The Center for Housing and Health (CHH) is proud to report that the Flexible Housing Pool (FHP) has housed its 1,000th person this month!
Since the first participant reached home in April 2019, the Flexible Housing Pool has been committed to serving people experiencing homelessness who live with chronic health conditions, and those who cycle through crisis settings such as hospitals, emergency shelter and jail. FHP achieves this by teaming up with a network of fifteen community-based organizations across Cook County providing services such as mobile street outreach, case management, landlord engagement and housing placement, tenant-based rental subsidies, income and employment support, and linkage to care coordination to those in need.
The City of Chicago, the public sector, hospitals, managed care entities and private philanthropy all have committed funding to support the FHP. Since inception, these investors have committed over $45 million. These combined efforts have resulted in successfully housing 1,002 individuals in 620 different households. Among the housed individuals are over 350 children, most of whom are part of youth-led households.
One of the many families served by FHP are Robin Petites and her son. Robin, after months struggling to find a consistent place to sleep, was connected with a housing specialists who helped her locate an apartment for she and her son. “I love that my son is able to have his own room. I love that he can run around and be free without anyone yelling or screaming at him,” she exclaimed. FHP then went on to help her to acquire the necessary appliances and furnishings needed to make her apartment feel more like home. These changes helped Robin and her son feel safe and secure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. FHP also supported Robin in scheduling and keeping her doctor’s appointments. “It’s a really great program, especially for people who are trying to find a way to get on their feet,” Robin said. “It’s a very good steppingstone.”
CHH follows a Housing First philosophy that links people experiencing homelessness to safe and affordable permanent housing quickly and with minimal barriers, so they can start their journey to a healthier life sooner, much like Robin. As a result of putting this Housing First philosophy into practice, 97% of all individuals housed by the Flexible Housing Pool maintained stable housing for at least a year.
Executive Director of CHH, Peter Toepfer shared: “This incredible feat couldn’t be possible without the support of our incredible partnerships at CHH. Through a collaborative effort built off relationships, conversations, and trust, we have been able to help and support so many people and families. Change never happens alone. Only through the help of others can we continue to move forward toward ending homelessness and improving the health of our communities.”
CHH is dedicated to help end homelessness in the Chicagoland region and aims to serve 5,000 people in the Flexible House Pool over the next ten years. FHP will continue to increase housing stability, incomes and self-sufficiency while also improving health outcomes for program participants.
For more information regarding Flexible Housing Pool or Center for Housing and Health, visit our website at HousingForHealth.org or contact us at [email protected]
