Commissioner Choucair sharing Local Strategies to Address Homelessness in his Susan L. Neibacher Address at the 2014 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium in New Orleans.
1. Chicago Department of Public Health
Commissioner Bechara Choucair, M.D.
City of Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Local Strategies to Address Homelessness
Susan L. Neibacher Address
2014 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium
Bechara Choucair, MD
Commissioner
Chicago Department of Public Health
@choucair #HCHnola
10. A Home for Everyone
Strategic Priorities
1. The Crisis Response System
2. Access to Stable and Affordable
Housing
3. Youth Homelessness
4. Employment
5. Advocacy and Civic Engagement
6. Cross-Systems Integration
7. Capacity Building
11. SAMHSA Chicago Community
Consortium (SCCC)
• Three-year strategic plan developed in 2013
• Annual Report Highlights:
• Over 200 new permanent supportive
housing units
• Over 5,000 enrolled in Chicago Central
Referral System (CRS) Database
• 15 bridge units created
• Enrollment of thousands into
CountyCare
13. Ongoing Efforts
• Double Value Coupon Program
Make it feasible for families to purchase healthy, locally
grown food.
• Minimum Wage Working Group
Provide a living wage in the City of Chicago for all workers
• Consent by Minors to Medical Procedures Act
Empower youth living on their own to make medical
decisions.
The map on the left shows areas of economic hardship, as indicated by poverty level, crowded housing, unemployment, low levels of education, and per capita income, with darker purple areas experiencing more hardship.
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The map on the right shows uncontrolled diabetes hospitalization rates, with higher rates shown in darker green.
By comparing these maps, it documents that areas with a higher economic hardship index have higher rates of diabetes hospitalizations, which are often indicators of inadequate access to care and community resources to stay healthy.
The SAMHSA Chicago Community Consortium (SCCC) is one of our community partnerships addressing homelessness.
SCCC was formed in 2011 under a three-year SAMHSA grant awarded to AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
The group is comprised of members of over 40 organizations, including local and statewide advocacy, mental health, substance use, health care, social service, housing service and homeless coalition groups as well as representatives of city, county, state, and federal government agencies.
The SCCC steering committee began meeting in 2012 and charged nine workgroups to advance the development of a strategic plan.
-In April 2013, the Committee approved their strategic plan, calling for a comprehensive capacity expansion and innovations in Cook County to take place over the next three years. Four main priorities:
Increase the number and variety of supportive housing units
Enroll our population into coordinated care services
Simplify and expand eligibility for and access to benefits, services and housing
Increase and strengthen outreach to link individuals to housing and health services
-They recently released their annual report which included numerous accomplishments made during one short year including…
The development of over 200 new permanent supportive housing units for their target population of homeless individuals and households in Chicago and Cook County who are living with SMI and or long-term substance or alcohol use,
The enrollment of over 5,000 enrolled in Chicago Central Referral System (CRS) Database,
(The CRS is a web-based tool where persons experiencing homelessness can apply for supportive housing. Participating supportive housing providers will pull applicants from the CRS to fill unit vacancies.
The creation of 15 bridge units, and
Enrollment of thousands into CountyCare