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FHP Evaluation

The Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University (CURL), in partnership with the Center for Health Equity and Innovation and Cook County Health, conducted an evaluation of the Flexible Housing Project (FHP) program. The Flexible Housing Pool (FHP), coordinated by Chicago Center for Housing and Health addresses health and housing aims to decrease utilization of emergency services and hospitalizations by connecting people to stable housing and the supportive services they need in order to improve health outcomes.

The goal of the evaluation project was to assess the activities and implementation of this program. The project objectives included describing the care coordination model utilized by the FHP program staff; examining and documenting the model's structure and development; investigating the extent to which the original program model and its key components are being implemented as planned across the outreach, bridge housing, and permanent housing stages in the process of the FHP model; and documenting the lived experiences of participants served by the Flexible Housing Pool.

After conducting the evaluation, CURL and Cook County Health have produced two reports. The first report, "At the Transition of Homelessness and a Self-Directed Future: Emerging Adults in the Flexible Housing Pool of Chicago and Cook County," examined the impact of the provision of housing and services for emerging adult residents in the Flexible Housing Pool.  Relying on interviews with 90 emerging adult residents in the Flexible Housing Pool, our study found that the housing and supportive services provided through FHP enabled emerging adults and their families to exit periods of homelessness and provided the stability and support necessary for them to better manage their health and take steps towards greater self-sufficiency. An in-depth review of the findings and recommendations are found in FHP Emerging Adult Executive Summary and FHP Emerging Adult Full Report.

The second report, "Meeting the Challenge of Housing Low-and-No Income Residents Across Chicago and its Suburbs: The Flexible Housing Pool of Chicago and Cook County," utilized the data from interviews with 143 FHP residents and focus groups with FHP service providers and staff to examine the Flexible Housing Pool's provision of housing and tenancy support. Overall, our study finds that the FHP scattered site model has been largely successful in utilizing Chicago and Cook County’s rental market to provide safe and affordable housing to residents.  This report highlights the critical role that tenancy support specialists play in promoting long-term housing stability. The full report can be accessed here: FHP Full Housing Report.

It is our hope that these reports underscore the considerable benefits of providing emerging adults with safe and stable housing, the value of scattered-site supportive housing, as well as the importance of the tenancy support specialists in enabling FHP residents to find and sustain housing that aligns with their needs and preferences. Together, these reports contribute to ongoing discussions of how best to serve individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability in Chicago and Cook County. 

 

The Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University (CURL), in partnership with the Center for Health Equity and Innovation and Cook County Health, conducted an evaluation of the Flexible Housing Project (FHP) program. The Flexible Housing Pool (FHP), coordinated by Chicago Center for Housing and Health addresses health and housing aims to decrease utilization of emergency services and hospitalizations by connecting people to stable housing and the supportive services they need in order to improve health outcomes.

The goal of the evaluation project was to assess the activities and implementation of this program. The project objectives included describing the care coordination model utilized by the FHP program staff; examining and documenting the model's structure and development; investigating the extent to which the original program model and its key components are being implemented as planned across the outreach, bridge housing, and permanent housing stages in the process of the FHP model; and documenting the lived experiences of participants served by the Flexible Housing Pool.

After conducting the evaluation, CURL and Cook County Health have produced two reports. The first report, "At the Transition of Homelessness and a Self-Directed Future: Emerging Adults in the Flexible Housing Pool of Chicago and Cook County," examined the impact of the provision of housing and services for emerging adult residents in the Flexible Housing Pool.  Relying on interviews with 90 emerging adult residents in the Flexible Housing Pool, our study found that the housing and supportive services provided through FHP enabled emerging adults and their families to exit periods of homelessness and provided the stability and support necessary for them to better manage their health and take steps towards greater self-sufficiency. An in-depth review of the findings and recommendations are found in FHP Emerging Adult Executive Summary and FHP Emerging Adult Full Report.

The second report, "Meeting the Challenge of Housing Low-and-No Income Residents Across Chicago and its Suburbs: The Flexible Housing Pool of Chicago and Cook County," utilized the data from interviews with 143 FHP residents and focus groups with FHP service providers and staff to examine the Flexible Housing Pool's provision of housing and tenancy support. Overall, our study finds that the FHP scattered site model has been largely successful in utilizing Chicago and Cook County’s rental market to provide safe and affordable housing to residents.  This report highlights the critical role that tenancy support specialists play in promoting long-term housing stability. The full report can be accessed here: FHP Full Housing Report.

It is our hope that these reports underscore the considerable benefits of providing emerging adults with safe and stable housing, the value of scattered-site supportive housing, as well as the importance of the tenancy support specialists in enabling FHP residents to find and sustain housing that aligns with their needs and preferences. Together, these reports contribute to ongoing discussions of how best to serve individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability in Chicago and Cook County.