Supportive Housing

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland views affordable housing as vital to supporting families, building stable neighborhoods and reducing poverty. In its new strategic vision, the Foundation reaffirms its commitment to the critical need for affordable housing in Cuyahoga County by focusing on those with the greatest need: single adults and families without a permanent home or those who are vulnerable to losing their home.

Since 1998, the Sisters of Charity Foundation has invested more than $7 million to enhance the availability of affordable housing for low-income adults and families. The Foundation has supported organizations with programs to create a wide range of housing opportunities for low-income individuals and families, combined with advocacy efforts to improve the continuum of care for the homeless.

Three strategic objectives encompass the Foundation’s Supportive Housing Initiative. Through these objectives the Foundation will work towards one goal: improving our community’s capacity to increase the availability of quality, permanent housing with supportive services to help those in need and reduce poverty in Cuyahoga County.

Supportive Housing Initiative – 3 Strategic Objectives

June 2007 – Pre-application
workshop

• Permanent supportive housing for long-term homeless single adults
• Supporting at-risk families and youth to remain housed
• Advocacy to effect positive policy reform addressing the full homeless continuum of care.

The Supportive Housing Initiative began in June 2007 with the release of an RFP and a Pre-Application Workshop. The grantees were announced in November 2007. They represent the key strategic areas needed to improve housing stability for families: Legal Services, Financial Assistance, Supportive Services, Collaboration and Policy.  The Foundation works with the National Center on Family Homelessness to track the outcomes of this Initiative.

What is Permanent Supportive Housing?

Chronically homeless adults often have multiple needs such as physical or mental illness or chemical dependency that may not be adequately addressed even as they repeatedly use the costly health and social services that communities struggle to provide. Housing that connects residents to comprehensive support services on-site – supportive housing – has helped to reduce chronic homelessness in several U.S. cities.

More than $1.2 million was directed toward Housing First, a coalition that is bringing supportive housing models to Cuyahoga County. Housing First is recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development as a best-practice for reducing chronic homelessness.