Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness A Briefing for the Harris School of Public Policy Presented by: John W. Pfeiffer, MPA First Deputy Commissioner Chicago Department of Family and Support Services

 On any given night, 6,300 people experience homelessness in Chicago (5,060 sheltered, 1,219 unsheltered, Jan. 2013).  23% of Chicagoans live below the poverty line.  Chicago’s poverty rate has risen 14% in the last decade.  There is a shortage of 180,000 affordable rental units in Cook County.  A person would have to earn $18.42 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

Erosion of mental health services Low wages & part-time jobs without benefits High unemployment and underemployment Inadequate supply of affordable housing Rising poverty and extreme poverty (>50% FPL) Impact of foreclosure crisis on multifamily buildings Federal funding cutbacks and sequestration Inadequate substance abuse treatment resources Loss of SRO housing stock Minimal discharge planning from prisons

 Annual investment of over $125 million to support a continuum of services benefiting including: ◦ Homelessness Prevention ◦ Outreach and Engagement ◦ Overnight Shelter ◦ Interim Housing ◦ Rapid Rehousing ◦ Community-Based Case Management ◦ Public Benefits Assistance & Advocacy ◦ Employment, Substance Use & Mental Health Services ◦ Transitional Housing ◦ Permanent Supportive Housing ◦ Permanent Housing with Short-Term Support ◦ Age-Appropriate Housing for Youth ◦ Safe Haven (MISA)

 Chicago’s Five Year Housing Plan  Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund The nation’s largest municipal rental subsidy program 2,700 homeless dedicated units  Interagency Permanent Supportive Housing Group DHED, DFSS, CHA and Corporation for Supportive Housing meet monthly to: 1.Review pipeline of supportive housing deals 2.Coordinate funding for development, rent subsidies and services

 Plan 2.0 is a broad-ranging, seven-year action plan that reaffirms and builds on the strategies outlined in Chicago’s original 2003 Plan: 1.Homeless Prevention 2.Housing First 3.Wraparound Services  Over 500 stakeholders participated in the eight-month planning process, including 150 people who have experienced themselves.

1. The Crisis Response System 2. Access to Stable and Affordable Housing 3. Youth Homelessness 4. Employment 5. Advocacy and Civic Engagement 6. Cross-Systems Integration 7. Capacity Building

1. The Crisis Response System 2. Access to Stable and Affordable Housing 3. Youth Homelessness 4. Employment 5. Advocacy and Civic Engagement 6. Cross-Systems Integration 7. Capacity Building 9

 Goal: Create an effective crisis response system that prevents homelessness whenever possible and rapidly returns people to stable housing.  Key Objectives ◦ Create a coordinate access system for prevention, emergency shelter, and interim housing by the end of ◦ Double the prevention and diversion resources for families and singles from $2.2 million annually to $4.4 million annually by 2019 to reduce the number of new households experiencing homelessness. 10

 Goal: Create and maintain stable and affordable housing for households who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.  Key Objectives ◦ Increase the number of rapid rehousing units from 737 to 2,768 to meet project need. ◦ Increase the number of permanent supportive housing units from 6,842 to 8,814 to meet project need. ◦ Harness funding from all levels of government to expand affordable housing options for extremely low-income households in order to meet the projected need of 3,515 units. 11

 Goal: Create a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate menu of services for youth who experience homelessness in order to prevent homeless youth from becoming the next generation of homeless adults.  Key Objective ◦ Triple the capacity of the youth housing system by 2019 from 266 beds to 800 beds. 12

 Goal: Increase meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for people experiencing or most at risk of homelessness.  Key Objective ◦ Increase the number of households employed at exit. 13

 Goal: Engage all of Chicago in a robust plan that creates a path to securing a home for everyone in our community.  Key Objectives: ◦ Advocate for additional resources to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness. ◦ Increase civic participation and commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. 14

 Goal: Work across public and private systems of care to ensure ending homelessness is a shared priority.  Key Objectives: ◦ Foster sustained, high-level coordination among government agencies on the issue of ending homelessness by establishing a Chicago Interagency Council on Homelessness by the end of ◦ Ensure rapid assessment and connection to mainstream resources for all household experiencing or at risk of homelessness. 15

 Goal: Ensure a strong homeless assistance system capable of implementing Plan 2.0 goals and HEARTH Act performance standards.  Key Objective ◦ Increase Chicago’s outcome achievements in relation to Plan 2.0 and HEARTH Act performance measures. 16

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