Provide a safe environment with a place to sleep free of charge and with a low barrier to entry. A low-barrier approach means reducing or eliminating entry requirements. It ensures that people are not screened out due to perceived barriers such as lack of employment, income, drug or alcohol use, or criminal records. Coordinate placement of survivors based on community-based, Hotline or Central Intake referral. Provide basic needs: meals or kitchen access; showers and toiletries; laundry; limited household items and storage. o Work with an outside vendor or other service to provide meals. All facilities must be located within the City of Chicago. Survivors may be placed into the hotel or short-term stay for a reasonable length of stay. o According to DFSS data, in 2023 among DFSS-funded domestic violence shelters the average number of days in shelter was 56 days. o Clients may be considered on a case-by-case basis to extend beyond a number of days determined at intake to ensure survivors are not put in danger and/or made street homeless. o Clients placed in hotels are considered enrolled into a shelter program. Transfers to domestic violence or general shelters from the hotel are not considered more stably housed. If Respondent operates a shelter and transfers a hotel survivor into their own program, the survivor may continue to be considered enrolled; however, such transfers will not be considered as an exit to more stable housing. Engage in diversion efforts either through coordination with system-wide diversion efforts or by use of creative, problem-solving conversations at shelter entry to empower persons facing imminent homelessness to avoid shelter and return immediately to housing. Provide connection to housing options by supporting clients in completing the general CES or GBV CES housing assessment (either directly or through referral) and supporting clients in identifying and navigating other housing options (either directly or through referral), e.g., working with clients to create housing plans, search for affordable and appropriate units, complete housing applications, and navigate the move-in process. Provide access to case management either directly or through formal partnerships to ensure clients are linked to services and community resources that will help clients obtain or maintain housing, e.g., building income, building independent living skills, developing education/career path, addressing a variety of physical, mental, emotional, and other needs. Case management services can be onsite at the hotel or motel, at the agency’s offices, or remote. Applicants must have an on-call option. This on-call option will allow for communication between the hotel or motel operators and the applicant as well as the client. Providers must serve as the liaison/contractor with hotels/motels directly, to determine room cleaning, security, phone access, laundry service for client clothing and manage any issues that may arise between the client and hotel. o It is expected that clients are seen in person, at a minimum of one time per week for scattered site locations. o Respondents must demonstrate their plan and capacity to manage household support without onsite presence where households are placed. o Rooms may be reserved in blocks at the same site or scattered. o While funding may not allow, however, a block of rooms of 15 or more at one time at the same site will require Respondent to have 24/7 staff coverage onsite.
