 1,715
Education 26,010 2,238
Employment Services 44,504 562
English as a Second Language 120 40
Follow-up Services 12,307 249
Health/Dental Service 35,461 1,151
HIV/AIDS Related Services 5,025 0
Housing Location/Inspection 21,660 429
Mental Health Services 72,667 754
Legal Service Referrals 2,956 122
Outreach 15,491 173
Substance Abuse Services 22,974 78
Transportation 79,942 4,259
Other Counseling Services 281,128 865
Total 1,222,208 49,641

GRAND TOTAL of Supportive Services: 1,271,849

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 90 22
1 to 2 months 192 70
3 to 6 months 310 106
7 to 12 months 291 128
13 to 24 months 284 152
25 months to 3 years 247 107
4 to 5 years 108 50
6 to 7 years 68 22
8 to 10 years 41 17
10 years and up 48 14
Total 1,679 688

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 128 75
Completed program 734 259
Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge 53 20
Non-compliance with project 175 113
Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence 43 7
Reached maximum time allowed in project 51 66
Needs could not be met by project 45 10
Disagreement with rules/persons 28 12
Death 93 0
Voucher funds exhausted 5 0
Voluntary Departure 132 66
Unknown/disappeared 98 35
Other 94 25
Total 1,679 688

*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) 343 174
Public Housing 18 24
Section 55 73
Shelter Plus Care 1 0
HOME Subsidized house or apartment 239 58
Other subsidized house or apartment 124 54
Homeownership 11 18
Moved in with family or friends 192 95
Transitional Housing Destination (24 months or less) Adults Children under Age 18
Transitional Opportunity 32 20
Moved in with family or friends 106 42
Institutional Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Psychiatric hospital 4 0
Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility 12 3
Jail/prison 44 2
Other Emergency Shelter Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Emergency Shelter 62 18
Other supportive housing 30 2
Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) 9 3
Other 153 24
Unknown Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Unknown 244 80
  • GRAND TOTAL of Adults who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 1,679
  • GRAND TOTAL of Children under the Age of 18 who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 688

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 9,216 4,613
No voucher funds 0 0
Inappropriate for shelter 794 372
Refused to accept rules 71 61
Found other housing 342 304
Total 10,423 5,350

There were 14,673 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 4 3
Bosnian 1 0
Bulgarian 0 0
Chinese 1 0
French 6 0
Gujarati 0 0
Hindi 0 0
Khmer 0 0
Korean 0 0
Lithuanian 0 0
Mandingo 0 0
Polish 4 0
Romanian 0 0
Russian 0 0
Spanish 64 43
Ukrainian 2 1
Urdu 0 0
Uzbek 0 0
Vietnamese 0 0
Other - Asian 0 0
Other - African 4 0
Other - Central and South American 0 0
Other - European 0 0
Other - Indian 0 0
Other 17 8
Total 103 55