Our mission is to transition people from housing crisis to housing stability. We offer a full range of programs and services that are 1) participant-centered, 2) integrated, 3) modeled using best practices and 4) designed to reduce the length of time and impact of trauma associated with homelessness and housing instability.
Housing Forward impacted the lives of more than 2000 adults and families with minor children last year.
PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS, a crisis response to housing instability
An accident, loss of job or unforseen crisis can impact any household. For a household already experiencing an unstable housing situation a reduction in houeshold income can lead to the loss of housing.
Housing Forward' Emergency Assistance program is an intervention to stave off the loss of housing through:
BEFORE HOUSING COMES OUTREACH and ENGAGEMENT. Ending homelessness requires meeting people where they are geographically, physically, and mentally.
Homelessness is traumatizing. Trained staff are mobile and provide proactive engagement.
ADDRESSING AN IMMEDIATE CRISIS THROUGH BASIC NEEDS and SERVICES
Where can I shower? Store my belongings? Receive mail? Access case management services, basic primary care, and legal assistance?
Before it was closed temporarily due to the pandemic, our daytime Support Center was open 5 days a week for clients to access:
Case management - Case Managers provide personalized assistance to guide a clients' focus from survival to their highest level of self-sufficiency. Case Managers assist with enrollment in entitlement benefits, provide linkage to employment resources and health and behavioral health services.
Health Clinic - In partnership with resident physicians from Loyola's Strich School of Medicine and volunteer nurses, the agency's Health Clinic provides basic primary care, health assessments, wound care, vaccinations and health education. Follow-up care, assistance in applying for health insurance and linkage to a primary medical home are handled by our Community Health Nurse.
Read More »
SUSTAINING HOUSING THROUGH EMPLOYMENT.
Employment Readiness prepares clients for a successful, sustained re-entry into the workplace.
More information about our Employment Readiness program can be found here.
Read More »Sojourner House, which opened August 2019, offers a "bridge to housing" in a community based setting of five apartments and one three-bedroom coach house in Oak Park. This 90-day program provides safe, stable living while participants are assisted with improved health, employment, family reunification and linkage to community based services until a permanent destination is identified.
PARTNERS: Oak Park Housing Authority, MacNeal Hospital/Loyola Medicine
New Interim Housing Program, which opened in October 2020, is a 24-hour-a-day place for people to stabilize while they seek permanent housing. The safe environment allows clients relief from a survival mode and time to focus on their housing goals. The program includes structured programming that addresses the root causes of homelessness. To ensure the well-being of medically fragile, the program also includes dedicated space for medical respite services.
Ohana House, which opened Fall 2020, offers housing and services just for families.
Permanent supportive housing is an intervention that combines affordable housing assistance with voluntary support services to address the needs of adults and families who have a long-term disability. Services are designed to build independent living and tenancy skills and connect people with community-based health care, treatment and employment services. Affordable housing comes in the form of a rental subsidy and participants contribute 30% of their income. Permanent Supportive Housing is proven to be a cost-effective solution shown to lower public costs associated with the use of crisis services such as shelters, hospitals, jails and prisons.
Our partners: Cook County Health (CCH), Better Health Through Housing (BHH), Center for Housing and Health, Heartland Alliance, Thresholds, BEDS Plus, South Suburban PADS
Rapid Rehousing is an intervention for individuals and families who are homeless (HUD definiation) and can become quickly re-housed with limited rental assistance, case management and supports to help a household become and remain stabliy housed.
Our partners: South Suburban PADS
Bridge for Youth is a collaborative project which holistically serves youth experiencing homelessness by addressing the structural barriers that limit youth access to housing due to income, lack of education, backgrounds, or discrimination. The program provides specialized services uniquely tailored for young people using a positive youth development approach to provide a path towards independent living through a transition housing and rapid-re-housing model.
Our partners: BEDs Plus CARE, New Moms, Youth Outreach Services and African American Christian Foundation
Victory’s Path transitions homeless Veterans to stable housing as quickly as possible. Using a low-barrier, Housing First approach, the program provides participants furnished apartments of their choosing where they will continue to reside upon completing the program. Veterans have access to Housing Forward’s uniquely diverse program model (i.e. access to employment readiness, supportive services, benefits coordination, tenants club) which provides an extensive menu of services, tailored to their unique situation, that will address the challenges that led to housing crisis and support them in achieving independence.
Our partner: Hines VA Hospital
To learn more about our housing programs, including the three core components, click here.
Read More »
