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Background
The idea that homelessness is something that can be ended
began a few years ago, based on a framework that if we can
prevent homelessness in the first place, and shorten the
experience of it when it does occur, we can ultimately end
homelessness as we know it. The federal government has
embraced the goal of ending chronic homelessness in ten
years in the United States.
Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and over 200 other
cities and counties have adopted or begun work on a Ten-
Year Plan to End Homelessness in their communities. In
suburban Cook County, homeless advocates have also
begun the process of laying out a strategy to end
homelessness.
The main planning body for homeless efforts in Cook County
changed its name in mid-2004 from the “Task Force on
Homelessness” to the Alliance to End Homelessness in
Suburban Cook County. When the Task Force created its
strategic plan for 2003-2005, the group explored the idea of
what it would take to end homelessness in our county. In the
three years that followed, the Task Force achieved several of
its goals identified in that strategic plan, including
incorporating as a nonprofit organization, hiring a full-time
executive director and staff, and changing its name to reflect
its new purpose.
On November 1, 2005, the Alliance convened a strategic
planning workshop to set out its goals for the coming five
years and identify strategies we believe can ultimately end
homelessness in our suburban communities.
The resulting Strategic Plan document was adopted by the
Board of Directors on December 22, 2005.
Strategic Plan Focus Areas
The idea that homelessness is something that can be ended
began a few years ago, based on a framework that if we can
prevent homelessness in the first place, and shorten the
experience of it when it does occur, we can ultimately end
homelessness as we know it. The federal government has
embraced the goal of ending chronic homelessness in ten
years in the United States.
Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and over 200 other
cities and counties have adopted or begun work on a Ten-
Year Plan to End Homelessness in their communities. In
suburban Cook County, homeless advocates have also
begun the process of laying out a strategy to end
homelessness.
The main planning body for homeless efforts in Cook County
changed its name in mid-2004 from the “Task Force on
Homelessness” to the Alliance to End Homelessness in
Suburban Cook County. When the Task Force created its
strategic plan for 2003-2005, the group explored the idea of
what it would take to end homelessness in our county. In the
three years that followed, the Task Force achieved several of
its goals identified in that strategic plan, including
incorporating as a nonprofit organization, hiring a full-time
executive director and staff, and changing its name to reflect
its new purpose.
On November 1, 2005, the Alliance convened a strategic
planning workshop to set out its goals for the coming five
years and identify strategies we believe can ultimately end
homelessness in our suburban communities.
The resulting Strategic Plan document was adopted by the
Board of Directors on December 22, 2005.
Strategic Plan Focus Areas
- Engaging Stakeholders: A Plan to End Homelessness
needs to be a Community Plan, with leadership and
buy-in from a variety of constituency groups, including
the public sector, elected officials, faith-based
communities, nonprofit groups, business leaders, and
others. The Alliance to End Homelessness is
committed to engaging the stakeholders who need to
be involved in creating and implementing a
community plan to end homelessness.
- Chronic Homelessness: Many people who lose their
housing may only be faced with homelessness once or
twice, or for a short period of time, while others find
themselves in the “revolving door” of homelessness.
Research shows that supportive housing—affordable
housing with services built in—is highly effective in
breaking this cycle of chronic homelessness.
- Family Homelessness: A family faced with
homelessness will experience a challenge very
different from that of an individual homeless person.
A child’s schooling may be disrupted; children and
parents may face separation; the emergency shelter
options are more limited. While many homeless
families in suburban Cook County are served in
transitional housing, we struggle to help families
afford housing and find employment over the long
term.
- Systems Prevention: Ending homelessness will
require preventing it in the first place. Other public
systems (corrections, mental health, etc.) need better
housing options to offer to people leaving an
institutional setting so that they do not become
homeless upon release. In addition, mainstream
resources (food stamps and other benefits) need to
reach all poor people, not just poor people with
addresses.
- Outcome Evaluation: Suburban Cook County’s
homeless providers have worked together for ten
years to help people out of homelessness. To make
best use of our collective resources, we need to hold
each other accountable for preventing and ending
homelessness, promoting residential stability,
maximizing self-sufficiency, and increasing skills and
income.
- Advocacy: Ending homelessness requires the creative
use of public and private resources, cutting-edge
housing and services strategies, and greater system
accountability. Building the political will to end
homelessness is crucial to making a community plan
successful in ending homelessness.
| © 2006 Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County. All rights reserved. |
updated february 2, 2006
"Chronic
Homelessness"
refers to being on
the street or in a
shelter for a year or
longer, or repeatedly
over the course of a
few years.
Homelessness"
refers to being on
the street or in a
shelter for a year or
longer, or repeatedly
over the course of a
few years.
Read the Plan
Click here to view
PDF version of the
document
Click here to view
PDF version of the
document
Executive Summary
Click here to view PDF
version of the
document.
Click here to view PDF
version of the
document.
Strategic Plan
| 1107 S. Mannheim Road Suite 304 Westchester, IL 60154 Voice 708.345.4035 Fax 708.345.7855 |
