Creating the Atmosphere for Supportive Housing to Flourish in Illinois

 Where We Started  What We Have Accomplished To-Date  What We Did and What Worked

Our State  Big City: Chicago  Mid-sized Cities  Very Rural and Impoverished Areas  Great Geographical Distances

The Supportive Housing Scene  12 Supportive Housing Providers met monthly in Chicago as the Supportive Housing Providers Assoc.  Each year what was left over in the state Human Services budget went to funding services in supportive housing.

If We Want a State Line Item for Supportive Housing Services, We Need to Be a Statewide Association!

We Formed a Statewide Association  The Key: listening what people from outside of Chicago had to say without getting defensive.  Using this information to form a NEW statewide association.

What Made SHPA a Real Statewide Association  Made a commitment to meet quarterly in Springfield.  Sliding-scale dues based dues on size of organization’s budget.  All members on the Board of Directors.  New association, not a continuation

What We Accomplished Since Going Statewide in 2000  Two line items in state general revenue budget funding supportive housing services,  Totaling $13.84 million  Funding services in 4,500 units of supportive housing  SHPA now has 95 members, approx ½ in Chicago and ½ spread throughout the rest of the state.

What Worked  Listening to our “Inside Allies” who told us how to present our issue.  Be visual.  Talk about cost savings and leveraging.  Use the milking stool.  Add the community mental health providers.

For Example...

More of What Worked...  Building SHPA relationship building relationships.  Connecting providers with one another.  Show casing members at quarterly meetings and in s.

And Speaking of s...  Making them as personal, statewide, and easy to read as possible.  Using weather across the state and articles from newspapers across the state to connect everyone.

More about what seems to work with s...  Make the action as simple as possible to take.  Ask people to that they did it.  a list of what everyone did.  Use daily s in hot times to build momentum.

Involving Residents  They are the strongest spokespeople.  They inspire staff and touch legislators.  Resident Advocacy Trainings with residents helping to lead these trainings.  Resident Newsletters

Using the New Supportive Housing Projects to Gain Legislative Allies  Providers meet with legislators or have them visit to introduce them to their new project.  SHPA asks these legislators to support the new funding.

Krispy Kremes and Supportive Housing Legislative Breakfast  We have poster boards with staff and residents around the room.  Each tell an aspect of supportive housing or show a new project.  We ask the legislators to support the new funding.

Using our Quarterly Meetings  To build community  To showcase members, their supportive housing, their service delivery, etc.  To recognize what members have done, advocacy, voters registration, get out the vote, etc.

Keeping Track of Advocacy Actions Members and Allies Complete and Recognizing Them for Taking these Actions.