The City announced the launch of a pilot program aimed at housing residents experiencing chronic homelessness. The new task force dedicated to addressing and reducing homelessness in Chicago, which launched last month, will partner with advocates, non-profits who serve the homeless, and representatives of the homeless community in a new pilot program designed to leverage permanent housing options for residents who have experienced recurring and extended homelessness. With the support of the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), has been directed to identify solutions to address chronic homelessness through the pilot program—which marks the city’s most comprehensive approach to housing residents impacted by chronic bouts of homelessness to date.

During phase one of this pilot, DFSS and non-profit outreach teams conducted assessments of residents of multiple homeless encampments to gain a person-by-person account of how many people were living in those areas, and to identify their specific housing and service needs. Based on those assessments, the pilot will focus securing housing and supportive services for 75 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. To address chronic homelessness, the pilot will identify rental subsidies and aid opportunities for residents across the city that have experienced chronic homelessness, which is defined as being homeless continuously for at least 12 months or on at least four separate occasions in the last 3 years. Rental subsidies will be provided by the Chicago Housing Authority, the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund, and some existing Permanent Support Housing providers to assist the chronically homeless, specifically those who regularly sleep outside. Placement of eligible residents will be led by the DFSS delegate agencies.