FACING FORWARD TO END HOMELESSNESS
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Mission Statement
Facing Forward ends homelessness for families and individuals by offering Home, Help, and Hope. Facing Forward provides permanent housing, education, advocacy, and social services.
About This Cause
Facing Forward served nearly 1,200 households last year, including nearly 300 households in our Permanent Supportive Housing program. In 2020, our Permanent Supportive Housing clients achieved the following: • 91% of our residents were enrolled in health insurance • 89% of high school seniors in our program graduated (compared to 78% overall CPS graduation rate) • 74% of households maintained or increased their income • 76% of households increased life skills / self-sufficiency • 49% of 3- and 4-year-olds were enrolled in Pre-K • 26% of students improved their school attendance and/or performance All of our clients have overcome tremendous hardships, and these results reflect their ongoing commitment to improve their lives and the lives of those they love. Facing Forward provides Permanent Supportive Housing, as well as a variety of short-term case management services to help families and individuals in Chicago achieve housing stability. Permanent Supportive Housing: Women, children, persons with disabilities, and those experiencing chronic homelessness represent the most vulnerable of the homeless population and endure substantial barriers to independently securing housing. Facing Forward prioritizes these individuals and families, providing the stability of a real home and comprehensive case management to help clients grow in confident independence. With no pre-determined end date for housing and services, we ensure that residents who leave our PSH program do so when they are ready. Our average length of stay is around 5-10 years, and our approach is proven to be effective in creating long-term change – 80% of those who moved on from Facing Forward over the last three years have exited into stable, permanent homes. Short-term Services: We also participate in service partnerships to address the needs of unstably housed families and individuals in Chicago. We currently provide Housing Navigation in partnership with the Corporation for Supportive Housing, helping families identify and secure appropriate housing opportunities; Housing Location services for survivors of domestic violence; and Skilled Assessment services in collaboration with local emergency shelters, to match incoming clients to housing opportunities and other resources to meet basic needs. Facing Forward partners with clients to promote stability and self-sufficiency through four central models of care: Housing First: A person’s basic needs for food and shelter must be met before successfully addressing root causes of homelessness. We provide housing at the outset of service. Once this first step toward stability has been taken, we provide client-directed case management services to support the journey toward self-sufficiency. Harm Reduction: We understand that change is a process. We do not require abstinence from risky behaviors or adverse health choices in order to participate in our program. Instead we encourage open and honest communication and provide non-judgmental guidance and support to help our clients meet their goals. Trauma-Informed: Most individuals who have experienced homelessness have also experienced trauma at some point in their lives. Our skilled provision of trauma-informed care provides a safe space for healing from trauma and a path out of the mindset of victimhood. We support clients in making their own choices and trusting in their innate ability to be self-sufficient. Strength-Based: Studies have shown that recovery support is most effective when it emphasizes the client’s resilience and self-determination, rather than focusing on deficits. We partner with clients to build service plans that respect their preferences, build on their strengths, and celebrate their successes as the results of their own courage and hard work. Our philosophy around Home, Help, and Hope: Home: We recognize that a safe and stable home is both an immediate, critical need and a foundation from which all other needs can be addressed. It is the best foundation on which a person can effectively rebuild a life and the best environment in which parents can provide safety, routine, and care for their children, giving them the opportunity to reach their full potential and break generational cycles of instability. We work with clients to secure stable, long-term homes at the outset of service, paired with partnership for as long as needed to help each client achieve stability and move toward lifelong self-sufficiency. Help: Our interdisciplinary clinical case management team helps clients to identify and address the root causes of their homelessness and take steps necessary to achieve lifelong change. As clients stabilize and internalize healthy decisions, they progress toward three main objectives: Housing Stability, Health Improvement, and Increased Self-sufficiency. Integral to our work to end generational cycles of homelessness is the promotion of healthy outcomes for children and youth in our program. Our case management follows a Two Generation model, providing comprehensive support services to all family members, with targeted supports for pregnant women and youth from birth to age 25. By promoting healthy development, academic achievement, and successful transition to confident independence in adulthood, we help young people impacted by homelessness forge a path out of the generational cycles of poverty and instability, ending their experience of homelessness for good. Hope: The client-directed programming at Facing Forward creates a context in which individuals and families experiencing homelessness can regain control of their lives and achieve their goals. A stable home and effective help generate hope, and that hope fuels progress and the development of a forward-facing lifestyle. We empower clients to put to use all of the commitment, capability, and unique strengths they possess to achieve their own goals, and we’re there at each step to celebrate those achievements, help them maintain their progress, and encourage them to dream for more.