Supportive Housing Annual Report FY 2014

Illinois Department of Human Services
Supportive Housing Annual Report
State Fiscal Year 2014

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 2014, $13.6 million in funding was allocated to the IDHS Supportive Housing Program for persons who are homeless.

Program Goal

The goal of the Supportive Housing Program is 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 includes, but is 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 contract 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 8,101
Children under age 18 3,522
Total 11,623

Number of Homeless Households

Homeless Households Population Number
Single Male 3,389
Single Female 2,264
Couple no Child 69
Couple with Child 118
Male with Child 75
Female with Child 1,559
Total unduplicated Households 7,474

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. 593 85
Emergency Shelter 2,502 713
Transitional Housing for Homeless 1,132 369
Permanent Housing 1,272 982
Psychiatric Facility 21 0
Substance Abuse treatment facility 159 13
Hospital 28 3
Jail/Prison 80 5
Domestic Violence situation 80 118
Living with relatives/friends 1,173 615
Rental housing/eviction 404 182
Disaster/Fire 7 4
Condemned Housing 38 14
Other 612 419
Total 8,101 3,522

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 6,031 2,719
1 1,386 498
2 390 238
3 238 60
4 18 0
5 or more 38 7
Total 8,101 3,522

Age and Gender

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

Adult Age & Gender Groupings Male Female
62 and over 338 217
51-61 1,603 984
31-50 1,427 1,858
18-30 574 1,072
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth 6 17
Total Adults 3,948 4,148
Children Age & Gender Groupings Male Female
13 to 17 387 422
6 to 12 699 714
1 to 5 525 552
Under age 1 78 107
Total Children 1,689 1,795

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 & Gender Groupings Male Female
62 and over 0 0
51-61 0 0
31-50 1 0
18-30 2 2
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 0 0
Total Reunited Adults 3 2

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

Children Age & Gender Groupings Male Female
13 to 17 2 1
6 to 12 3 2
1 to 5 1 0
Under Age 1 12 17
Total Reunited Children 18 20

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 477 434
Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino 7,624 3,088
Total 8,101 3,522

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 21 9
Asian 52 17
Black/African American 5,882 2,721
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 18 2
White 1,751 475
American Indian/Alaskan Native and White 13 3
Asian and White 2 3
Black/African American and White 131 142
American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black/African American 8 1
Other* 223 149
Total 8,101 3,522

*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) 2,056 80
Alcohol Abuse (AA) 1,489 18
Mental Illness (MI) 2,660 70
Developmental Disability (DD) 220 111
Physical Disability (PD) 1,143 41
HIV and/or AIDS (HIV) 667 5
Chronic Medical Health Problems 1,464 38
Domestic Violence 805 207
Unaccompanied Youth 34 0
Pregnant/Parenting Teen 28 8
Ex-Offenders 835 1
Other 532 391
Total 11,933 970

Disabling Condition

There were 4,560 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 636 participants that declared themselves as a veteran* that participated in the SHP program.

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

Cash Income

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

Amount of Income Entering the Program Adults Children under 18
No Income 2,554 2,363
$1 to $150 233 56
$151 to $250 221 78
$251 to $500 850 330
$501 to $1000 3,006 444
$1001 to $1500 857 172
$1501 to $2000 227 39
$2001 plus 153 40
Total 8,101 3,522
Amount of Income Exiting the Program Adults Children under 18
No Income 453 509
$1 to $150 21 18
$151 to $250 42 12
$251 to $500 171 63
$501 to $1000 621 100
$1001 to $1500 265 73
$1501 to $2000 105 9
$2001 plus 50 15
Total 1,725 799

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 491 45
Alimony/Spousal Support 6 0
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 123 196
Employment and Training 132 10
Employment Income 1,721 370
Pension/Retirement 102 3
Private Disability Insurance 7 0
Social Security 329 32
SSDI 900 106
SSI 1,871 240
Targeted Work Initiative 1 0
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 422 330
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 87 0
Unemployment Benefits 264 55
Veterans Benefits 143 2
Work First/Work Pays 1 0
Worker's Compensation 9 4
Total 6,609 1,393

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 15 16
Alimony/Spousal Support 1 0
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 32 41
Employment and Training 37 20
Employment Income 516 109
Pension/Retirement 19 2
Private Disability Insurance 3 0
Social Security 60 9
SSDI 231 16
SSI 1,043 781
Targeted Work Initiative 0 0
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 82 69
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 35 0
Unemployment Benefits 51 9
Veterans Benefits 26 1
Work First/Work Pays 0 0
Worker's Compensation 3 0
Total 2,154 1,073

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 161 617
Child Care Assistance 155 169
Emergency Food Assistance 764 203
LIHEAP 223 70
Teen Parent Program 2 1
WIC 150 223
Medical Card 3,235 1,649
Other 414 94
Total 5,104 3,026
Source of Benefits Exiting the Program Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 26 128
Child Care Assistance 19 35
Emergency Food Assistance 212 26
LIHEAP 49 18
Teen Parent Program 3 1
WIC 45 57
Medical Card 721 389
Other 86 40
Total 1,161 694

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.

There were a total of 7,474 participants in the SNAP program.  There were 5,461 enrolled in prior to entering the SHP program. 975 participants were enrolled after entering the SHP program and there were 1,038 participants ineligible for the SNAP program.

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 of Served
Male Adults 1,049,599
Male Children 453,026
Female Adults 1,128,033
Female Children 486,963
Total 3,117,621

There were 295,708 meal 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 74,122 6,957
Case Management 286,794 15,566
Financial Counseling 42,358 1,296
Life Skills Counseling 149,499 6,112
Other Counseling Services 40,744 433
Alcohol Abuse Services 12,242 2
Child Care 3,668 3,843
Children's Services 4,619 14,323
Domestic Violence 1,828 223
Education 50,602 6,321
Employment Services 41,483 243
English as a Second Language 156 1
Follow-up Services 11,884 418
Health/Dental Service 29,108 1,573
HIV/AIDS Related Services 5,400 24
Housing Location/Inspection 17,006 344
Mental Health Services 58,218 827
Legal Services Referrals 3,406 33
Outreach 25,821 424
Substance Abuse Services 19,867 42
Transportation 94,973 3,672
Other Counseling Services 18,751 806
Total 992,549 63,846

GRAND TOTAL of Supportive Services:  1,056,035

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 59 13
1 to 2 months 105 43
3 to 6 months 312 128
7 to 12 months 367 171
13 to 24 months 394 293
25 months to 3 years 196 76
4 to 5 years 139 46
6 to 7 years 71 20
8 to 10 years 40 7
10 years and up 45 2
Total 1,728 799

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 233 146
Completed program 697 328
Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge 64 9
Non-compliance with project 155 120
Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence 37 10
Reached maximum time allowed in project 19 21
Needs could not be met by project 60 14
Disagreement with rules/persons 29 9
Death 62 1
Voucher funds exhausted 0 0
Voluntary Departure 218 90
Unknown/disappeared 69 15
Other 85 36
Total 1,728 799

*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) 428 254
Public Housing 48 19
Section 8 83 111
Shelter Plus Care 18 5
HOME Subsidized house or apartment 36 10
Other subsidized house or apartment 247 65
Homeownership 12 10
Moved in with family or friends 242 168
Transitional Housing Destination (24 months or less) Adults Children under Age 18
Transitional Opportunity 44 19
Moved in with family or friends 153 56
Institutional Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Psychiatric hospital 9 0
Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility 19 2
Jail/prison 48 6
Other Emergency Shelter Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Emergency Shelter 39 5
Other supportive housing 62 19
Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) 7 0
Other 85 2
Unknown Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Unknown 148 48
  • GRAND TOTAL of Adults who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return:1,728
  • GRAND TOTAL of Children under the Age of 18 who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return:799

Reason for Turnaway

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

Reason for Turnaway Adults Children under Age 18
No vacancy 7,647 1,057
No voucher funds 135 59
Inappropriate for shelter 902 327
Refused to accept rules 37 59
Found other housing 171 207
Total 8,892 1,709

There were 7,343 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 1 1
Arabic 9 7
Bosnian 2 1
Bulgarian 0 0
Chinese 0 0
French 2 0
Gujarati 0 0
Hindi 0 0
Khmer 0 0
Korean 1 0
Lithuanian 0 0
Mandingo 0 0
Polish 2 0
Romanian 0 0
Russian 2 0
Spanish 65 41
Ukrainian 0 0
Urdu 0 0
Uzbek 0 0
Vietnamese 0 0
Other - Asian 0 0
Other - African 3 0
Other - Central and South American 0 0
Other - European 0 0
Other - India 0 0
Other 3 1
Total 90 51