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 2023, $19.5 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; 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 |
Number |
| Adults |
8144 |
| Children Under Age 18 |
3151 |
| Total |
11295 |
Number of Homeless Households
| Homeless Households |
Number |
| Single Male |
3524 |
| Single Female |
2240 |
| Couple no child |
128 |
| Couple with child |
136 |
| Male with child |
83 |
| Female with child |
1311 |
| Total |
7422 |
Prior Living Situation
The SHP 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.) |
2191 |
322 |
| Emergency Shelter |
2610 |
1020 |
| Transitional Housing for Homeless |
624 |
194 |
| Permanent Housing |
579 |
422 |
| Psychiatric Facility |
34 |
0 |
| Substance Abuse treatment facility |
88 |
8 |
| Hospital |
18 |
30 |
| Jail/Prison |
62 |
1 |
| Domestic Violence situation |
200 |
163 |
| Living with relatives/friends |
938 |
547 |
| Rental housing/eviction |
481 |
241 |
| Disaster/Fire |
5 |
3 |
| Condemned Housing |
16 |
7 |
| Other |
298 |
193 |
| Total |
8144 |
3151 |
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 Shelters |
Adults |
Children Under Age 18 |
| None |
5197 |
2051 |
| 1 |
2207 |
877 |
| 2 |
410 |
148 |
| 3 |
181 |
41 |
| 4 |
98 |
24 |
| 5 or more |
51 |
10 |
| Total |
8144 |
3151 |
Age and Gender
This section describes the age and gender of all participants that entered the program during the fiscal year.
| Age |
Male |
Female |
| 62 and Over |
885 |
487 |
| 51 - 61 |
1166 |
775 |
| 31 - 50 |
1351 |
1626 |
| 18 - 30 |
743 |
1 |
| Total Adults: 8129 |
| Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth |
4 |
1 |
| 13 - 17 |
410 |
371 |
| 6 - 12 |
592 |
647 |
| 1 - 5 |
494 |
432 |
| Under Age 1 |
85 |
72 |
| Total Children: 3103 |
|
|
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.
| Age |
Male |
Female |
| 62 and Over |
0 |
2 |
| 51 - 61 |
0 |
3 |
| 31 - 50 |
5 |
2 |
| 18 - 30 |
2 |
1 |
| Total Reunited Adults: 15 |
| Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* |
0 |
0 |
| 13 - 17 |
2 |
2 |
| 6 - 12 |
4 |
1 |
| 1 - 5 |
6 |
3 |
| Under Age 1 |
14 |
16 |
| Total Reunited Children: 48 |
0 |
0 |
*Note: Emancipated or Unaccompanied Youth are defined as: emancipated minors, unaccompanied youth, married youth and/or a youth with a child.
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 |
828 |
432 |
| Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino |
7316 |
2719 |
| Total |
8144 |
3151 |
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 |
56 |
14 |
| Asian |
62 |
19 |
| Black/African American |
5407 |
2192 |
| Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander |
24 |
4 |
| White |
2105 |
643 |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native and White |
19 |
6 |
| Asian and White |
8 |
2 |
| Black/African American and White |
224 |
161 |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black/African American |
25 |
9 |
| Other* |
214 |
101 |
| Total |
8144 |
3151 |
*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) |
1349 |
0 |
| Alcohol Abuse (AA) |
863 |
0 |
| Mental Illness (MI) |
3461 |
83 |
| Developmental Disability (DD) |
360 |
109 |
| Physical Disability (PD) |
1525 |
17 |
| HIV and/or AIDS (HIV) |
567 |
2 |
| Chronic Medical Health Problems |
1495 |
42 |
| Domestic Violence |
1243 |
381 |
| Unaccompanied Youth |
22 |
26 |
| Pregnant/Parenting Teen |
84 |
0 |
| Ex-Offenders |
943 |
1 |
| Other |
147 |
10 |
| Total |
12059 |
671 |
Disabling Condition
There were 5367 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 491 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 Age 18 |
| No Income |
3345 |
2705 |
| $1 to $150 |
108 |
15 |
| $151 to $250 |
106 |
24 |
| $251 to $500 |
369 |
39 |
| $501 to $1000 |
2391 |
169 |
| $1001 to $1500 |
938 |
122 |
| $1501 to $2000 |
441 |
43 |
| $2001 plus |
446 |
34 |
| Total |
8144 |
3151 |
| Amount of Income Exiting the Program |
Adults |
Children Under Age 18 |
| No Income |
672 |
677 |
| $1 to $150 |
13 |
2 |
| $151 to $250 |
24 |
10 |
| $251 to $500 |
67 |
7 |
| $501 to $1000 |
454 |
57 |
| $1001 to $1500 |
198 |
31 |
| $1501 to $2000 |
109 |
4 |
| $2001 plus |
180 |
5 |
| Total |
1717 |
793 |
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 Age 18 |
| AABD |
48 |
0 |
| Alimony/Spousal Support |
4 |
0 |
| Child Support (or DCFS Grant) |
92 |
73 |
| Employment and Training |
22 |
0 |
| Employment Income |
1571 |
175 |
| Pension/Retirement |
100 |
0 |
| Private Disability Insurance |
3 |
0 |
| Social Security |
318 |
16 |
| SSDI |
1055 |
35 |
| SSI |
1631 |
71 |
| Targeted Work Initiative |
3 |
0 |
| Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) |
250 |
141 |
| Transitional/GA/Earnfare |
52 |
0 |
| Unemployment Benefits |
102 |
10 |
| Veterans Benefits |
68 |
0 |
| Work First/Work Pays |
9 |
4 |
| Worker's Compensation |
4 |
0 |
| Total |
5332 |
525 |
| Income Source Exiting the Program |
Adults |
Children Under Age 18 |
| AABD |
4 |
18 |
| Alimony/Spousal Support |
1 |
0 |
| Child Support (or DCFS Grant) |
36 |
18 |
| Employment and Training |
25 |
1 |
| Employment Income |
432 |
44 |
| Pension/Retirement |
18 |
0 |
| Private Disability Insurance |
1 |
0 |
| Social Security |
61 |
10 |
| SSDI |
204 |
14 |
| SSI |
283 |
9 |
| Targeted Work Initiative |
6 |
0 |
| Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) |
65 |
55 |
| Transitional/GA/Earnfare |
3 |
0 |
| Unemployment Benefits |
31 |
8 |
| Veterans Benefits |
11 |
0 |
| Work First/Work Pays |
4 |
2 |
| Worker's Compensation |
2 |
0 |
| Total |
1187 |
179 |
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 Age 18 |
| All Kids |
15 |
139 |
| Child Care Assistance |
66 |
25 |
| Emergency Food Assistance |
1273 |
187 |
| LIHEAP |
473 |
69 |
| Teen Parent Program |
27 |
0 |
| WIC |
217 |
92 |
| Medical Card |
4773 |
1728 |
| Other |
1068 |
315 |
| Total |
7912 |
2555 |
| Source of Benefits Exiting the Program |
Adults |
Children Under Age 18 |
| All Kids |
2 |
73 |
| Child Care Assistance |
10 |
2 |
| Emergency Food Assistance |
394 |
54 |
| LIHEAP |
89 |
57 |
| Teen Parent Program |
17 |
0 |
| WIC |
43 |
16 |
| Medical Card |
1054 |
541 |
| Other |
292 |
94 |
| Total |
1901 |
837 |
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 |
5119 |
| Enrolled After Entering |
1427 |
| Ineligible |
876 |
| Total Households |
7422 |
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 |
1126796 |
| Male Children |
433899 |
| Female Adults |
1046372 |
| Female Children |
391170 |
| Total |
2998237 |
There were 481541 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 Under Age 18 |
| Advocacy |
74936 |
5590 |
| Case Management |
237347 |
14566 |
| Financial Counseling |
32251 |
1504 |
| Life Skills Counseling |
126346 |
4659 |
| Other Counseling Services |
39527 |
456 |
| Alcohol Abuse Services |
5960 |
5 |
| Child Care |
1127 |
543 |
| Children's Services |
5505 |
10463 |
| Domestic Violence |
1764 |
175 |
| Education |
14263 |
2784 |
| Employment Services |
24859 |
311 |
| English as a Second Language |
2550 |
34 |
| Follow-up Services |
14933 |
1985 |
| Health/Dental Service |
29827 |
826 |
| HIV/AIDS Related Services |
5232 |
0 |
| Housing Location/Inspection |
28667 |
1524 |
| Mental Health Services |
30104 |
709 |
| Legal Service Referrals |
1590 |
64 |
| Outreach |
16763 |
55 |
| Substance Abuse Services |
10229 |
43 |
| Transportation |
139684 |
1223 |
| Other |
147672 |
1606 |
| Total |
991136 |
49125 |
Grand Total of supportive services: 1040261
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 |
103 |
51 |
| 1 to 2 months |
206 |
104 |
| 3 to 6 months |
281 |
128 |
| 7 to 12 months |
292 |
116 |
| 13 to 24 months |
212 |
114 |
| 25 months to 3 years |
265 |
141 |
| 4 to 5 years |
146 |
62 |
| 6 to 7 years |
61 |
37 |
| 8 to 10 years |
71 |
21 |
| 10 years and up |
80 |
19 |
| Total |
1717 |
793 |
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 |
149 |
104 |
| Completed program |
588 |
315 |
| Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge |
21 |
4 |
| Non-compliance with project |
146 |
93 |
| Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence |
61 |
6 |
| Reached maximum time allowed in project |
43 |
45 |
| Needs could not be met by project |
94 |
53 |
| Disagreement with rules/persons |
32 |
15 |
| Death |
133 |
6 |
| Voucher funds exhausted |
0 |
0 |
| Voluntary Departure |
164 |
62 |
| Unknown / disappeared |
230 |
54 |
| Other |
56 |
36 |
| Total |
1717 |
793 |
*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 |
Adult |
Children Under Age 18 |
| Rental house or apartment (non-subsidized) |
285 |
203 |
| Public Housing |
53 |
62 |
| Section 8 |
97 |
71 |
| Shelter Plus Care |
11 |
10 |
| HOME Subsidized house or apartment |
175 |
98 |
| Other subsidized house or apartment |
109 |
42 |
| Homeownership |
15 |
11 |
| Moved in with family or friends |
148 |
58 |
| Transitional Housing Destination (24 Months or Less) |
| Transitional Opportunity |
18 |
8 |
| Moved in with family or friends |
127 |
66 |
| Institutional Destination |
| Psychiatric hospital |
14 |
0 |
| Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility |
7 |
3 |
| Jail/prison |
37 |
2 |
| Other Emergency Shelter Destination |
| Emergency Shelter |
64 |
18 |
| Other supportive housing |
22 |
4 |
| Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) |
30 |
0 |
| Other |
164 |
18 |
| Unknown Destination |
| Unknown |
341 |
119 |
| Total |
1717 |
793 |
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 |
7206 |
2492 |
| No voucher funds |
0 |
0 |
| Inappropriate for shelter |
1838 |
331 |
| Refused to accept rules |
104 |
41 |
| Found other housing |
406 |
360 |
| Total |
9554 |
3224 |
There were 6908 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 |
6 |
1 |
| Bosnian |
0 |
0 |
| Bulgarian |
2 |
0 |
| Chinese |
2 |
0 |
| French |
4 |
0 |
| Gujarati |
0 |
0 |
| Hindi |
0 |
0 |
| Khmer |
0 |
0 |
| Korean |
0 |
0 |
| Lithuanian |
1 |
0 |
| Mandingo |
0 |
0 |
| Polish |
7 |
0 |
| Romanian |
1 |
0 |
| Russian |
2 |
0 |
| Spanish |
76 |
33 |
| Ukrainian |
0 |
0 |
| Urdu |
0 |
0 |
| Uzbek |
0 |
0 |
| Vietnamese |
2 |
0 |
| Other - Asian |
0 |
0 |
| Other - African |
0 |
0 |
| Other - Central and South American |
0 |
0 |
| Other - European |
0 |
0 |
| Other - Indian |
0 |
0 |
| Other |
9 |
2 |
| Total |
112 |
|
