Gov. Pritzker Announces Deputy Governor, IDHS Transitions

On Friday, September 8, Governor JB Pritzker announced the upcoming departure of Deputy Governor Sol Flores, who has served as Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services since the beginning of the Governor’s first term in January 2019. The Deputy Governor position will be filled by Grace Hou, current Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Prior to serving as Deputy Governor, Flores was the founding Executive Director of La Casa Norte, a non-profit organization established in 2002 serving youth and families confronting homelessness.

Read the full press release here: https://gov.illinois.gov/news/press-release.26995.html

About All Chicago Making Homelessness History

All Chicago prevents and ends homelessness through four signature approaches – Emergency Financial Assistance, Community Partnerships, Data Analytics, and Training. Learn more at allchicago.org.

Media requests should be directed to Hank Sartin, Director of Communications at All Chicago, at hsartin@allchicago.org or 872-291-1278

New Program Asks Landlords To Rent Vacant Apartments To Folks In Need

Chicago Rents offers incentives to property owners, such as timely payments on behalf of the resident and referral bonuses if they rent affordable apartments to low-income residents.

At Block Club Chicago, Ariel Parrella-Aureli reports on how Chicago Rents, an initiative by All Chicago, connects landlords with renters through federal and state housing subsidy programs, provides building owners with financial incentives to rent vacant units to low-income renters, advertises properties for free and provides individualized case support for residents in the program.

Read the full article on Block Club Chicago.

Photo Credit: Erik Czaja/All Chicago

About All Chicago Making Homelessness History 

All Chicago prevents and ends homelessness through four signature approaches – Emergency Financial Assistance, Community Partnerships, Data Analytics, and Training. Learn more at allchicago.org.   

Media requests should be directed to Hank Sartin, Director of Communications at All Chicago, at hsartin@allchicago.org or 872-291-1278.   

Gov. Pritzker Signs HOME IL Bill Codifying Illinois Action on Homelessness Prevention

On Wednesday, July 26, Governor JB Pritzker signed HB2831, codifying the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness and the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness.

This bill codifies the unprecedented interagency collaboration to move Illinois to “functional zero” homelessness by bolstering the safety net, targeting high-risk populations, expanding affordable housing, securing financial stability for unhoused individuals, and closing the mortality gap.

The Interagency Task Force and Community Advisory Council work across 17 Illinois state departments and agencies and over 100 processes, programs, and policies to develop a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness.

The plan’s goal is to prevent shelter entry and, where unavoidable, ensure that shelter stays are limited and lead to quick transitions into stable living situations. HB2831 continues the vital work of the Task Force and Council and ensures their mission is protected by state law.

The signing took place at Featherfist with many Chicago CoC members in attendance, including All Chicago’s President & CEO Carolyn Ross, who introduced the Governor for the signing.

Read the full press release from the Governor’s Office.

Watch a recording of the bill signing on WGNTV.

Photo Credit: Governor Priztker’s Office

About All Chicago Making Homelessness History

All Chicago prevents and ends homelessness through four signature approaches – Emergency Financial Assistance, Community Partnerships, Data Analytics, and Training. Learn more at allchicago.org.

Media requests should be directed to Hank Sartin, Director of Communications at All Chicago, at hsartin@allchicago.org or 872-291-1278

City of Chicago Partners with Biden-Harris Administration on New Initiative to Address Homelessness

Chicago is one of six sites selected for new initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CHICAGO Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Deputy Mayor of Education, Youth & Human Services Jennifer Johnson, the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), and All Chicago Making Homelessness History announced a partnership with the White House and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to participate in ALL INside, a first-of-its-kind initiative to address unsheltered homelessness.

As part of ALL INside, the City will partner with USICH and its 19 federal member agencies for up to two years to strengthen and accelerate local efforts to move unsheltered people off the streets and into homes where they can rebuild their lives.

“We must work with our federal and community partners to assist people experiencing homelessness and build pathways that ensure every Chicagoan has a roof over their head, as well as support services to help them thrive,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “ALL INside is an exciting initiative that helps leverage federal programs and resources to help the City and community address homelessness. I look forward to collaborating with the White House, USICH, and All Chicago Making Homelessness History to exchange best practices and help our unsheltered neighbors find safe places to live.”

To accelerate ongoing efforts by local leaders, the Biden-Harris Administration will offer innovative and tailored support to participating communities for up to two years, including:

  • Embedding a dedicated federal official in each community to accelerate locally-driven strategies and enact system-level changes to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
  • Deploying dedicated teams across the federal government to identify opportunities for regulatory relief and flexibilities, navigate federal funding streams, and facilitate a peer learning network across the communities; and
  • Convening philanthropy, the private sector, and other communities to identify opportunities for follow-on support and collaboration.

“This initiative will provide essential access to Federal alliances as we coordinate and build upon the efforts of our many partners. We know that centralized, coordinated initiatives are more effective in our efforts to find our neighbors experiencing homelessness a safe place to call home,” said Carolyn Ross, President & CEO of All Chicago Making Homelessness History, an organization that prevents and ends homelessness through emergency financial assistance, community partnerships, data analytics, and training. “We need all the help we can get to help our unsheltered neighbors, for whom the situation is dire. ALL INside creates the opportunity to seek guidance in our work to find innovative solutions to roadblocks and ways to better coordinate our efforts. This is an essential step forward in our efforts to end homelessness.”

The City of Chicago, All Chicago, and Continuum of Care identified the following points as key areas of need for the initiative:

  • A dedicated focus and priority on pathways to housing for residents returning from jails and prisons and residents with arrest or conviction records, including a systematic review of eligibility and exclusions.
  • Address the needs of unsheltered people on public transit, safety concerns near highways and under viaducts and bridges, and divert unsheltered persons from transportation systems to safer places for shelter.
  • Dedicated support to help participants in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) make community choices to create a data system that will support collaborative change in Chicago.
  • Efficient processes for preparing and accessing documentation/IDs to support access to housing and benefits.
  • Improve the involvement of persons with lived experience in actual decision-making processes beyond the “input” stage and extending into the “implementation” stage.

“Many unsheltered people seek refuge on trains and other forms of transportation, which is why we need to ensure the City, as well as our community partners, can reach them and respond to their different needs. Improving our response on transit systems is an essential step toward supporting unsheltered residents,” said DFSS Commissioner Brandie Knazze. “With this agreement, we have a direct line to our federal partners to advocate for our unsheltered neighbors.”

ALL INside is part of All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which set a bold goal to reduce homelessness 25% by 2025 and ultimately build a country where every person has a safe and affordable home.

In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration will launch new cross-cutting policy efforts to address major barriers to housing, health care, and other support for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, as mentioned in the ALL INside White House Fact Sheet and USICH Announcement released today.

Ambassador Susan Rice, the White House Domestic Policy Advisor; Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, the chair of USICH; and USICH Executive Director Jeff Olivet will launch ALL INside in Washington, D.C., along with local leaders, including Deputy Mayor of Education, Youth & Human Services Jennifer Johnson and President Carolyn Ross. Watch the event on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/f9KRmjJ_qCg.

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CONTACT:

Mayor’s Press Office

312.744.3334

press@cityofchicago.org

About All Chicago Making Homelessness History 

All Chicago prevents and ends homelessness through four signature approaches – Emergency Financial Assistance, Community Partnerships, Data Analytics, and Training. Learn more at allchicago.org.   

Media requests should be directed to Hank Sartin, Director of Communications at All Chicago, at hsartin@allchicago.org or 872.291.1278.   

As Migrants Wait For Shelter Openings At Police Station, Northwest Side Neighbors Flock To Help

More federal assistance could be coming to Chicago to help with the migrant crisis as families wait for shelter space in police stations.

At Block Club Chicago, Ariel Parrella-Aureli reports on how northwest side neighbors are offering help to migrants bussed from Texas, many of whom are sleeping at police stations while waiting for housing.

Read the full article on Block Club Chicago.

Photo Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

About All Chicago Making Homelessness History 

All Chicago prevents and ends homelessness through four signature approaches – Emergency Financial Assistance, Community Partnerships, Data Analytics, and Training. Learn more at allchicago.org.   

Media requests should be directed to Hank Sartin, Director of Communications at All Chicago, at hsartin@allchicago.org or 872-291-1278.