The Housing Stability Program serves HOMELESS AND DISABLED families and individuals, chronically homeless individuals and those at risk of becoming homeless throughout Chicago by helping them attain affordable permanent housing at one of the buildings we serve. We then provide them with ongoing supportive case management services. Services are individualized in order to meet the needs of the specific individual or family and are focused on the person or family attaining a greater level of autonomy. Ultimately the goal of the program is to enable the family or person to have the skills necessary to no longer need services from RSSI.

In order to qualify for this program the head of household must be homeless and have a disability.

Qualifying disabilities include:

• Mental Health
• Physical
• HIV/AIDS
• and/or a Substance Induced Disorder

The disability must be of a long-continued duration, impedes ones ability to live independently, and be of a nature that could be improved by more suitable housing, or be from AIDs or conditions arising from its etiological effects.

RSSI's team of case managers provides services which are tailored to meet the needs of the individual or family. Intensity of services is initially very intense when a client enters the program and less so as time passes and the client increases autonomy. Collaboration with the client is key for the process of increasing their self-determination, and goals and services are agreed upon jointly so everyone has a role in the delivery of services.

This program was launched in 2009. Although chronic homelessness represents a small share of the overall homeless population, chronically homeless people use more than 50% of the services. This program helps move people off of the streets, receive high quality services and a safe, clean place to call home.

The Life Skills Training Program provides training that teaches and encourages our clients and other memebers of our community to develop the skills that will enhance their quality of life and lead to greater autonomy.

The Life Skills Training Program was created by analyzing the causes of homelessness and then developing training modules that would teach people the skills to address those causes on an ongoing basis. The objective of the program is to increase individual self sufficiency in order to prevent future episodes of homelessness and to ultimately lead to a way out of poverty. All ethnicities and genders are served by the program. It is a holistic program that also enhances the social/emotional needs of clients by offering the opportunity of group participation and decreases isolation.

This program works with chronically homeless individuals who also have a substance abuse and mental health disorder.

In September of 2010, RSSI received notification that we are one of seven recipients in the United States to receive a five year services in supportive housing grant from SAMHSA. This award will help us to provide housing and supportive services to an additional 150 individuals by year five of the grant. Additionally, RSSI received an award from the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness that will provide rental support for our new clients. Our goal is to help the hardest to reach people get off the streets into a safe and supportive environment and provide these individuals with the comprehensive services that we offer. This award does not replace who we currently serve and will continue to serve.