1. Building Housing First into Your Community’s Homeless System Liz Drapa Program Manager - Illinois Corporation for Supportive Housing NAEH Conference – July 18, 2006 www.csh.org www.csh.org

2. Our Mission CSH helps communities create permanent housing with services to prevent and end homelessness.

3. Overview of Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness

4. 4 Tenets of the Plan Prevention Housing First Wraparound Services System Change

5. How We Built in Housing 1st Coalition/Support Building Program Change System-Wide Coordination Partnerships Sound Transition Goals Financial Resources Evaluation

6. Coalition/Support Building Reconfigured the Continuum of Care Board –¼ Government; ¼ Providers; ¼ consumers; remaining are at-large members –Every seat represents a constituency group Developed an Implementation Schedule for Plan –Outlines tasks, targets, responsible parties under Plan’s core tenets Support Mayor’s office, Continuum staff, provider Partnership, and Consumer Caucus

7. Program Change Developed program models –Outline the essential requirements for every program type under the Plan Required programs receiving HUD and City money to be consistent with the Plan for funding Provided TA and training to programs under conversion Mandated outcomes for every project Begun evaluation of interim housing model

8. System-Wide Coordination Initiate discharge planning work – esp. around frequent users Provide training to all CoC members on Plan, program models, and innovative strategies HMIS implementation Coordinate development of prevention hotline Explore development of permanent housing waiting list

9. Partnerships Chronic Homeless Bonus $ - CoC coordinate one application process and sets priorities –2005 & 2006 awarded scattered site SHP subsidies Housing Locator Program –6 locators funded by City to coordinate market rate unit location and placement Street to Home Initiative –Funded by City to target 100 chronically homeless persons on street Harm Reduction Initiative –Assist agency in becoming harm reduction (funded by foundations)

10. Sound Transition Goals Set blueprint for change for system conversion –2003 initial blueprint and revised in 2006 based on new data and assumptions –Outlines the goals per year for shelter change and permanent housing development –Entire CoC, PTEH, City approve goals Set realistic goals and track goals in State of Plan Work to match funding priorities to goals

11. Financial Resources HUD Dollars –Continue to improve evaluation tool for programs and organize according to priorities –Work with programs to restructure budgets to fund housing or to accommodate program changes City Dollars –Require consistency with Plan –Coordinate transition from shelter to interim housing Pursue new dollars –State Rental Support Bill –Prevention Dollars

12. Evaluation Conduct evaluation of program models –Recently released report on interim housing Conduct evaluation of system barriers –Recently released report on intake barriers to permanent housing Release State of the Plan 2x/year –January 2006 and July 2006 reports released Issue report on SuperNOFA process and results annually

13. Our Challenges and Successes

14. Upcoming Challenges Getting HMIS up and running Integrating flexible delivery of services and housing throughout the system –Harm Reduction Pilot –Addressing barriers to intake in all programs Reaching our “tipping point” Continuing to support the CoC process Understanding new homeless needs Obtaining service dollars (and other dollars!)

15. Successes to Date Since 2003: –Doubled the # of people receiving prevention –Added 1,303 permanent housing units –Phased in 1,497 interim housing beds –Phased out 1,948 shelter beds –Opened 4 new PSH developments (386 units) –Added 269 chronic homeless units –Initiated HMIS system –Added new partnerships

16. Resources NAEH Housing First Network: http://www.endhomelessness.org/networks/housingfirst/ http://www.endhomelessness.org/networks/housingfirst/ NPR Series on Housing First: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/housingfirst/ http://www.npr.org/news/specials/housingfirst/ Chicago Reports on System/Program Change: http://www.chicagocontinuum.org/archives/catalog.html http://www.chicagocontinuum.org/archives/catalog.html Chicago Training Series: http://www.chicagocontinuum.org/resources/trainginfo.html http://www.chicagocontinuum.org/resources/trainginfo.html

17. Contact Information Liz Drapa Corporation for Supportive Housing 203 North Wabash Chicago IL 60601 Phone: 312-332-6690 x19 Email: Liz.drapa@csh.orgLiz.drapa@csh.org

18. To learn more about supportive housing visit www.csh.orgwww.csh.org