As we finish year eight of Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness, the Alliance is proud to announce that, in collaboration with the Mayor’s office and the Chicago Planning Council on Homelessness, we are launching a process to create version two of Chicago’s Plan.
The process, designed to involve all interested stakeholders, will include a series of community prep meetings this fall and a community planning charrette in January to establish priorities and recommendations for version two.
Kick-Off Community Meetings
We had incredible participation from across the spectrum of stakeholders during the pre-planning phase of Plan 2.0. 135 people attended one of our Kick-Off meetings in November and 53 provider agencies, 45 consumers, 7 government agencies, 11 constituency groups, and many other stakeholders participated via written feedback. Thank you to everyone who participated! Your input was incredibly valuable and will be used for Charrette Week and during the writing of Plan 2.0.
Charrette Study Guide
A draft Charrette Study Guide was published on October 25. Based on feedback from Commission members, constituency groups, and other stakeholders, the final Charrette Study Guide was released on December 19. Read the Study Guide to learn more about Chicago's planning process for version two, the Community Planning Charrette in January, and the final six issue areas to be worked out.
Evaluation of Chicago's Plan to End Homelessness
The planning process for version two of Chicago's Plan will be driven by the formal evaluation of Chicago's current Plan, as well as other system and program-level data. Interested stakeholders can preview the results of the evaluation in this Power Point Presentation (September 2011).
Community Planning Charrette
January 24 - 31, 2012
January 24 - Expert Fishbowls on Employment, Permanent Housing, and Systems Integration.
January 25 - Expert Fishbowls on Access & Prevention, Interim & Rapid Rehousing, and Youth.
January 26 - Initial Charrette Report and Recommendations will be available on the Alliance's website by 5:00 pm.
January 27 - Alliance constituency groups are encouraged to review and discuss the initial recommendations. A public feedback session will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Written feedback will also be accepted.
January 31 - Final Charrette Report and Recommendations will be published.
The Charrette Packet is available online and will be available as a hand-out during Charrette Week. This handy packet includes everything you need for Charrette Week: schedule, FAQs, a final study guide outlining our top six issue areas in great detail, bios for all the experts and facilitators, and key findings from the Plan evaluation. Download it today to be fully briefed for Charrette Week!
You can also click here for a detailed schedule for Charrette Week and here to learn which local and national experts will be joining us. All sessions will be held at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington in downtown Chicago. The Chicago Temple is close to public transportation, parking lots, and plenty of lunch options. It is also fully accessible. Check out our handy map to help you plan your travel.
Initial Recommendations and Feedback
Thank you to everyone who attended Chicago's Plan 2.0 Charrette Week! Over 400 stakeholders from every corner of our community attended and provided thoughtful and compelling feedback. We also heard from 37 local and national experts on strategies and suggestions to move our collective work forward.
The Chicago Alliance is proud to release the initial recommendations for Plan 2.0 based on the robust community dialogue during Charrette Week. Feedback on the intial recommendations will be accepted by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, February 1. Email feedback to Nicole Amling. The final Charrette Week report will be published by Monday, February 6.
Consumer Participation
One of our top priorities for Charrette Week is to be inclusive of as many stakeholders as possible, including people who are currently or formerly homeless. To facilitate consumer participation, the Chicago Alliance is offering single day CTA cards and lunch to consumers who participate in our community planning charrette.
Mission Statement for the Creation of Version Two of Chicago's Plan to End Homelessness
Adopted by the Steering Committee on August 11, 2011
The Chicago Continuum of Care aims to prevent homelessness whenever possible and provide an integrated array of housing and services to help families, individuals, and youth progress from homelessness to their highest possible level of self-sufficiency. To achieve these goals in an effective and cost-efficient manner for the greatest number of Chicagoans in need, the Continuum will redevelop its Plan to End Homelessness, originally endorsed in January 2003. Our planning process will be:
• Inclusive of as many stakeholders as possible including people who are currently or formerly homeless, service providers, policymakers, advocates, funders, and civic leaders;
• Driven by data from the 2009-2011 evaluation of Chicago’s Plan conducted by Loyola University of Chicago and the University of Chicago as well as other instructive program and system-level data;
• Attentive to performance measures (including the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009) to ensure that Chicago is deploying its resources in the most efficient manner possible to achieve our goals; and
• Mindful of the current and foreseeable resources, risks, and external opportunities impacting Chicago’s homeless system.
On Thursday, December 15, two Chicago youth testified before a Congressional subcommittee on their experiences of homelessness and living doubled up, while still managing to pursue their education. Starnica Rodgers is 18 years old, eight months pregnant, and staying at The Night Ministry’s north side shelter for pregnant and parenting teens; she also just finished her first semester at Truman College. 25-year-old Brandon Dunlap was homeless during high school, but managed to earn a Bachelors degree from Kendall College, and is now working at the Union League Club of Chicago. You can read the compelling testimonies of Starnica, Brandon, and the other courageous young people who testified, or watch a clip from the NBC Nightly News.
The hearing was sponsored by Representative Judy Biggert from Chicago’s western suburbs, who is trying to increase resources for homeless children and youth in school. It was an unprecedented and powerful opportunity for homeless youth to share their experiences directly with Congress. As Representative Green from Texas explained in his opening remarks, “this is one of the most important hearings I have ever been a part of.”
Starnica, Brandon, and their sponsors from the Chicago Alliance and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless spent the remainder of the day in Washington meeting with influential policymakers. They met with Representatives Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky, and Robert Dold from the Chicagoland area and even Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa! All the legislators were impressed with Starnica and Brandon and vowed to work harder to end the “national embarrassment” of youth homelessness.
Chicago now has a strong, united voice and effective resource to prevent and end homelessness.
Effective October 1, 2011 the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness and the Emergency Fund combined their work, offices, and energies in the fight against homelessness, creating a single, seamless system for delivering housing assistance and services to the city of Chicago.
For a combined 43 years, our organizations have been committed to providing services and developing strategies focused on preventing and ending homelessness. Together, we connect with 84 human service agencies, share consumer populations, and play an integral role in implementing Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness.
In an effort to truly realize our common vision – a home for everyone, including the most vulnerable and the most challenged – we have decided to join our teams to create a single and effective service system and advocacy force to solve the homelessness crisis in Chicago.
This new partnership will allow us to increase private donations for the system, provide a more holistic approach to preventing and ending homelessness in Chicago, and increase the amount of housing available to Chicago’s most vulnerable.
CEO Nonie Brennan, longtime champion for the underserved and current executive director of the Emergency Fund, will lead this new joint-entity along with a dedicated and valued team of 28 board members and 17 staff members. During this transition, our consumers will remain serviced and supported.
While each organization will retain its identity and non-profit status, the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness and the Emergency fund will combine our leadership, efforts and resources in order to deepen our impact. Together, we will strive to ensure that everyone in our community has a home and no one is left behind. We look forward to working with you to carry out this important mission.