The Community Advisory Council on Homelessness
March 5, 2025
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM - (Hybrid Meeting)
In Person:
DuPagePads IHC
1113 Butterfield Frontage Rd.
Downers Grove, IL, 60515
Agenda
- Welcome & Introductions
- Approve Minutes
- Community Spotlight: DuPage County
- Reflections and Flags: Federal Funding
- Public Comment
- FY26 State Budget
- Work Groups Updates
a. Home Illinois Summit
b. Policy
c. Communications Campaign
d. Benefits
e. Homeless Workforce
- Closing
Minutes:
I. Welcome and Introductions by Emily Krisciunas and Christine Haley
Community Advisory Council on Homelessness members present:
Emily Krisciunas, Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness (CFTEH)
Christine Haley, Illinois Chief Homelessness Officer
Jennifer Hill, Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook
April Redzic, DuPage Pads
Marlena Kalafut, City of Kankakee
Jose Munoz, La Casa Norte
Ronald Lund, Project Now
Susan Reyna, Covenant House
Otha Gaston, Lived Experience - Chicago
Nicole Wilson, Heart of Illinois United way
Linda Warner, Stopping Women Abuse Now, Inc (SWAN)
Tamela Milan-Alexander, Ever Thrive Illinois
Carolyn Ross, All Chicago
Sherri Allen-Reeves, Phoenix Foundation, NFP
Monique Williams, Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA)
Guests/Partners Present:
Scott Austgen, DuPagePads
Tori Shaffer, DuPagePads
Lisa Snipes, DuPage County COC
Joan, DuPage County Community Services
Karen Yupsen, CSH/SRN
Jennie, CSH Intern
Darci Flynn, Brave Path Strategies
Colleen Mahoney/OPEH
Richard Rowe/IDOC/OPEH
Brenda O'Connell/IHDA/OPEH
Jeri Bond/OPEH
LaTonya Butts/OPEH
Wang "Billy" Lau/OPEH
Kevin Roth/OPEH
Nikita Robinson/OPEH
Anna Spreitzer/OPEH
II. Approve Minutes
- motion was made by Christine Haley and seconded by Board Member Susan Reyes to approve the meeting minutes from December 4, 2024. The motion was approved by attendees, and Christine confirmed the approval.
III. Community Spotlight: DuPage County
April Redzic, President & CEO, Scott Austgen, Vice President of Programs, and Tori Shaffer, Director of Interim Housing, provided updates on DupagePads' work with the Interim Housing Center (IHC) and the unhoused population.
April discussed the acquisition of the IHC location during the COVID-19 pandemic and its conversion into a medical respite and hotel with 68 rooms. The county allocated funds, including $500,000 for initial costs and additional support for renovations, totaling over $6 million.
Scott outlined the challenges faced by the IHC starting in March 2020, including the creation of an Interim Housing Think Tank. Despite many shelters closing due to COVID-19, DupagePads' hoteling model continued without outbreaks. The shelter, open year-round, provides humane housing, case management, and safety measures like 65 security cameras. It serves 360 people, including 120 children, and offers 200 rapid housing units.
Tori discussed the intake process, which handles over 8,000 calls annually, and the Diversion Program, which prevents homelessness by addressing issues early. Families facing homelessness are placed into shelters, with case managers developing housing plans. The street outreach team provides support during winter, placing individuals in overflow hotels. She also noted the importance of private rooms for families with children and how many people prefer these over congregate shelters.
Tori highlighted the IHC's 135 rooms, including spaces for a kitchen, resource room, and staff offices. While space remains a challenge, DupagePads secured off-site locations for additional services. The facility conducts safety screenings and background checks to maintain a safe environment, with some individuals temporarily excluded based on criminal convictions. The high cost of living in DuPage County continues to strain housing availability.
In conclusion, the initiative makes a significant impact but faces ongoing challenges, particularly with evictions and the need for long-term housing solutions.
Questions were raised about meal and room cleaning procedures. Meals are provided through volunteers and frozen meals, with an industrial kitchen in development. Clients are responsible for cleaning their rooms, with limitations on personal items to maintain safety and cleanliness.
Overall, while progress is being made, permanent housing solutions remain a focus.
IV. Reflections and Flags: Federal Funding
Christine Haley and Emily Krisciunas led a discussion on the challenges of federal funding, particularly post-election. They highlighted concerns about the current administration's impact, such as potential funding cuts, freezes, and changes to policies, with a focus on HUD Technical Assistance (TA) funding. The group was encouraged to share experiences and challenges to identify key issues for the advisory council to address.
Sherri Allen-Reeves of Phoenix Foundation discussed the difficulties her organization faces in placing individuals into permanent housing due to delays, particularly for clients with mobility issues. She also raised concerns about the impact of delays in Social Security and SSI processes.
April Redzic from DuPagePads expressed concerns about the uncertainty of funding cycles, particularly regarding supportive housing and rapid rehousing programs. She mentioned a lack of clear communication and examples of difficulties in getting reimbursed for renovations.
Jose Munoz from La Casa Norte shared that the Supreme Court denied a request to freeze foreign aid funding, which could have impacted many programs. Otha Gaston thanked IDHS for funding defunded projects in Chicago.
Christine discussed how state funding helped cover gaps from defunded projects in the Chicago Continuum of Care (CoC). Jennifer Hill from the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County expressed concerns about federal funding instability, especially with recent HUD firings, delays in CoC grants, and uncertainty surrounding renewal grants.
Carolyn Ross from All Chicago highlighted the challenges faced by the Chicago CoC, including funding instability and the potential for service interruptions if funding isn't secured. She emphasized the need to stay proactive and continue efforts to engage legislators.
Susan Reyna from Covenant House talked about the risk to $120 million in HUD funding for the Chicago CoC and stressed the need for better coordination across CoCs. She also raised concerns about adjusting language or strategies to avoid potential issues with funding.
Marlena Kalafut from the City of Kankakee shared her experience managing Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and the challenges they faced meeting funding deadlines. She stressed the importance of CDBG funding for small communities like Kankakee.
Christine thanked everyone for their input and offered to set up additional conversations. She noted that many participants expressed a need for more guidance and support for CoCs. Jose Munoz emphasized the importance of maintaining responsibility to the communities served, regardless of potential challenges.
V. Public Comment
During public comment, Chris O'Hara thanked the group for allowing open discussion, noting that some meetings have become more focused on expedience. He expressed concern about the recent Supreme Court decision on foreign aid, suggesting it may affect the administration's funding goals. Chris also raised concerns about the continuing resolution process and the potential for cuts due to the simple majority voting system, which may not be immediately evident. He thanked the group and mentioned his involvement with both the Chicago and Suburban Cook County Continuums of Care.
VI. FY26 State Budget
Christine Haley provided an overview of the Governor's FY26 Proposed Budget released on February 19, 2025, focusing specifically on the Home Illinois Program.
- Home Illinois Program:
- The proposed budget includes $282.7 million for Home Illinois, a slight decrease from $290 million in the previous year. Despite a challenging budget year with a projected $1 billion deficit, Christine expressed relief that most of the funding for critical homelessness programs was maintained.
- Funding Breakdown:
- $91.5 million is allocated for shelter operations and services, including support for Chicago's One System Initiative, which combines the city's homelessness system and the new arrival crisis response system.
- Funding was preserved for various programs:
- Emergency and transitional housing
- Rapid rehousing
- Homeless prevention
- Scattered site permanent supportive housing
- Youth homelessness prevention
- Shelter diversion
- Mental illness supportive housing
- Addressing homelessness racial disparities
- Court-Based Rental Assistance:
- This program, which helps people in eviction court, has seen a reduction from $75 million to $50 million in the proposed budget.
- Detailed Program Allocations:
- $42 million for ETH and legacy programs
- $25 million for rapid rehousing
- $11 million for homelessness prevention (including both legacy and Home Illinois funds)
- $13 million for addressing homelessness racial disparities
- $16.2 million for youth homelessness prevention
- $6 million for supportive housing services
- Other Points Raised:
- Medical respite capacity building: There's a decrease in funding for this program.
- Mental illness supportive housing: Stable funding at $2.3 million from Home Illinois, with an additional $22 million from other state funds.
- Shelter and outreach programs, including the SPARC Center (Chicago's shelter placement and resource center), will continue to operate under stable funding.
- Concerns Raised:
- Worries about the impact of cuts: Christine emphasized concerns that the proposed budget may not be sufficient given the 18% increase in homelessness and 33% increase in family homelessness in Illinois. The coming winter could make these challenges worse, and the shelter system may face difficulties meeting demand.
- Unused funding: There was a suggestion that unused funds could be reallocated to areas with higher need, such as agencies with long waitlists or high demand for shelter.
- Legislative Advocacy:
- Christine mentioned that while the Governor's proposed budget is important, the Illinois General Assembly still needs to finalize the budget. Advocacy will be key to ensuring the funding remains stable or increases. Advocacy groups like the Shelter Alliance and SHPA are leading the efforts to influence the budget.
- She encouraged members to make their voices heard in Springfield, especially regarding court-based rental assistance and other critical homelessness services.
- Questions and Clarifications:
- Christine clarified that all funding discussed is from General Revenue Funds (GRF), and noted that other federal funds (e.g., CDBG, ESG) are managed separately.
- The supportive housing services program is going out for NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity), but no new funds are available for new programs aside from that.
Christine concluded by urging continued advocacy efforts and participation in discussions with the Illinois General Assembly.
VII. Work Groups Updates
a. Home Illinois Summit
Colleen Mahoney shared updates about the Home Illinois Summit 2025. The summit is scheduled to take place on June 9-10, 2025, in the Cook County suburbs of Rosemont. Registration for the event opened on March 3, 2025, and as of now, around 230 people have already registered, with a total capacity of 600. She encouraged everyone to register early, as the event is free, and spots are filling up quickly.
Additionally, Colleen mentioned an optional pre-conference training that will take place on the morning of June 9th. This training will focus on development processes for both fixed-site shelters and supportive housing. The training, offered by IFF, will cover important topics such as financing, zoning, and community engagement strategies related to development.
The Summit Planning Community Advisory Council Workgroup will be meeting the following day, March 6, 2025 to review a total of about 36 breakout session proposals. Colleen expressed excitement over the strong interest and the quality of proposals received for this year's summit. She also highlighted the ongoing search for nominations for the Recognition of Service Awards, which will be presented at the summit. The categories for nominations include elected state leaders, individuals with lived expertise, service providers, developers, state staff, and advocates.
Finally, Colleen addressed a question regarding lived expertise scholarships for the summit, which will be discussed offline. She thanked the members of the Summit Planning Advisory Committee for their continued efforts and encouraged anyone interested in reviewing the breakout session proposals to join the workgroup meeting.
b. Communications Campaign
Colleen updated the group about the upcoming workgroup focused on communications and narrative change. The goal of the workgroup is to develop a public campaign aimed at improving public understanding of the root causes of homelessness, as well as effective strategies to support people in accessing housing. The campaign will also focus on helping people understand how to access available resources.
Colleen mentioned that the first meeting of the workgroup is being scheduled, and she plans to send out a scheduling poll later that day. She also highlighted that a graduate student intern is working with the team on her capstone project, specifically focusing on messaging. A communications firm has also been brought on board to assist in the development of the campaign.
The group is looking for Community Advisory Council members to lend their expertise and collaborate on strategy. If someone had previously expressed interest in joining the workgroup via the fall survey, they will be included in the scheduling poll. For those who didn't express interest earlier but would now like to participate, Colleen asked them to reach out, and she will ensure they are added to the list for the meeting.
Otha Gaston stated in the chat that he would be interested in joining the communications campaign workgroup.
c. Public Benefits
Emily Krisciunas provided a brief update on the Public Benefits workgroup, explaining that the work is building off the recommendations made by the community advisory council in the most recent annual report. A team of consultants, Kim Drew and Sam Tuddle, both experts in public benefits, have been contracted through the TA Center to offer project management and subject matter expertise. These consultants are working with the group to facilitate the process of evaluating and implementing the recommendations from the report.
The goal is to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including advisory council members, key representatives from state agencies, and potentially community members beyond those already involved. This group will meet to review the recommendations from the report and discuss the next steps for advancing the work. Emily mentioned that the initial gathering of stakeholders might occur as early as the end of March.
d. Homeless Workforce
Christine Haley provided an update on the next workgroup, which focuses on workforce development, specifically related to the homeless workforce. She explained that, similar to the Public Benefits workgroup, the advisory council will be launching a workgroup to address the needs of the homeless workforce. The TA Center has identified two consultants who will lead this effort in collaboration with the task force.
This work will build upon an assessment completed by Northern Illinois University, which conducted a survey to understand the needs of the homeless workforce in Illinois. The structure and approach for this workgroup will closely mirror the process anticipated for the Public Benefits workgroup.
Christine also mentioned that if anyone had not previously indicated interest in joining the homeless workforce workgroup, they were welcome to be added to the list, and that outreach would begin shortly. She noted that the workgroup is expected to launch between March and April.
Christine then called on Darci Flynn for further input or updates.
Darci Flynn shared that she led the creation of the 2024 recommendations report, which was completed by November 15th under a legislative mandate. She joined the process in early fall of the previous year.
This year, Darci plans to stay involved with the workgroups throughout the year. Instead of working on the recommendations over six weeks, she will attend meetings, listen to discussions, and engage with all the workgroups to help shape the recommendations gradually. This is a new approach, and Darci is open to feedback.
She added that her ongoing involvement will likely result in a different report for 2026, reflecting changes in the federal landscape.
e. Policy
Christine Haley noted that Niya Kelly, who leads the policy workgroup, was not present at the meeting. She asked if anyone from the policy workgroup was in attendance, but there was no update provided from that group. Christine mentioned that Niya was likely in Springfield that day, leading that work, and encouraged anyone interested in joining the policy workgroup to reach out to Niya Kelly for more information.
VIII. Closing
Christine Haley invited attendees to bring up any unaddressed items and informed the group that the June meeting will be held during the summit on June 10th, from 9:00 to 10:30, as a joint meeting of the task force and advisory council. She encouraged participation in the summit and asked for ideas on how the advisory council and task force might engage, with discussions to be held in the planning group. Christine also reminded members to register for the summit and urged them to have their teams do the same.
Jose Munoz updated the group on Hope for Home Day, a statewide event on July 17th aimed at raising awareness and funds for homelessness. The event, which raised $154,000 for 20 organizations last year, is expanding this year. Jose is working to secure grants and matching funds for participants and encouraged anyone interested to contact him.
Jennifer Hill stressed the ongoing need to discuss racial equity and LGBTQ protections in addressing homelessness. She highlighted recent federal court rulings that deemed funding freezes and DEI contract cancellations unlawful and encouraged attendees to continue advocating, especially regarding Medicaid cuts.
April Redzic inquired about any updates on the 115 waiver in light of federal Medicaid issues. Christine Haley confirmed there were no new updates but mentioned the state is moving forward with the approved implementation plan for the waiver.
Christine Haley concluded with remarks emphasizing OPEH's role in supporting attendees and advocating for their concerns with the Governor's office. She encouraged sharing documentation of issues to help raise concerns and assured the group that OPEH is committed to being a resource.
Christine thanked everyone for attending, DuPagePads for hosting, and Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness for sponsoring the food. She closed the meeting and called for a motion to adjourn. Emily Krisciunas motioned, Carolyn Ross seconded, and the meeting was adjourned.
Recording
