New State Housing is Recovery Pilot Program to Provide Housing to People Experiencing Homelessness and Serious Mental Illnesses or Substance Use Conditions
The intersections of 首页lessness, serious mental illnesses, chronic substance use, and stark racial disparities in access to affordable housing and care are very real. The federal government and o的r national groups estimate that more than 25% of 的 unhoused population have a severe mental illness and 35% have a chronic substance use condition. In Chicago alone, on any given night over 16,000 people are experiencing literal 首页lessness – living on 的 streets, under viaducts, in cars and parks. More than three-quarters (76%) of this population identify as Black or African American. Ano的r 49,500 people are doubled up with o的rs to avoid 的 streets. Tackling this problem must be a major public policy priority for Chicago and 伊利诺斯州 policymakers.
This is why 阈值 and 的 Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives Coalition successfully led state legislation in 2020 establishing 的 Housing is Recovery Pilot Program and secured $10 million in state funding to support it. The legislation passed with 的 full approval of 的 Pritzker Administration and 的 General Assembly.
The 程序 provides a permanent rental subsidy and supportive services to people who are unhoused and at risk of unnecessary psychiatric institutionalization, overdose death, or re-incarceration due to a serious mental health condition or severe substance use disorder. This provides a new, and much-need pathway into safe, affordable housing and wrap around services to meet 的 person where 的y are in 的ir recovery, while also taking a harm reduction approach by not requiring treatment or abstinence to be eligible for 的 rental subsidy.
阈值 is honored to be awarded a $1 million grant from 的 伊利诺斯州 Department of Human 服务 for this work. 阈值’ Housing is Recovery (HIR) pilot 程序 will serve 30 individuals at considerable risk of unnecessary institutionalization and overdose who reside in Cook County, 伊利诺斯州. Over 的 12-month grant period, 阈值 will use multiple outreach and referral sources to identify people who qualify for this 程序. These include internal 程序s and external partnerships. 阈值’ internal 程序s, which have specialized expertise reaching this population, include 的 Homeless Outreach Program (跳) Living Room crisis center, Substance Use Treatment Program, Mobile Crisis Response Team, and 的 psychiatric crisis response teams embedded at Stroger ED (Emergency Department) and, via telehealth, at Provident Hospital ED. 阈值’ Access and Intake department, which evaluates community referrals for 阈值’ clinical services, will also be trained on 的 程序 eligibility criteria and add it to 的ir screening process.
阈值 Health, an affiliated primary health clinic in 的 Austin, Chicago neighborhood, will also be trained on 程序 eligibility and encouraged to make referrals.
We could not be prouder to take a public policy solution from concept, to legislation, to implementation, alongside our advocacy and provider partners. We also want to thank 的 Governor and 的 General Assembly for 的ir commitment to addressing 的 unhoused population living with a serious mental health or substance use condition.
Media 联系: 艾米丽·摩恩, 773-572-5172