Supportive Housing Providers Association in cooperation with CSH Supportive Housing and State Budget Cuts in Fiscal Year 2016

We want to talk to you today because… It’s your best opportunity to talk with them. We need everyone to be active in advocating against cuts to supportive housing and advocating for additional supportive housing funding! The state’s budget crisis for this year is solved - just TODAY, but we still have a big challenge facing us for the upcoming year, Fiscal Year Some of this discussion may cause some anxiety. Your Legislators will be home for the Easter break, starting Friday, March 28 th until Monday, April 11 th.

Don’t Get Anxious! Get Active! March 2015 Supportive Housing and State Budget Cuts So, let’s begin by talking about..

Let’s start with a little background…. Supportive Housing Works! Over time, funding has increased! Funding now stands at $30,775,000 12,000 people live in Supportive Housing! Supportive Housing saves the state money! It helps people to find stability in their life! 12,000 people$30,775,000 We know this to be true!

But the State has very serious money problems! The Legislature is working on a solution. They will probably “sweep” all existing “special funds” (funds used for special purposes) then make small cuts (2.5%) in most services and close the spending gap for this year’s costs. This fiscal year, stretching to June 30 th, has a shortfall of $1.6 Billion The solution will take care of this year, but what about next year? Too much expense Not enough income Expenses Income We believe that supportive housing will be reduced by 2.25% this year. There’s not enough money to pay for everything.

The budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2016 is not good! And runs until… Next year’s budget starts in… Next year, the Governor says we will be short money by over $6 billion. June 30, 2016 July 1, 2015 With 28 human service programs (like Early Intervention) proposed to be cut! and 22 human service programs (like supportive housing) proposed to be eliminated! Supportive housing for those with a serious mental illness is cut by $9 million! Supportive housing for those who were homeless is almost eliminated! -$9 Million -$12.7 Million

Here’s the impact of this proposal Cutting $12.7 million from homeless supportive housing supportive housing and $9 million from mental health supportive housing This is not a smart idea for the state. Forfeiture of over $40 million in matching federal funds Loss of supportive housing availability as non-profit landlords are forced to evict as many as 10,300 extremely low-income and disabled residents (in rural, urban and suburban areas across Illinois) Federal withdrawal of rental assistance for residents and operations support for buildings Increased homelessness and non-compliance with Williams, Colbert Class and Ligas action lawsuits Increased use of expensive emergency room services, increased admissions to hospitals, state funded nursing homes, jails Increased costs for the state of Illinois, far exceeding the investment of funding for supportive housing! - which leads to: - leads to: - which leads to: Our job is to help them understand that proposed cuts are a bad deal for them and for us! - which leads to:

So, it’s not good! But….. Do not get anxious…. Instead Active !!! We want you to get There are a bunch of things we can do…. We can talk to our Legislators about the budget. We can write letters or call on the phone. We can get creative about our advocacy. We can work together to advocate.

Talking to Your Legislator – Getting Active! Remember – All Politics Are Local To the degree that Legislators will be interested in our issue, they will be chiefly concerned with local implications – how things affect their District.. First, organize your thoughts – and your message – as they relate to your community. Prepare your message in local terms, while providing a statement of statewide need. Our Statewide Message is… We need a revenue solution for FY We can’t just cut our way out of this budget hole! Restore current supportive housing funding levels back up to $30.8 million! Expand supportive housing service funding by $3.6 million! 734 more units and 788 more people in supportive housing. $34.4 million in the FY 2016 budget will fully fund current and new supportive housing projects, supporting 13,000 people.

Prepare Your Story! Get Active! How many people does your organization serve? How many communities are served? What types of people are served? (Chronically homeless? Individuals with mental illness? Families? All?) How long has the community been served? How long have you lived there? Which other local organizations do you work closely with? (Churches? Local governments?) In the absence of supportive housing, what would become of the individuals served? Where would they go? How would your community cope? Don’t worry about remembering all of this. It is all available for you on line at the SHPA Website – then click on ADVOCACY. It’s called “Don’t Get Anxious! Get Active”

Find Your Legislator. Get Active! If you need to locate your Legislator’s office in your home District, go to click “OK” and enter your home address. Click to find your Legislator’s office. NOTE!! Your Legislator will be at home during March 28 th thru April 11 th. This is the best time to reach them! Make an appointment at his/her office or, better yet, invite your Legislator to your agency and offer a tour. Give a copy of the SHPA advocacy summary to Legislator. (Find summaries at on the “Advocacy” page). Take a look at a couple of examples. Again don’t worry about remembering all of this. It is all available for you on line at the SHPA Website – then click on ADVOCACY. It’s called “Don’t Get Anxious! Get Active”

Organize & Position Your Team. Get Active! Consider who on your team will make the most effective messengers. CEO? Executive Director? Case manager? Consumer? Resident? If your team includes multiple individuals, organize your parts in advance. Who is making introductions? Who is taking the lead? Who is best positioned to discuss your operation and the value of your service in the local community? Limit your outreach team to a maximum of three individuals – do not overwhelm the lawmaker.

Your Meeting With Your Lawmaker. Get Active! Introduce Yourself & Our Message Tell your story – BRIEFLY! Introduce yourself and your organization, and explain briefly your place in the community: how long you’ve been active, the types and number of individuals served, any expansion project you have underway. Explain the statewide context: we’re working together, statewide, to preserve and protect supportive housing and homeless services. If the lawmaker wishes to manage the conversation, allow the lawmaker to manage the conversation. Do not attempt to dominate the conversation. However, whenever possible, track back to our basic message and priorities.

Tell Your Story. Get Active! For Example: My name is ______. Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story. I am a registered voter living at the _____ organization. I am here today to {ASK}. Ask: Please include full funding for supportive services in supportive housing in the FY 2016 budget. This funding helps me and more than 12,000 people in Illinois to stay housed and avoid expensive alternatives like nursing homes, emergency rooms and jails. Before living in supportive housing I was……….(homeless, living in a nursing home) Since living at ______ organization, my life has improved. The services of my case manager helped me to________ (find healthcare, go back to school, volunteer in my neighborhood) 3-5 sentences. 1 minute! Please include full funding for services in supportive housing in the new state budget. Thank you!

Share Briefing Materials. Ask Your Lawmaker for Support! Share a one-page SHPA advocacy summary. See choices at click of ADVOCACY. See a few more examples. Suggest your Lawmaker watch the Video “Vote Yes for Supportive Housing” on the SHPA website at Ask the lawmaker whether he or she will support continued, adequate funding for supportive housing and make note of his/her response. Remember to thank your lawmaker for his/her time, and tell him/her that you look forward to following up over the course of the spring legislative session. YesNo

Evaluate Your Outreach After your meeting with you Legislator, ask ourselves - Was our outreach successful? Do your lawmakers more clearly understand the value of homeless services and supportive housing, the critical need for supportive housing and homeless services. Did the lawmakers appear enthusiastic about continued engagement with the homeless services and supportive housing community? Are the lawmakers prepared to support our priority for full funding in the spring session? Do they understand the critical need for supportive housing and homeless services, and the urgency of providing adequate funds for homeless services and supportive housing? Do they understand that the state will actually lose money if adequate funds for homeless services and supportive housing are cut?

If you want to get creative… You can write a letter or note to your Legislator. You can make a short video, using a phone camera and upload it to the SHPA Youtube Channel. You can attend a Legislative Hearing and, perhaps, volunteer to testify. There’s a Hearing coming up on April 1 st in Chicago. It’s the House Human Services Appropriations Hearing at the Bilandic Building on 160 N. LaSalle St. Rm. C-600 at 10:30 AM. You can write a letter to the Editor of your local newspaper. You can participate in the SHPA Legislative Committee and/or the SHPA Residents’ Committee. You can call your Legislator on the phone.

We Can Also Work Together on Advocacy! Come to the SHPA Spring Meeting and Advocacy Day On April 21 th, at the University of Illinois in Springfield, we will provide you with 1.Inside information and updates on the state budget and the direction of the state’ new Administration. 2.Workshops on how to talk to your elected officials and be the most effective advocate possible. 3.Key messages and supporting documents and facts to help share your story. 4.And an opportunity to feel the power of a strong movement for permanent housing solutions to end homelessness and institutionalization On April 22 nd, we will meet at the Capitol Building in Springfield and you can meet with your Legislator. We’ll have a table in the west wing of the building and materials for your use. We need to see you there!! We need to let our Legislators know that supportive housing is important!! Register at

And now, That’s the end of the presentation. This information and more, is available on line at then click on ADVOCACY. Let’s Talk! What questions do you have? When do you plan to meet with your Legislator Remember these dates: Legislators are home: March 28 th – April 11 th SHPA Spring meeting: April 21 st. SHPA Advocacy Day: April 22 nd.