Evanston Alliance on Homelessness
Evanston, Illinois
The Evanston Alliance on Homelessness (EAH) is the lead entity responsible for coordinating the Continuum of Care (CoC) planning process under the auspices of the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services.
Membership on the EAH is open to all interested organizations, entities and individuals. The EAH has the active participation of state and local government, representatives of mainstream resource providers (e.g., Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME, Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG), the county housing authority; local law enforcement, all the primary service providers to the homeless, nonprofit organizations, the faith community, housing developers, advocacy groups, community organizations, the philanthropic community, the local business community, homeless or formerly homeless individuals, and individual citizens.
Members who are service provides include:
BE-HIV
Beth Emet Soup Kitchen
Carepoint Adult, Child and Family Association
CEDA Neighbors at Work
Connections for the
Homeless
Interfaith Action of Evanston
Evanston Township
Evanston Veteran's Center
Family Focus
H. E. Lane Center
Housing Options
Housing Opportunity
Development Corporation
McGaw YMCA
Metropolitan Family Services
Peer Services
Reba Place Church
Salvation Army
Trilogy
Youth Organizations
Umbrella (YOU)
Youth Job Center
YWCA
Evanston/North Shore
The
Evanston
Department of Health and Human
Services coordinates communication; provides meeting space, staff and
administrative support to the EAH; and is the primary link to the Human Services
Committee of the Evanston City Council and the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The chair of the EAH is a
community volunteer.
The Evanston CoC planning process is designed to encourage the greatest level
of participation by a broad and diverse spectrum of the community, with linkages
to local, regional and state entities, while ensuring efficient and responsive
decision-making.
Alliance members also serve on or are staff to a variety of local planning
bodies, whose work has an impact on homeless prevention and intervention
(including, among others, the Housing Commission, the Mental Health Board, the
Task Force for Inclusionary Housing, the CDBG Committee, Metro North Mental Health
Planning Group, the Child and Adolescent Local Area Network). In addition, EAH
members participate in numerous regional and state coordinating councils,
including the Regional Roundtable (RRT) with representative from all CoCs in
northern Illinois.
Steering Committee
Membership is open to all interested parties, includinng
representatives from: organizations providing housing or services to the
homeless or to individuals and families at risk of homelessness, housing
developers, funders, city government, the police department, members of faith
communities, community organizations, advocacy organizations, the business
community, homeless or previously homeless individuals and community
volunteers. The EAH Steering Committee has two officers: a chair and a
vice-chair. All other committees have a chair.
Charge: to develop and coordinate implementation of a plan to limit first
time and recurring homelessness of individuals and families and to eliminate
"chronic homelessness" in Evanston.
Responsibilities:
Strategic planning to prevent and end homelessness;
Adoption of a plan to end chronic homelessness in Evanston by 2012;
Adoption of annual goals and objectives;
Review and adoption of the criteria for evaluating projects for funding;
Ranking of proposals for government funding that flows through the Continuum of Care (HUD and Illinois Department of Human Services);
Facilitation of the sharing of information on prevention strategies and meeting the needs of homeless persons in Evanston;
Oversight of all committees;
Preparation of Exhibit 1 and coordination of the entire submission, including required documentation, in response to the annual HUD SuperNOFA;
Participation in the Regional Roundtable on Homelessness;
Securing community support for the work of the EAH.
Executive Committee
Membership: The chair and vice-chair of the EAH Steering
Committee and the chairs of all other standing committees.
Charge: to oversee the process by which the EAH addresses its mission and
meets its goals and objectives.
Responsibilities: Development and implementation of a strategic planning process;
Coordination of the activities of the EAH;
Educating the community on the issues relating to homelessness;
Advocacy efforts concerning homelessness issues, including affordable housing;
Proposing nominations for chairs of the standing committees and officers of the EAH.
Chronic Homeless Committee
Membership: Members of the EAH steering committee and
others with expertise and/or interest in the subject.
Charge: to develop and implement plans to prevent chronic homelessness and
to meet the needs of Evanston’s chronic homeless population.
Responsibilities:
Identification of data that is needed for planning purposes;
Analysis of data from research to identify gaps in services;
Annual review and revision of the plan to prevent and end chronic homelessness to address changing circumstances;
Ensuring enrollment and access to mainstream benefits for eligible individuals to prevent chronic homelessness;
Development of procedures and protocols with government institutions to improve discharge planning.
Family and Youth Committee
Membership: Members of the EAH steering committee and
others with expertise and/or interest in the subject.
Charge: to develop and implement plans to meet the needs of Evanston’s
families and youth who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.
Responsibilities:
Identification of data that is needed for planning purposes;
Analysis of data from research to identify gaps in services;
Development of a strategic long-range plan to better meet the needs of families and youth who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless;
Ensuring enrolment and access to mainstream benefits for which families and youth are eligible.
Technology Committee
Membership: Representatives from each agency,
organization or governmental unit that is or will be using the Homeless
Management Information System (HMIS) and others with expertise in computer
technology.
Charge: to develop, implement and oversee an HMIS plan.
Responsibilities:
Encouraging participation in the HMIS by all agencies, organizations and governmental units serving homeless persons; HMIS Privacy Policy
With input from the chronic homeless and the family and youth committees, planning for and conducting research of homeless populations and housing inventory;
Providing data from research and housing inventory to the chronic homeless and the family and youth committees for strategic planning purposes;
Preparing charts required in Exhibit I for the annual submission in response to HUD’s SuperNOFA including housing inventory, gaps, and population and subpopulation charts;
Ensuring enrolment and access to mainstream benefits for which an individual is eligible.
Project Review Committee
Membership: Two representatives
of agencies or organizations that are not submitting proposals for the Super NOFA; two representatives of the city; and two others.
Charge: to develop and implement a process for reviewing and ranking all
proposals for funding flowing through the Continuum of Care process.
Responsibilities:
Review and revise as necessary criteria for evaluating proposals for funding;
Solicit and receive applications for funding under the HUD Super NOFA and other funding flowing through the Continuum of Care process;
Review renewal applications to ensure that program outcomes have been met and that unanticipated negative impacts have been mitigated;
Evaluate and rank applications;
Recommend the ranking of applications to the steering committee.
Several members of the Evanston Alliance on Homelessness receive HUD funding. Since 2002, four Evanston agencies have been awarded grants that support ten separate programs providing housing and support services for homeless persons.
The agencies and the programs for which HUD funding was received through the Alliance follows. For more information about the agency or specific programs, please contact the executive director.
Connections for the
Homeless
HUD funded programs include:
·EntryPoint,
a street outreach program, and EntryPoint Permanent Supportive Housing
·Hilda's
Place, an overnight shelter for adult men and women
·Family
Housing Services, transitional housing for young families
Paul Selden, PhD,
Executive Director
Connections for the Homeless
2010 Dewey Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
Tel: 847.475.7070 x 108
Fax: 847.864.6558
info@cfthinc.org
Housing Opportunity Development Corporation
In a completely rehabbed 50-unit apartment building, seven units of permanent
housing are occupied by disabled homeless individuals. Support services for
these individuals are provided and paid for by other agencies (e.g.,
Connections, Housing Options, BE-HIV).
Richard Koenig, Executive Director
Housing Opportunity Development Corporation
Tel: 847.564.2900
rkoenig@hodc.org
Housing Options
Claire & Ganey Houses
Located in two small apartment buildings owned by Housing Options, Claire/Ganey
provides permanent supportive housing to 10 adults with severe and persistent
mental illnesses who have low incomes and are homeless at time of program entry.
In addition to fully furnished and affordable housing, each resident receives
ongoing supportive services from a team of social workers, case managers, and
program nurse.
Pathways
Located in studio and one bedroom apartments leased by Housing Options,
Pathways provides permanent supportive housing to 8 adults with severe and
persistent mental illnesses who have low incomes and are homeless at time of
program entry. In addition to fully furnished and affordable housing, each
resident receives ongoing supportive services from a team of social workers,
case managers, and program nurse.
Pathways
Plus
Located in studio and one bedroom apartments leased by Housing Options, Pathways
Plus provides permanent supportive housing to 8 adults with severe and
persistent mental illnesses who have low incomes and are homeless at time of
program entry. At least 5 of the 8 will meet the federal (HUD) definition of
chronic homelessness. In addition to fully furnished and affordable housing,
each resident receives ongoing supportive services from a team of social
workers, case managers, and program nurse.
Melba Swoyer, Director, Finance and Development
Housing Options
1132 Florence Avenue
Evanston, IL 60202
Tel: 847.866.6144 x11
Fax: 847.866.6233
mswoyer@housingopt.org
YWCA
Evanston/North Shore
The YWCA Evanston/North Shore receives
funding for two transitional housing units, support services and a part time
children's counselor. The target population is women and children who are
survivors of domestic violence and have come through an emergency battered
women's program.
Karen Singer,
Executive
Director
YWCA
Evanston/North Shore
1215 Church St.
Evanston, IL 60201
Tel: 847.864.8445 ext. 11
Fax: 847.864.8498
ksinger@ywcae-ns.org
Location of Evanston, Illinois
For further information, contact us at info@evhomeless.org