Supportive Housing Annual Report FY 2015

Illinois Department of Human Services
Supportive Housing Annual Report
State Fiscal Year 2015

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 2015, $14.6 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 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 8,587
Children under age 18 3,687
Total 12,274

Number of Homeless Households

Homeless Households Population Number
Single Male 3,747
Single Female 2,475
Couple no Child 68
Couple with Child 145
Male with Child 70
Female with Child 1,583
Total unduplicated Households 8,088

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. 721 223
Emergency Shelter 2,658 916
Transitional Housing for Homeless 1,121 402
Permanent Housing 1,282 975
Psychiatric Facility 14 0
Substance Abuse treatment facility 190 5
Hospital 21 5
Jail/Prison 113 2
Domestic Violence situation 111 160
Living with relatives/friends 1,354 510
Rental housing/eviction 574 218
Disaster/Fire 0 0
Condemned Housing 25 17
Other 403 254
Total 8,587 3,687

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 6,227 2,752
1 1,567 635
2 451 222
3 146 63
4 71 2
5 or more 125 13
Total 8,587 3,687

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 467 289
51-61 1,721 1,001
31-50 1,499 1,861
18-30 566 1,166
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth 2 5
Total Adults 4,255 4,322
Children Age & Gender Groupings Male Female
13 to 17 417 454
6 to 12 709 747
1 to 5 547 562
Under age 1 90 99
Total Children 1,763 1,862

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 3 1
18-30 1 5
Emancipated Minor or Unaccompanied Youth* 0 0
Total Reunited Adults 4 6

*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 3 7
6 to 12 4 4
1 to 5 4 3
Under Age 1 11 26
Total Reunited Children 22 40

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 712 394
Non-Hispanic and Non-Latino 7,875 3,293
Total 8,587 3,687

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 23 8
Asian 75 9
Black/African American 6,307 2,925
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 10 1
White 1,800 459
American Indian/Alaskan Native and White 12 3
Asian and White 2 3
Black/African American and White 115 87
American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black/African American 4 0
Other* 239 192
Total 8,587 3,687

*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) 2,247 7
Alcohol Abuse (AA) 1,512 5
Mental Illness (MI) 2,712 63
Developmental Disability (DD) 252 114
Physical Disability (PD) 1,300 42
HIV and/or AIDS (HIV) 744 3
Chronic Medical Health Problems 1,234 40
Domestic Violence 795 282
Unaccompanied Youth 59 1
Pregnant/Parenting Teen 36 4
Ex-Offenders 1,029 2
Other 600 453
Total 12,520 1,016

Disabling Condition

There were 4,772 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 745 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 2,755 2,438
$1 to $150 220 15
$151 to $250 245 64
$251 to $500 784 354
$501 to $1000 3,120 491
$1001 to $1500 1,005 182
$1501 to $2000 301 88
$2001 plus 157 55
Total 8,587 3,687
Amount of Income Exiting the Program Adults Children under 18
No Income 522 514
$1 to $150 29 9
$151 to $250 55 20
$251 to $500 164 80
$501 to $1000 637 134
$1001 to $1500 308 76
$1501 to $2000 129 37
$2001 plus 95 22
Total 1,939 892

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 14 5
Alimony/Spousal Support 16 1
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 135 182
Employment and Training 119 21
Employment Income 2,039 421
Pension/Retirement 131 11
Private Disability Insurance 13 0
Social Security 330 18
SSDI 1,058 139
SSI 1,867 305
Targeted Work Initiative 4 5
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 454 477
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 180 6
Unemployment Benefits 184 39
Veterans Benefits 161 1
Work First/Work Pays 0 0
Worker's Compensation 5 2
Total 6,710 1,633

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 2 4
Alimony/Spousal Support 7 0
Child Support (or DCFS Grant) 32 58
Employment and Training 31 2
Employment Income 633 176
Pension/Retirement 33 0
Private Disability Insurance 8 0
Social Security 104 8
SSDI 223 30
SSI 341 73
Targeted Work Initiative 1 0
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 89 89
Transitional/GA/Earnfare 23 1
Unemployment Benefits 35 5
Veterans Benefits 51 2
Work First/Work Pays 1 0
Worker's Compensation 0 0
Total 1,614 448

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 116 668
Child Care Assistance 91 69
Emergency Food Assistance 1,166 286
LIHEAP 187 20
Teen Parent Program 0 1
WIC 179 201
Medical Card 4,180 1,911
Other 705 125
Total 6,624 3,281
Source of Benefits Exiting the Program Adults Children Under 18
All Kids 14 164
Child Care Assistance 35 24
Emergency Food Assistance 206 76
LIHEAP 87 17
Teen Parent Program 0 0
WIC 43 46
Medical Card 1,039 417
Other 138 31
Total 1,562 775

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 5,445
Enrolled After Entering 1,049
Ineligible 1,594
Total Households 8,088

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 1,111,499
Male Children 499,701
Female Adults 1,193,636
Female Children 522,973
Total 3,327,809

There were 308,340 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 71,408 3,730
Case Management 310,381 11,595
Financial Counseling 43,465 277
Life Skills Counseling 131,683 4,145
Other Counseling Services 44,882 708
Alcohol Abuse Services 13,195 0
Child Care 3,874 1,316
Children's Services 4,143 10,130
Domestic Violence 2,412 530
Education 35,317 5,491
Employment Services 44,775 370
English as a Second Language 294 1
Follow-up Services 9,360 891
Health/Dental Service 30,154 809
HIV/AIDS Related Services 5,969 0
Housing Location/Inspection 16,937 665
Mental Health Services 53,902 536
Legal Service Referrals 3,226 114
Outreach 29,555 1,007
Substance Abuse Services 19,373 1
Transportation 99,794 3,228
Other Counseling Services 15,352 1,296
Total 989,451 46,840

GRAND TOTAL of Supportive Services:  1,036,291

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 68 21
1 to 2 months 132 71
3 to 6 months 342 120
7 to 12 months 347 171
13 to 24 months 415 296
25 months to 3 years 285 101
4 to 5 years 192 85
6 to 7 years 89 16
8 to 10 years 37 11
10 years and up 32 0
Total 1,939 892

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 278 137
Completed program 692 385
Non-payment of rent/occupancy charge 100 34
Non-compliance with project 214 139
Criminal activity/destruction of property/violence 45 4
Reached maximum time allowed in project 13 23
Needs could not be met by project 58 22
Disagreement with rules/persons 35 11
Death 72 0
Voucher funds exhausted 1 0
Voluntary Departure 324 72
Unknown/disappeared 47 28
Other 60 37
Total 1,939 892

*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) 557 317
Public Housing 27 24
Section 8 98 129
Shelter Plus Care 5 0
HOME Subsidized house or apartment 54 21
Other subsidized house or apartment 217 89
Homeownership 16 10
Moved in with family or friends 231 104
Transitional Housing Destination (24 months or less) Adults Children under Age 18
Transitional Opportunity 54 26
Moved in with family or friends 109 50
Institutional Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Psychiatric hospital 2 0
Inpatient alcohol or other drug treatment facility 17 4
Jail/prison 44 0
Other Emergency Shelter Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Emergency Shelter 36 17
Other supportive housing 27 12
Places not meant for human habitation (e.g. street) 6 0
Other 106 7
Unknown Destination Adults Children under Age 18
Unknown 333 82
  • GRAND TOTAL of Adults who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 1,939
  • GRAND TOTAL of Children under the Age of 18 who exited the program during the fiscal year and were not expected to return: 892

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 7,555 1,077
No voucher funds 204 31
Inappropriate for shelter 1,249 261
Refused to accept rules 76 99
Found other housing 356 221
Total 9,440 1,689

There were 8,740 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 5 3
Bosnian 0 0
Bulgarian 0 0
Chinese 0 0
French 3 1
Gujarati 1 0
Hindi 0 0
Khmer 0 0
Korean 6 0
Lithuanian 0 0
Mandingo 0 0
Polish 1 0
Romanian 0 0
Russian 1 0
Spanish 57 27
Ukrainian 0 0
Urdu 0 0
Uzbek 0 0
Vietnamese 0 0
Other - Asian 2 0
Other - African 2 0
Other - Central and South American 0 0
Other - European 0 0
Other - Indian 0 0
Other 9 2
Total 87 33