State of Illinois Consolidated Plan: Program Years 2005-2009 Amendment and 2008 Action Plan

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State of Illinois 2008 Action Plan V-217 Other Actions
H. OTHER ACTIONS
The following section includes examples of efforts the State is pursuing to address the following: homelessness,
special needs housing, barriers to affordable housing, obstacles to meeting underserved needs, lead-based paint
removal, poverty, fair housing, institutional structure, public housing authorities, and monitoring.
1. Homeless and Other Special Need Activities
a. Homeless Activities
The State will pursue specific activities during Program Year 2008 to address emergency shelter and transitional
housing needs of homeless individuals and families with children, to prevent low-income individuals and families
with children (especially those with incomes below 30 percent of median family income) from becoming homeless,
and to help homeless persons (including persons with special needs) make the transition to permanent housing and
independent living.
First, the State, through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), will administer the State-funded
Emergency Food and Shelter (EF&S) Program to meet the emergency and transitional housing needs of individuals
and families. The $8.8 million available during FY 2007 will serve an estimated 49,000 homeless individuals and
family members, and persons at imminent risk of becoming homeless, with food, shelter and supportive services.
Under the State-funded, State-administered program, grants are made directly to homeless shelter providers
(emergency overnight shelters, transitional shelters, second-stage housing and voucher programs) on a statewide
basis.
Second, the State continues to strengthen its continuum of services for homeless persons through assistance in
housing location, placement and follow-up services. The State Supportive Housing Program (funded through the
Illinois Department of Human Services) serves low-income individuals and families who are formerly homeless or
at risk of becoming homeless. Services are delivered by governmental units, community organizations and not-for-profit
groups that operate housing programs. Supportive services include alcohol and substance abuse counseling,
mental health programs, transportation and other services deemed needed by the residents (including persons with
special needs) of single room occupancy facilities (SROs), other affordable rental properties and purchasable single-family
dwellings. The supportive services help individuals and families gain and maintain permanent housing and
prevent those at risk from becoming homeless. The State will provide local organizations with approximately $6.5
million in program year 2007.
Third, the Homeless Prevention Program administered by the IDHS will be funded at $11million in 2008, through
the IHDA Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF). This program works to stabilize individuals and families in
their existing homes, reduce the amount of time spent in shelters, as well as to secure affordable housing. The
program provides rental security deposit assistance, utility assistance, management and supportive services directly
related to the prevention of homelessness or repeated episodes of homelessness.
In a major effort to build the capacity of local agencies (organizations) to develop and manage permanent supportive
housing, (previously for homeless persons), the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), supported by a May
2006 technical assistance grant from IHDA’s AHTF, conducted the first round of training and technical assistance to
participating development teams, through its Supportive Housing Institute named “Opening New Doors”. The
teams selected are provided with guidance, tools and detailed plans needed to develop and implement supportive
housing programs. Trainings include guest speakers from the field and IHDA and are highly interactive. All teams
receive individualized TA from CSH staff throughout the institute. Participation is limited to 10 teams, and priority
is given to projects that will serve families and individuals who are chronically homeless. Participants have access
to limited CSH pre-development financing for these projects. Of the teams selected, 80% are outside the City of
Chicago, identified as the neediest areas for such capacity building. In total, teams from the first round of training
completed in March 2007 are proposing over 300 units of supportive housing at sites in Chicago, Monmouth, Oak
Park, Danville, DuPage County, Metropolis, Marion and Niles, IL. Participants for the Fall 2007/Winter 2008