Supportive Housing Annual Report FY 20

Illinois Department of Human Services

Supportive Housing Annual Report
State Fiscal Year 2020 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 2020, $19.4 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 8,940
Children under age 18 3,661
Total 12,601

Number of Homeless Households

Homeless Households Population Number
Single Male 3,835
Single Female 2,672
Couple no Child 94
Couple with Child 161
Male with Child 80
Female with Child 1,509
Total unduplicated Households 8,351

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.) 1,723 306
Emergency Shelter 2,567 875
Transitional Housing for Homeless 800 189
Permanent Housing 804 594
Psychiatric Facility 25 11
Substance Abuse treatment facility 182 14
Hospital 24 23
Jail/Prison 93 0
Domestic Violence situation 131 176
Living with relatives/friends 1,236 839
Rental housing/eviction 1,025 444
Disaster/Fire 5 2
Condemned Housing 27 29
Other 298 159
Total 8,940 3,661

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 5,897 2,647
1 2,208 807
2 435 104
3 173 54
4 64 10
5 or more 163 39
Total 8,940 3,661

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 694 364
51-61 1,478 945
31-50 1,362 1,892
18-30 844 1,331
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth 3 26
Total Adults 8,939
Children Age and Gender Groupings Male Female
13 to 17 364 411
6 to 12 717 719
1 to 5 566 559
Under age 1 162 140
Total Children 3,638

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 0
18-30 0 1
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 0 0
Total Reunited Adults 1

*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 1
6 to 12 0 0
1 to 5 1 2
Under Age 1 9 10
Total Reunited Children 23

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 850 460
Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino 8,090 3,201
Total 8,940 3,661

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 84 26
Asian 75 12
Black/African American 5,710 2,687
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 18 8
White 2,243 699
American Indian/Alaskan Native and White 22 15
Asian and White 11 1
Black/African American and White 271 106
American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black/African American 16 0
Other* 490 107
Total 8,940 3,661

*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) 1,621 5
Alcohol Abuse (AA) 1,208 0
Mental Illness (MI) 3,542 40
Developmental Disability (DD) 367 154
Physical Disability (PD) 1,427 35
HIV and/or AIDS (HIV) 631 3
Chronic Medical Health Problems 1,615 49
Domestic Violence 1,157 371
Unaccompanied Youth 27 0
Pregnant/Parenting Teen 74 1
Ex-Offenders 1,256 1
Other 81 6
Total 13,006 696

Disabling Condition

There were 5,680 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 570 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 3,532 3,028
$1 to $150 136 14
$151 to $250 179 47
$251 to $500 410 70
$501 to $1000 2,789 323
$1001 to $1500 911 105
$1501 to $2000 501 66
$2001 plus 482 8
Total 8,940 3,661
Amount of Income Exiting the Program Adults Children under 18
No Income 648 633
$1 to $150 21 2
$151 to $250 35 12
$251 to $500 87 23
$501 to $1000 531 75
$1001 to $1500 199 30
$1501 to $2000 135 10
$2001 plus 135 2
Total 1,791 787

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 35 69
Alimony/Spousal Support 22 2
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 174 151
Employment and Training 101 4
Employment Income 2,117 280
Pension/Retirement 86 1
Private Disability Insurance 7 0
Social Security 259 6
SSDI 1,048 63
SSI 1,721 139
Targeted Work Initiative 10 1
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 315 137
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 185 0
Unemployment Benefits 192 12
Veterans Benefits 125 5
Work First/Work Pays 0 0
Worker's Compensation 5 0
Total 6,402 870

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 7 10
Alimony/Spousal Support 4 6
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 27 22
Employment and Training 17 0
Employment Income 468 69
Pension/Retirement 18 0
Private Disability Insurance 2 0
Social Security 50 1
SSDI 232 7
SSI 317 24
Targeted Work Initiative 7 0
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 60 43
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 27 3
Unemployment Benefits 19 5
Veterans Benefits 27 0
Work First/Work Pays 1 0
Worker's Compensation 16 0
Total 1,299 190

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 74 395
Child Care Assistance 68 36
Emergency Food Assistance 1,663 311
LIHEAP 210 102
Teen Parent Program 41 12
WIC 144 150
Medical Card 4,914 2,328
Other 1,182 104
Total 8,296 3,438
Source of Benefits Exiting the Program Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 0 78
Child Care Assistance 3 2
Emergency Food Assistance 406 73
LIHEAP 46 48
Teen Parent Program 24 14
WIC 62 44
Medical Card 1,048 416
Other 328 52
Total 1,917 727

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 5,562
Enrolled After Entering 1,195
Ineligible 1,594
Total Households 8,351

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 1,127,508
Male Children 509,471
Female Adults 1,161,149
Female Children 518,657
Total 3,316,785

There were 422,522 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 81,162 5,264
Case Management 354,477 17,444
Financial Counseling 54,696 1,224
Life Skills Counseling 154,707 5,867
Other Counseling Services 46,146 861
Alcohol Abuse Services 17,991 20
Child Care 2,964 1,463
Children's Services 4,659 9,576
Domestic Violence 4,288 1,376
Education 23,466 3,260
Employment Services 48,465 853
English as a Second Language 366 0
Follow-up Services 11,773 1,206
Health/Dental Service 43,694 1,507
HIV/AIDS Related Services 5,233 0
Housing Location/Inspection 21,189 662
Mental Health Services 55,125 880
Legal Service Referrals 2,569 122
Outreach 17,486 332
Substance Abuse Services 17,698 46
Transportation 78,862 4,770
Other Counseling Services 138,035 1,423
Total 1,185,051 58,156

GRAND TOTAL of Supportive Services: 1,243,207

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 88 24
1 to 2 months 169 30
3 to 6 months 362 141
7 to 12 months 329 139
13 to 24 months 308 196
25 months to 3 years 218 101
4 to 5 years 143 102
6 to 7 years 61 39
8 to 10 years 44 4
10 years and up 69 11
Total 1,791 787

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 139 71
Completed program 764 326
Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge 31 21
Non-compliance with project 223 127
Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence 51 7
Reached maximum time allowed in project 41 38
Needs could not be met by project 48 17
Disagreement with rules/persons 19 8
Death 106 5
Voucher funds exhausted 0 0
Voluntary Departure 169 107
Unknown/disappeared 103 21
Other 97 39
Total 1,791 787

*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) 355 193
Public Housing 37 44
Section 64 77
Shelter Plus Care 14 14
HOME Subsidized house or apartment 208 143
Other subsidized house or apartment 219 53
Homeownership 14 6
Moved in with family or friends 219 114
Transitional Housing Destination (24 months or less) Adults Children under Age 18
Transitional Opportunity 26 5
Moved in with family or friends 85 46
Institutional Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Psychiatric hospital 10 0
Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility 11 0
Jail/prison 40 0
Other Emergency Shelter Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Emergency Shelter 84 13
Other supportive housing 19 0
Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) 14 0
Other 147 16
Unknown Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Unknown 225 63
  • GRAND TOTAL of Adults who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 1,791
  • GRAND TOTAL of Children under the Age of 18 who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 787

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 11,337 4,872
No voucher funds 10 21
Inappropriate for shelter 915 327
Refused to accept rules 56 51
Found other housing 248 241
Total 12,566 5,512

There were 17,139 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 125 25
Arabic 6 2
Bosnian 0 0
Bulgarian 0 0
Chinese 3 0
French 10 0
Gujarati 0 0
Hindi 2 0
Khmer 0 0
Korean 1 0
Lithuanian 0 0
Mandingo 0 0
Polish 4 0
Romanian 0 0
Russian 0 0
Spanish 205 48
Ukrainian 0 0
Urdu 0 0
Uzbek 0 0
Vietnamese 0 0
Other - Asian 1 0
Other - African 2 0
Other - Central and South American 1 3
Other - European 0 0
Other - Indian 0 0
Other 7 2
Total 367 80