The Partnership to End Homelessness recently awarded the Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness their Partner in Change award in recognition of the role grantmakers are playing in the ten-year plan to end homelessness in Chicago.

The ten-year plan is an example of how specific directives from funders can shape programs. Funding for homelessness programs in Chicago has undergone a major shift from shelter-based services to permanent housing services, and agencies have made the shift to follow requirements from funding sources. As the plan advances, changes can be made to promote beneficial practices-for instance, in the most recent evaluations, prospective grantees receive bonus points on their application for using the new Homeless Management Information System that tracks an individual's progress. That requirement has helped spur adoption of the program, and increasing the points for using the program could make adoption more widespread.

As the ten-year plan progresses, the number of shelter beds in Chicago will be decreasing (with a few hundred being kept for use in emergencies) while the number of permanent housing units (with varying levels of supportive services) dramatically increases. The addition of permanent housing units is front-loaded at the beginning of the plan, while the shelter units are gradually phased out over the entire ten-year life of the plan in order to avoid causing a dramatic shock to the existing system. Currently, the number of permanent housing units is running slightly ahead of projections for 2006.

The federal funding for this strategy comes through a process administered by the Chicago Continuum of Care, which has recently completed its funding request to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The decision on how much funding Chicago receives through this process should be made in December or January. In addition to requesting funds for ongoing projects, the Continuum has recently been a part of a harm reduction initiative to highlight harm reduction techniques and demonstrate their use. Harm reduction housing differs from abstinence-based housing programs in that it does not require residents to abstain from drug or alcohol use as a condition of residence; rather, residents are encouraged to plan a program for themselves that will lessen the damage they may be doing to themselves.

Some projects may not receive renewal funding through the Continuum. Working with consultants, the Continuum developed an evaluation instrument that gives projects a score based on the project's performance, its relationship with its clients, its work with special populations, its intake criteria, and other measures. Submitting a late application automatically puts the applicant at the bottom of the funding list. Organizations with lower scores may not receive renewals, and sixteen projects are currently slated to not receive renewal funding.

State and local funding also plays a significant role in the plan. For example, the State recently approved funding for 5,000 units of permanent supportive housing, and 2,000 of those units will be in Chicago. The Low Income Housing Trust Fund will be the vehicle for funding these units.

The City also continues to contribute Skyway funds to projects to end homelessness. Many of these are demonstration projects that may be able to develop new funding sources once they show their utility. One such project is the Prevention Call Center, which will bring numerous call centers in the city together and then integrate them with the 311 system. This will provide a single access point to a range of services, and individuals in this call center will have information on what programs are available and even up-to-the-minute information on how much funding remains for a particular program.

A recurring question asked throughout the presentations was one of sustainability-how can programs that currently employ short-term funding sources continue once those funds are eliminated?

The meeting provided updates on several ongoing programs at various stages of development. The updates included a particular focus on barriers or problems the programs faced as they moved forward. Some of the themes and concepts that emerged during the meeting included:

• Greater collaboration and coordination can help efforts to end homelessness in many ways. Some efforts to improve collaboration and coordination are underway, including the Homeless Prevention Call Center, a one-stop location for callers needing homeless prevention services; the Housing Locator Collaborative, which coordinates the services of four housing locators who receive referrals from fifteen organizations; the Chicago Homeless System Mapping Project, which provides an online visualization of Chicago's homeless service system; and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which gathers information on people receiving services from organizations throughout the city.
  In these examples and more, increasing the amount of collaboration taking place will improve the overall efforts. For example, currently HMIS has 77 agencies using its system, out of a total of 94 agencies city-wide. However, the level of HMIS use by these 77 agencies varies; due to staff turnover, agencies may not have personnel who have the training and authorization to use the system. HMIS data will be better able to present a broad picture of activities to end homelessness in Chicago as more agencies regularly contribute data, and efforts to recruit more agencies and provide necessary training are underway.
  Collaboration and coordination has proven to be difficult at some levels, especially in county government. Different divisions of Cook County, including the health system and the Department of Corrections, are unused to working together and often do not have access to tools that promote collaboration. Helping them acquire and learn how to use collaborative tools and promoting coordination between various governmental units can improve overall service provision.
• Demonstration projects have shown the effectiveness of supportive housing and services that help people experiencing chronic illness, mental illness, or substance abuse move into permanent housing. If these programs are to be expanded to all available individuals, there needs to be more supportive housing units in the city and more funding for the accompanying services. In particular there needs to be more services based on the harm-reduction model rather than the sobriety-based model, as many people are falling through the cracks left by the sobriety-based housing services.
• Studies are in progress that could make direct ties to housing and health, particularly housing and HIV/AIDS incidence. By showing a correlation between housing provision and quality and longevity of life, these studies could make strong arguments for better housing services and increased numbers of units. The studies could also show the savings to state and local governments tied to providing permanent housing solutions, including decreased costs for hospitalizations and incarcerations.
• When demonstration projects show good results, it is worth investigating what elements of those projects would translate to other areas of service provision. Some aspects of a program might be specific to a certain population (for example, homeless individuals with diagnosed mental illnesses), but other aspects might be more translatable, providing solutions for a range of individuals and areas of service.
  At the end of the discussion, participants expressed interest in finding ways to help some of these efforts along, including possibly meeting in smaller groups to discuss common areas of interest and involving practitioners in future discussions about the overall system.
  

The Partnership to End Homelessness recently awarded the Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness their Partner in Change award in recognition of the role grantmakers are playing in the ten-year plan to end homelessness in Chicago.

The ten-year plan is an example of how specific directives from funders can shape programs. Funding for homelessness programs in Chicago has undergone a major shift from shelter-based services to permanent housing services, and agencies have made the shift to follow requirements from funding sources. As the plan advances, changes can be made to promote beneficial practices-for instance, in the most recent evaluations, prospective grantees receive bonus points on their application for using the new Homeless Management Information System that tracks an individual's progress. That requirement has helped spur adoption of the program, and increasing the points for using the program could make adoption more widespread.

As the ten-year plan progresses, the number of shelter beds in Chicago will be decreasing (with a few hundred being kept for use in emergencies) while the number of permanent housing units (with varying levels of supportive services) dramatically increases. The addition of permanent housing units is front-loaded at the beginning of the plan, while the shelter units are gradually phased out over the entire ten-year life of the plan in order to avoid causing a dramatic shock to the existing system. Currently, the number of permanent housing units is running slightly ahead of projections for 2006.

The federal funding for this strategy comes through a process administered by the Chicago Continuum of Care, which has recently completed its funding request to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The decision on how much funding Chicago receives through this process should be made in December or January. In addition to requesting funds for ongoing projects, the Continuum has recently been a part of a harm reduction initiative to highlight harm reduction techniques and demonstrate their use. Harm reduction housing differs from abstinence-based housing programs in that it does not require residents to abstain from drug or alcohol use as a condition of residence; rather, residents are encouraged to plan a program for themselves that will lessen the damage they may be doing to themselves.

Some projects may not receive renewal funding through the Continuum. Working with consultants, the Continuum developed an evaluation instrument that gives projects a score based on the project's performance, its relationship with its clients, its work with special populations, its intake criteria, and other measures. Submitting a late application automatically puts the applicant at the bottom of the funding list. Organizations with lower scores may not receive renewals, and sixteen projects are currently slated to not receive renewal funding.

State and local funding also plays a significant role in the plan. For example, the State recently approved funding for 5,000 units of permanent supportive housing, and 2,000 of those units will be in Chicago. The Low Income Housing Trust Fund will be the vehicle for funding these units.

The City also continues to contribute Skyway funds to projects to end homelessness. Many of these are demonstration projects that may be able to develop new funding sources once they show their utility. One such project is the Prevention Call Center, which will bring numerous call centers in the city together and then integrate them with the 311 system. This will provide a single access point to a range of services, and individuals in this call center will have information on what programs are available and even up-to-the-minute information on how much funding remains for a particular program.

A recurring question asked throughout the presentations was one of sustainability-how can programs that currently employ short-term funding sources continue once those funds are eliminated?

Harm reduction is a treatment method looks at a continuum of behaviors and tries to meet people where they are, helping them make progress toward safer behaviors when they are ready to do so. For example, many programs for people dealing with substance abuse define recovery as beginning when an individual completely stops abusing substances; in harm reduction, by contrast, recovery begins whenever an individual makes a positive change in his or her life. A reduction in the amount of drugs the individual uses, or a change in people with whom the individual associates, or safer using practices such as using clean needles could all be considered positive steps.

Harm reduction should not be thought of as being in opposition to abstinence-based programs; if someone in a harm-reduction program decides on abstinence, that is a positive step and would be strongly encouraged. What harm reduction does, though, is recognizes that not everyone may be prepared for abstinence immediately, but other, smaller steps may be possible. By establishing a trusting rapport with an individual and maintaining a long-term relationship, harm-reduction programs can be there to help when an individual is ready to change.

Individual control is an important part of harm-reduction programs; the steps people take to reduce the potential for harm in their lives are designed by the individuals themselves. By trusting people to take care of themselves and allowing them to make progress at their own pace, harm-reduction programs avoid the risk of pushing someone away at times when they may need assistance the most.

The great majority-about 80 percent-of housing for the homeless in the Chicago area is sobriety-based; any use of drugs or alcohol can force a homeless individual out of the housing unit. This ends up pushing away a large number of people with chronic substance abuse problems, chronic mental illness, or both. In fact, by focusing so much on sobriety alone, these programs often overlook mental health issues that may be contributing factors to an individual's substance abuse.

Harm reduction can work with people who have difficulty fitting in to sobriety-based programs. It is not necessarily a substitute for such programs; rather, it can be a complement, working with people who otherwise might be left without shelter by more traditional programs.

Since harm-reduction programs are relatively new, tools still need to be designed to help evaluate the results of these programs. Preliminary studies show that the programs have a significant effect in reducing participants' drug or alcohol use and increasing their income; the number of people who completely abstain from drug or alcohol use or who gain employment are smaller (most of the income gains come when people are signed up for disability payments they had not previously received). The development of more comprehensive measures of success could help show the overall effects of harm-reduction programs.

Building new harm-reduction programs can be a difficult process; some people may not want harm-reduction housing in their communities, as they may be worried about increased crime of the residents who may still be abusing substances (although at least one study of a needle exchange showed no increase in crime in the surrounding neighborhood). Additionally, there is a strong strain in the current political and social climate toward not tolerating any drug use, and this strain is generally not accepting of the harm-reduction model. However, contemporary society provides a number of examples of harm reduction-type programs, from designated driver programs to laws limiting public smoking to public service announcements encouraging parents who smoke to do so away from their children. Building on such initiatives may help people see that harm reduction is not a radical departure from the things they are already doing.

After a brief discussion, Donors Forum of Chicago was suggested as a candidate with the capacity to administer funds for the proposed project. Co-chairs Ngoan Le and Sue Augustus will update the project outline and seek consultants' proposals. Robin Berkson will follow up with information about Donors Forum's administration of members' funds that would support this research project.

Next, members provided updates on The Chicago Continuum of Care and its new infrastructure. Several factors were noted that might affect the new board's functionality including the leadership transition and the misconception that its purpose is to organize people who are homeless. The group noted that it is important to hear consumer voices and pointed out that Chicago has the advantage of provider involvement in developing the plan, as compared to other cities that do not have providers involved in planning.

Liz Drapa reported that the Federal budget will be released in January or February 2006. She noted that nearly 400 beds will be cut. Of these, 18 are permanent and the others are temporary or transitional housing. Liz will send a chart to GCEH members related to these changes in operating subsidies.

Members discussed issues related to the HUD support for Supportive Housing Initiative (SHI). The closures of permanent housing units are related to the timing and level of renewal support. Cuts in operating subsidies will affect the ability of sites to capture other long-term financing, so the full package of subsidy and service funding is critical to the success of providers' long-term commitments.

There was agreement that there is not enough funding and the importance of supporting SHI through the private sector was emphasized. It was suggested that leaders advocate with Congress to support this issue.

It was noted that the next Continuum Board meeting is November 29th. Christine Flood represents GCEH on the board. Liz will provide an update on the number of beds to be cut and information on replacements or the number that will remain.

Funding for Chicago's Ten Year Plan To End Homelessness
September 14, 2005 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness gathered at Prince Charitable Trusts to discuss Public Funding for Chicago's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The discussion was facilitated by Ngoan Le, Chicago Community Trust, and included remarks from Tami Cole, Chicago Department of Human Services; Cindy Collins, Chicago Department of Human Services; Betsy Benito, Chicago Department of Housing; Liz Drapa, Chicago Continuum of Care; and Julie Dworkin, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

The discussion began with an overview of the scope of the homelessness problem in Chicago, as well as a look at the sources and purposes of public funding programs. The national funding picture has become more uncertain in the light of the relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina, as it is unclear what funds may be redirected into disaster relief and what proposed changes to the funding system might be on hold until the situation has stabilized. Community Development Block Grants were cut by six percent, resulting in a loss of $1 million to Chicago, and Community Services Block Grants may be cut by as much as 50 percent. Additionally, even programs that are approved for full funding may see cuts once national caps on spending take effect.

One potential bright spot in federal funding is the Samaritan Initiative, a program that has been proposed for years but continually gets zeroed out in final budgets. This year, the President has requested full funding for the program, and the final result seems likely to be near that goal. The Samaritan Initiative is a competitive program with the goal of helping move the chronically homeless into permanent housing.

A crucial part in determining who receives federal money coming to Chicago is HUD's SuperNOFA, which consolidates HUD's Notices of Funding Availability into one document. To receive money through the SuperNOFA, organizations must work through their local Continuum of Care, which sets priorities and evaluates individual applications. The Chicago Continuum of Care estimates that the 2005 SuperNOFA will make about $44.1 million available in Chicago.

The Continuum sets priorities each calendar year before the release of the SuperNOFA so that funders can use the priorities in their applications. The Continuum's 2005 priorities are:

1. Proposals should be consistent with Chicago's Plan to End Homelessness or show how they are going to become consistent;
2. Renewal projects receive special status;
3. Projects showing cultural sensitivity and projects addressing the chronically homeless receive bonus points;
4. Deadlines are strictly enforced;
5. A program to distribute HUD bonus money for the Chronically Homeless Initiative should be established;
6. Permanent supportive housing development should be supported; and
7. The Homeless Management Information System technology project should receive funding.
   

The programs administered by the IDHS include:

• The Homelessness Prevention Fund, which provides emergency assistance to people in danger of becoming homeless. Eighty percent of those who receive assistance remain in housing over the next 6 to 18 months.
• Supportive Services for Supportive Housing provides the services formerly homeless or special needs populations need to remain in housing. Funding for this program has increased, though generally not rapidly enough to keep pace with demand.
• The Emergency Food and Shelter Program provides essentials to people in crisis. Though funding for this program expanded greatly from 1983 to 1999, it has been cut from a high of $9.6 million in 1999 to the current level of $8.9 million.
• The Homeless Youth Program, which received small increases in recent years, addresses issues particular to homeless youth who cannot go back home but are not yet ready to live independently.

On the local level, the City of Chicago recently released a report on progress on the Plan to End Homelessness. The City recently committed $10 million in revenue from the sale of the Skyway to the Plan. Spread out over five years, the money will be used for a number of initiatives, including Housing Locators who will help place families into existing housing units, and a Public Space Initiative to find shelter for homeless people living downtown and in lakefront parks. Additionally, the City plans to contribute $5 million in Skyway funds, again spread over five years, to the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund.

One recurring concern in the discussion was that many organizations lack diverse funding bases. Too often, the loss of public funding means an organization must shut down entirely, which causes problems for private foundations when an organization to which they may have made a grant suddenly shuts down. Capacity building is needed to help these organizations survive.

The Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness plan to meet again before the next Chicago Continuum of Care meeting to discuss the meeting's agenda and how they should respond to it.

Systems Integration
October 6, 2004 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness held a conversation on how those who have experienced homelessness have been able to fit into mainstream programs. Challenges of the public and private sectors in this work were reflected. Panelists included: Derrick Fisher, former resident of Teen Living Programs; Kevin Brown, former client of Interfaith House; Ellen Sahli, Mayor's Liaison on Homelessness and Supportive Department of Housing and co-chair of the Chicago Continuum of Care; and Britt Shawver, Housing Opportunities or Women.

Formerly homeless participants discussed their personal stories, highlighted how they became homeless, their experiences with different organizations and what health and employment challenges they faced. They stressed that their consistent relationships with their caseworkers helped them maneuver the systems and get connected to the services they needed.

Service providers highlighted the Chicago Continuum of Care, a network of nearly 200 private and public organizations committed to serving the homeless. One organization stated how its community support assists in the comprehensive package needed for long-term economic stability for families finding housing. The organization highlighted how each client utilizes the services of 5-8 different systems while working towards permanent housing.

• Integrate services that address housing, including affordable rent for low-wage workers and services for payment assistance
  if need.
• Develop partnerships with landlords. Reassure landlords that if there is an issue, there is someone to call.
• Work with feeder shelter systems such as state mental hospitals and prisons.
  

Employment and Housing
May 10, 2004 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness and Grantmakers Concerned with Poverty co-sponsored a program on workforce development issues as they affect the homeless population. Topics included: job sectors that have suffered and where there is growth locally; problems unique to the population; barriers the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding presents to this population; and how the current employment system responds to the homeless population. Panelists included: Heriberto Garcia, U.S. Department of Labor; Jeffrey Lewelling, Mayor's Office of Workforce Development; Shannon K. Stewart, The Employment Project; Eric Weinheimer, The Cara Program; and Matthew J. Blakely, Communities Program, McCormick Tribune Foundation.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) highlighted homeless assistance through mainstream and targeted employment related programs. Three areas of the comprehensive statewide homelessness prevention strategy included programs targeted to foster care youth, veterans, and persons discharged from prison or treatment centers. DOL discussed its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative and the Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program. Distributed materials provided national examples of one-stop career centers and their current strategies for assisting homeless persons in their job search.

The labor market participation rate among homeless persons is higher than perceived. The rate indicates a high portion of the population is motivated to work. Trends in the current job market include an increase in jobs within health services and the business sector. There has been a decrease in jobs in the hotel industry.

The Mayor's Office for Workforce Development utilizes its funding to assist and support the employment of the homeless population. Mayor's Office for Workforce Development has allocated an additional $400,000 to serve ex-offenders. Workforce programs of The Mayor's Office do not reach homeless persons who are not searching for work.

Two local nonprofit organizations highlighted their different approaches to job placement and job training. Comments emphasized the important role enhanced training and specialized skills can play in participant placement. Best practices highlighted included:

• Hire a business services coordinator to build relationships with surrounding businesses. Engage those businesses in the work the organization does with this population. Establish a community voicemail system with free access. This can assist in embracing a support system between family members, employers and health service providers.
• Insist that career services staff communicate with case managers at the shelters.

The discussion addressed barriers that WIA funding presents and the proposed solutions to those issues. One issue is the length of time homeless persons are in the employment and training system. Most will not rotate out of the system within a year. In addition, organizations are constrained by the time limits built into the existing program enrollment process which prevent more in-depth assessment of potential enrollees' appropriateness for the specific training opportunities.

Materials distributed included:

• Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• Low pay by City keeps working homeless in poverty

Peer Exchange
April 1, 2004 - Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness held a Peer Exchange to identify strategies to fund homeless programs, gaps in homeless services and opportunities for funder collaboration.

Funders cited a variety of strategies to support The Plan To End Homelessness and noted challenges.

• Supporting The Plan could assist in building organizational capacity.
• A recent collaboration created an Affordable Housing Advocate position to work on housing issues in the community.
• Agencies are beginning to implement similar wrap-around services.
• Recent proposals seek funds from intermediaries to centralize and coordinate homeless services.
• There is a lack of proposals seeking programming support for 24-hour on-site services in housing models.
• Some research is being conducted to determine strategies that would alleviate the affordable housing problem by linking other areas of interest with the issue.
• Funding is needed for program evaluation and general operating support.
• There has been a significant decrease in emergency shelter care funding.
• Funders recognize that organizations that are not involved in The Plan To End Homelessness will need to raise additional money to continue to operate or dissolve.
• It was recommended that funders play a role in building local and national support for the Plan To End Homelessness. Funders can continue to inform other funders and corporate partners of the Plan's goal and strategies.

Corporation for Supportive Housing recently completed a capacity building initiative and provided eleven grants for interim housing. Through the process, CSH identified a strong need for improved building property management skills. They also identified a need for additional safe haven and harm reduction housing.

A Working Model of Public/ Private Partnerships
March 15, 2004 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness held a program on public/ private partnerships involved in the Plan To End Homelessness. Panelists included: Ngoan Le, Chicago Department of Human Services; K. Sujata, Chicago's Continuum of Care; Arturo Bendixen, Chicago Housing for Health Partnership; Peter Gaumond, Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse; and Katrina Van Valkenburgh and Sue Augustus, Corporation for Supportive Housing.

Panelists discussed the value of including services providers in the Plan The End Homelessness and highlighted the uniqueness of the Chicago Continuum of Care. The program illustrated the purpose of the continuum, the national spectrum of continuum structures, and an operational view of the Plan. Comments were shared on the history of public and private relationships. The resources key players have dedicated to the coordination and planning of activities were identified. Corporation and public agency partnerships were identified as current gaps in the Plan To End Homelessness.

Information was presented on the evolution of the Homeless Service Delivery System. The discussion highlighted the steps involved in the implementation of Assessing Resources for Chronically Homeless (ARCH). In addition, comments highlighted the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team and the need for wrap-around services for those dealing with both mental health and substance abuse issues.

One panelist provided examples of the time, energy and talent it took to create Chicago's application in response to the Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homeless NOFA. Handouts distributed provided a greater understanding of the collaboration needed to make the application a success.

Grantmakers Concerned With Ending Homelessness Mid-year Review
January 15, 2004 - K. Sujatha, Director of Chicago's Continuum of Care, presented a Continuum of Care update and highlighted the recent efforts towards Housing First and systems integration. Efforts included: 230 new permanent housing units; 15 Safe Haven units; 30 additional units of permanent housing for youth and 44 units of interim housing
for youth; a Homeless Management Informational System in conjunction with the City of Chicago's Enterprise Case Management; and a proposal for a Prevention Helpline. Chicago was award the National Alliance Award, which recognizes the Continuum, Mayor Daley, and the McCormick Tribune Charities support of the plan. K. mentioned the challenge this year will be the evaluation of up-to-date implementation of the plan.

The group heard the Donors Forum 30th anniversary celebration plans. Committees have been formed to organize:

1. The Annual Luncheon (June 25, 2004) and a December celebration to thank our members and forum partners.
2. Media interest in the work of our members and forum partners
3. A project with the Chicago Tribune focusing on philanthropy, volunteerism and donor giving. A folio-sized supplement will be created and distributed to public and parochial school teachers in August 2004 to be implemented into their school year curriculum.

The group reviewed the two programs from the fall. Those present agreed that the programs were helpful and well attended. Each program had an equal representation of foundation and nonprofit staff present. The programs covered the issues and providers were given the chance to be heard.

Program ideas discussed included:

• Public and private partnerships
• Funders only Peer Exchange - What is it we are funding? Is there a way to collaborate?
• Site visit - Interim housing site, talk to providers first hand
• Advocacy groups and their work - Who is doing it locally? What does it takes to do their work? How do they work together?
• Housing First model and the changes that have occurred
• Discharge Planning (co-sponsor CBTF?)
• Prostitution and its relationship to homelessness (co-sponsor YDTF?)
• Housing and Employment (co-sponsor GCP?)
• Links to the system - clinicians and on-site clinics

Dealing With Homeless Youth
November 11, 2003 -
The Youth Development Task Force, Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness, and Health Program Affinity Group sponsored a program addressing the most effective way to end youth homelessness. Featured panelists included: Daria Zventina, Board Member, Teen Living Programs; David L. Myers, Executive Director, Teen Living Programs; Melissa Maguire, Director of Youth Shelter Network, The Night Ministry; Carole Mills, Director of Open Door Shelter, The Night Ministry; and Sol A. Flores, Executive Director, La Casa Norte.

The panelists discussed how being homeless affected youth development and addressed the most effective way to end youth homelessness. One panelist reviewed the Plan to End Homelessness, mentioning how the plan was developed and its three-prong approach to decrease homelessness: prevention, rapid re-housing, and wrap-around service. Even though it has been documented that these techniques assist adults, he mentioned there had been little information and research on how these models work for youth.

Other topics discussed by the panelists included:

• Impact of homelessness has on adolescent development
• Causes, challenges, and resources available to homeless youth
• Increased risk of youth becoming homeless
• Program descriptions and key features of the Continuum of Care program models
• Statistics on current interim housing models

Ending Homelessness - A Legislative Update
October 10, 2003 - William Koll, assistant director, McCormick Tribune Foundation, and co-chair of Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness, welcomed participants. Sue August, director, Corporation for Supportive Housing and co-chair of Grantmakers Concerned with Ending Homelessness introduced each speaker and facilitated discussion at the end of the program.

State Representative Julie Hamos, chair of the Illinois House Committee on Housing and Urban Development, reported that legislation passed in spring 2003 that focuses on underserved populations: people whose income is under 50% of the area median income, with an emphasis on those under 30%; people with disabilities; people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness; seniors; and people who want to live near their place of work, but cannot afford it. IHDA will create a comprehensive housing plan.

Brenda Hanbury, bureau chief for Homeless Services and Supportive Housing, Illinois Department of Human Services, reported on the creation of the Illinois Homeless Prevention Commission that will put together a 2-page paper on homeless prevention. She pointed out that the key issues are: rent, security deposit and money to pay utility bills in order to retain housing. Hanbury handed out a draft report that has details on all state housing programs. She noted that the number of people in shelters is increasing; the number of substance abusers in shelters is increasing; and while there is a small number of people with disabilities in shelters, there has been a high percentage increase of people with disabilities in shelters.

Ngoan Le, special assistant to the mayor on Homelessness, Chicago Department of Human Services, stated that the system needs to re-think the safety net in order to take the system to the next level. She referred to the creation of "well-being checks" that developed only after the heat wave crisis demonstrated that there was a high number of isolated people who were afraid to ask for help. She described the complex continuum of services to work with homeless persons that has become an industry: 6,000 beds; 100 organizations; 300 programs. She noted key issues for revamping the system that has evolved need to take into account zoning, codes, uses of real estate and city budget. Le suggested that there is now a window of opportunity to do something different with the convergence of state and local leadership who both want to see different strategies related to addressing homelessness, including looking at property taxes.

Nancy Radner, executive director, Partnership to End Homelessness, suggested a variety of strategies for funders related to ending homelessness. Key activities: support model programs, research, and advocacy. Radner emphasized that a local study is needed to demonstrate that the cost of permanent housing is less than the cost of keeping people homeless in terms of including costs related to crisis support that homeless people seek.

It was announced that a new funders roundtable will launch soon to talk about the strategic plan on housing and what funders can do together. The first meeting is in December.

Mainstream Systems and the Homeless
May 29, 2003 - The group hosted a program on the critical link between mainstream resources and homelessness. Cassandra Benjamin from the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation discussed findings of the recent report, "Holes in the Safety Net: Mainstream Systems and Homelessness." This report, published in February 2003, documents a multitude of reasons for the failure of homeless persons and mainstream providers to connect. Benjamin spoke of funders' roles in supporting access to mainstream resources through such ways as identifying best practice models and research from across the country, incentivizing coordination between service providers and government agencies, and supporting cross-sector collaboration and coordination. Ngoan Le, of the Chicago Department of Human Services, updated the audience on the Continuum of Care's Plan to End Homelessness and the efforts to link homeless individuals and families to mainstream resources through the use of information systems and partnerships with HUD. Download a PDF version of the Schwab Foundation report.

Can Homeless Be Ended - Part II: Funders & Grantees Working Together
January 28, 2003- Grantmakers Concerned with Homelessness, the Health Program Affinity Group, the Poverty Task Force and the Youth Development Task Force held a follow-up to the earlier session on the plan to end homelessness.

Sue Augustus, from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, moderated the panels of speakers who included both foundation representatives and their respective grantee partners. Elizabeth Lee from the Michael Reese Health Trust introduced Art Valdivia Bendixen from the Chicago Housing for Health Partnerships and he reviewed the specifics of their pilot research to incorporate housing and health services for chronically ill adults.

Bill Koll from the McCormick Tribune Foundation introduced Joan Schwingen from Chicago Connections. She discussed how the strategy of prevention influences their programming, which helps people keep current on rent and utilities so they aren't in danger of losing their housing. Debbie Reznick from Polk Bros. Foundation introduced Pat Crowley from Deborah's Place and Gail Russell from Sarah's Circle, who both talked about their services for female homeless populations, and their progress in considering merger strategies to offer more effective programming.

Can Homelessness Be Ended In Chicago?
December 5, 2002 - The Health Program Affinity Group, along with Grantmakers Concerned with Homelessness, the Poverty Task Force and the Youth Development Task Force co-sponsored the first of a two-part program about the Chicago Continuum of Care's 10-year Plan to End Homelessness in Chicago. Ngoan Le, the chief program officer with the Chicago Department of Human Services, provided an overview of the plan, as well as a review of the city's commitment to its fulfillment. Currently, the city supports a shelter-based program that does not support comprehensive services and generally leads to a cycle of homelessness. In the future, as the plan purports, the city will move to a permanent housing-based system that supports preventative services and long-term stability. This will be done through incremental changes in the structure and infrastructure of the current system, including a coordination of funding sources, from CDHS and HUD to support permanent supportive housing efforts. Nancy Radner, from the Partnership to End Homelessness and a member of the Continuum of Care governing board, gave a perspective from the vantage point of direct service providers.

Since this new model supports comprehensive wrap-around services, it will be important for agencies that deal with the different target populations (like youth, victims of domestic abuse, and individuals who require mental healthcare, for example) to coordinate efforts and communicate freely between shelters. As the plan proposes a system-wide change, Ms. Radner emphasized that is it important for incremental and gradual change, so to allow for adequate adjustment of agencies and service providers. The follow-up program was held on January 28, 2003, and included presentations from providers that have begun to incorporate changes to accommodate the plan, and the foundations who have supported them.

Dialogue with Donors
January 16, 2002 - In partnership with the Donors Forum nonprofit workshop program, GCH participated in this conversation with nonprofits. Panelists spoke freely about the dynamics of the world that nonprofits and foundations share and the issues that challenge them, including the funding priorities of local homelessness funders.

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