Better Health through Housing (BHH)
Better Health through Housing brings together 28 permanent supportive housing organizations as well as partnering hospitals and MCOs. The goal of the program is to identify clients who frequently utilize Emergency Department services, are living with chronic medical conditions and are experiencing chronic homelessness in order to connect them to housing and other supportive services.
Chronic Homeless Pilot
In March 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel formed a citywide, intergovernmental task force dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Chicago. In April of the same year, the task force launched Chronic Homelessness Pilot with the goal of permanently housing 75 people living under the northern viaducts of Lake Shore Drive. Center for Housing and Health provided system coordination for this project, which included multiple stakeholders such as permanent supportive housing providers, social service agencies, advocates, city agencies, and elected officials. Lessons learned from the project have been used to inform the Coordinated Entry System in Chicago. A report about Chronic Homelessness Pilot published by the Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University Chicago (CURL) can be viewed here.
Flexible Housing Pool
Chicago’s Flexible Housing Pool will break the cycle of chronic homelessness and crises, reducing costs to public systems and improving health outcomes for many of the city’s most vulnerable residents. Learn more about this program here.
Homeward Bound
The Homeward Bound initiative is a Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund program that is led by the Center For Housing and Health in collaboration with other partner agencies. This initiative was developed to provide housing with supportive services to Chicago’s homeless individuals and subsequently improve clients’ overall health well-being. All clients receive intensive case management in their home which include, but is not limited to housing, medical, psychological, financial and day to day living activities. All referrals for the Homeward Bound initiative are generated from the Coordinated Entry System (CES).
Housing for Health (H4H)
The Housing for Health initiative was designed to assist singles and families experiencing chronic homelessness. Clients reside in scattered site units throughout the City of Chicago and receive intensive case management in their home. Intensive case management services include, but are not limited to, assist with housing, medical, psychological, financial and day to day living activities. The goal of the program is to improve housing stability, income gains, and increased participation in health care services. All referrals for this program are generated from the Coordinated Entry System (CES).