Supportive Housing Providers Association

08/29/2020

06/23/2014

Dearest SHPA Stakeholders,

This letter bids me great sadness to inform you all that I will be leaving the Supportive Housing Providers Association. My last day is June 27th. While I am very excited about my next endeavor, I am sad to end these AWESOME work relationships with all the Residents I have met around Illinois. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to work with you all and play a supportive role in your increased advocacy work within SHPA and in your communities.
I hope that you all will continue to put efforts toward advocacy at SHPA, in your own backyards, and in your lives. I am sure I will come in contact with some of you in my new position.
I will miss you all dearly. I send you all positive and loving energy in the future. Thank you all for the wonderful activities and memories.

Johnna Lowe

06/17/2014

Reminder: SHPA's Residents Conference call is today at 1:00 p.m. The conference call number is 1-866-951-1151 and the code is 9278634 #. Hope to hear you all on the call.

06/05/2014

http://www.blackenterprise.com/education/homeless-dc-teen-scholarship-georgetown/

As a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter resident, 18-year-old Rashema Melson knows that education is key to escaping her current circumstances. The 4.0 GPA senior at Anacostia High School is proof that hard work and dedication pays off, as the teen has just earned a full scholarship to attend ...

06/02/2014

FY 2015 Budget Passes House and Senate! Good for Supportive Housing!!
The House and Senate have passed a budget bill for FY 2015 (HB 6096, House Amendment #1) including an additional $2.6 million for supportive housing, bringing the total funding amount for supportive housing to $30.4 million, a 9% increase in funding over FY 2014. These funds will provide support services for an additional 896 people in projects scheduled to begin in FY 2015 and will continue all existing supportive housing services. A total of 12,000 people will be provided supportive housing in FY 2015.
Congratulations to One and All! Thank you to all Legislators who helped with the expansion of supportive housing.
Next step is asking the Governor to sign the budget into law. Stay tuned!

05/27/2014

One Week to Go on Legislative Session! Budget Action Needed!
The Legislative Session has roughly one week to go, and we do mean “rough”. The Illinois budget proposal sits with two wildly different proposals and at least one revenue proposal. One set of budget proposals, passed May 15th in the House, keeps human services intact and helps supportive housing continue to grow. The other (HB 3792) would bring disastrous reductions to large sectors of human service provision, including a 20% reduction in service capacity to supportive housing. HB3792 failed in the House on Friday, May 23rd. Only five State Representatives (Madigan, Berrios, Bradley, Crespo, and Duncan) voted to approve the bad budget bill. Please call your state legislators to say thank you for voting against HB 3792 and ask him or her to continue to work to find adequate revenue to fund human services. Please note that the budget bills passed on May 15th which supported human services and the bill (HB 3792) that failed on May 23rd have been held in the House of Representatives due to a "Motion Filed to Reconsider Vote." This means that they can be called up again for a vote at any time.
The revenue proposal (HB 395, House Amendment #1) which would make the personal income tax permanent at the current 5% passed out of the House Executive Committee 11-0 and has been held on Calendar of “Second” reading. Bills are generally called for a final vote after “Third” reading.
Currently, the House Revenue Committee is scheduled to hear HB 395 HA #1 on Tuesday, May 27th. To file an electronic witness slip in favor of (proponent for) HB395 HA #1, please click here: http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/70343?committeeHearingId=12101&LegislationId=70343&HCommittees5%2F29%2F2014-page=1&committeeid=0&chamber=H&nodays=7&_=1400781486374. The House Revenue Committee is currently scheduled for both May 27th and 28th. Strap on your seatbelt, stay close to your internet connection, take a deep breath and watch things closely during the week of May 26th. More to come! And, please keep inmind SHPA’s three points of emphasis: `
Extend the Temporary Income Tax Increase! The state needs a revenue solution for FY 2015!
Maintain current supportive housing funding levels at $27.8
Expand supportive housing service funding! Increase funding by $2.3 million!

Dashboard for the Illinois General Assembly

05/21/2014

Thanks to all those who participated in the Residents Conference call yesterday. Another special thanks to Resident Leaders Aaron Parker Jr and EdgeAlliance for hosting.

04/07/2014

ADVOCATE! Let's Protect and Enhance Supportive Housing!
There’s only 8 weeks left in the Legislative Session. Ask Your Legislator to Protect and Enhance Supportive Housing!
Your legislators will be on break from Springfield Legislative Session activities from April 14th- April 25th. The best time to talk with your Legislator is while he/she is on break from Springfield and back in the home office. And there are very serious things to talk about!
The state needs a revenue solution for FY 2015!
Without a “fix” for the severe loss of tax revenue that will result from the December 31st sunset of the temporary income tax increase, Illinois will fall $1.5 billion short on revenues to support a maintenance budget and mayhem will follow, with cuts to human services exceeding 20% - affecting virtually every area of human service. Approximately 2,500 people currently in supportive housing would lose supportive services and no chance of adding more supportive housing units will exist!
Maintain current supportive housing funding levels!
The Governor’s recently proposed budget plan for FY 2015 presents two options;
Option #1 - Maintain most services – supportive housing included. This option is viable only if a revenue solution is found.
Option #2 – Cut most human services by 20% or more – supportive housing included.
Expand supportive housing service funding! Increase funding by $2.3 million!
The state is under federal and class action suit mandates to provide supportive housing. Sixteen organizations have responded to this need and have proposed new projects for FY 2015. Eighteen projects are proposed, offering 896 units of supportive housing. A small investment by the state of $2.3 million dollars to pay for the services for the homeless and/or mentally ill people who will live in these new units leverages a total of $67.5 million in capital funding and resources already secured by these organizations. This is more than a 30 – 1 return on investment for the state, to mention the savings that occur in health care costs when a homeless or mentally ill person is provided stable housing, as demonstrated by repeated research studies and by repeated experience here in Illinois.
The Waiver is good for Supportive Housing
The Section 1115, when filed by the state and negotiated with the federal government, is anticipated to be a huge help for development of supportive housing. The Governor’s Office and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services have recognized that supportive housing is a critical component of the state’s effort to re-balance the long-term care system, respond to federal and class action suit mandates and successfully implement Medicaid expansion in Illinois.
Please email Johnna Lowe at [email protected] for the facts sheets and other documentation.

03/10/2014

The February Keystone Magazine is now available.
https://sites.google.com/site/kswebhome/keystone-magazine

Resources for families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

02/18/2014

Today is the first Residents Conference Call of 2014. The call is at 1:00 p.m. The dial in number is 1-866-951-1151 and the code is 9278634 #. Please feel free to join us.

02/14/2014

Support SB 2611: Exemption for Medications that Treat Severe Mental Illnesses from 4-Drug Limit
Tell Your Elected Officials: Support SB 2611, Which Exempt Medications that Treat Certain Serious Mental Illnesses from 4-Drug Limit
TAKE ACTION NOW
http://capwiz.com/thresholds/issues/alert/?alertid=63097636

Support SB 2611: Exemption for Medications that Treat Severe Mental Illnesses from 4-Drug Limit

02/12/2014

After conducting a survey with the residents and assessing the results, SHPA's Residents' Conference Calls have been slightly changed. The calls will be held on the on the third Tuesdays of the month at 1:00 p.m. This is an hour earlier than the previous schedule. We missed out on January's call and we are ready for February's call, Tuesday, February 18th at 1:00 p.m. SHPA also has a new conference call number. The new number is 1-866-951-1151 and the code is 9278634 #.

We look forward to talking to all the residents next week. A huge thank you to all those that particiapted in the survey calls.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Johnna Lowe, Resident Education & Advocacy Coordinator at 312-202-0256 or at [email protected].