AIDS Foundation of Chicago Awarded HUD Grant to Keep People Housed

AIDS FOUNDATION OF CHICAGO (AFC) AWARDED RENEWABLE, TWO-YEAR HUD GRANT FOR $4.2 MILLION
AFC’s New Housing Collaborative One of the Highest Awarded Groups in Nationwide Homeless Assistance Program

CHICAGO – Scores of chronically homeless people in Chicago with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS, will now be able to access permanent, supportive housing through AFC’s new Supportive Housing for Health Partnership, thanks to a renewable, two-year $4.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The grant is part of nearly $1.6 billion in grants that HUD has awarded to approximately 6,300 homeless assistance projects through its Continuum of Care programs, and will provide rental subsidies for 195 units of supportive permanent housing in Chicago. Out of the nearly $50 million in grants awarded Chicago housing programs, AFC’s Supportive Housing for Health Partnership received the most money.

“We are very grateful and excited for this wonderful opportunity, and look forward to increasing our ability to assist homeless people in our city find a safe and secure home in which to care for themselves and their loved ones,” said AFC President/CEO Mark Ishaug.

The Supportive Housing for Health Partnership (SHHP) was born out of the Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP), a four-year research and demonstration project to evaluate whether providing stable housing and intensive case management services to chronically, medically ill homeless individuals improves their health and access to primary care.

SHHP operates on a “housing first” principle, which means that the long-term homeless are rapidly moved from the streets or shelters into their own apartments where they can work on the underlying causes of their homelessness. SHHP is led by AFC and consists of two Chicago hospitals (John Stroger Hospital Medical Center, Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center, and the West Side VA Medical Center) and 11 interim and permanent housing providers (Bonaventure House, Chicago House, Christian Community Health Center, Heartland Health Outreach, Heartland Human Care Services, Housing Opportunities for Women, Interfaith House, Mercy Housing Lakefront, and Vital Bridges). 

Members of the partnership work together to provide a range of housing options – from sobriety-based to scattered-site, to women-only housing, to housing for persons with HIV/AIDS – as well as intensive case management (15 to 1 client-to-case manager ratio) for clients. This type of collaboration is unique among housing service providers, which usually work independently to provide units.

Through SHHP, a client is referred by the participating hospitals, emergency shelters or street outreach teams. The client’s particular case is then examined by the SHHP System Integration Team, comprised of participating hospital social workers, outreach agencies, and interim and permanent housing providers to determine the correct housing fit for the client. The Team will continue to monitor the individual’s progress, and in the event that the client feels the unit is not a good fit, the Team can reconsider the case to quickly find an alternative option. With independent housing service providers, when a client applies for housing that ends up not being the right fit, he or she most likely ends up back at square one, or on the street.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for both our clients and our community,” said Angelique Miller, AFC Director of Housing Partnerships. “The collaborative element of SHHP allows us to be highly responsive to the diverse needs of our clients. At the same time, service providers benefit from working with each other by sharing resources and experience, so even in these tough economic times, these organizations can continue to grow.”

AFC worked for three years to obtain the HUD grant, which will be ready for execution this fall.

Founded by community activists and physicians in 1985, the AIDS Foundation of
Chicago is a catalyst for local, national, and international action on HIV/AIDS.

aidschicago.org