City of Chicago partners with Biden administration on homelessness initiative

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has announced a partnership with the White House and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to combat homelessness in Chicago through the ALL INside initiative. 

For two years, Chicago will collaborate with USICH and its 19 federal member agencies to house and rehabilitate the city’s homeless population. The initiative will work directly with city leaders to accelerate local anti-homelessness efforts, offering innovative and community-oriented support. 

“We must work with our federal and community partners to assist people experiencing homelessness and build pathways that ensure every Chicagoan has a  roof over their head, as well as support services to help them thrive,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “ALL INside is an exciting initiative that helps leverage federal  programs and resources to help the City and community address homelessness.”

According to the City of Chicago, the ALL INside initiative will include the following:

• Embedding federal officials within communities to expedite grassroots strategies and establishing systematic methods of addressing homelessness.

• Employing dedicated teams of government officials to navigate federal funding streams and facilitate a peer learning network across communities

• Garnering private sector and philanthropic partners for additional support and collaboration

“This initiative will provide essential access to federal alliances as we coordinate and build upon the efforts of our many partners." said Carolyn Ross, President & CEO of ALL INside partner All Chicago. All Chicago is an organization that prevents and ends homelessness through emergency financial assistance, community partnerships, data analytics, and training. 

Speaking further on the initiative, Ross stated, “ALL INside creates the opportunity to seek  guidance in our work to find innovative solutions to roadblocks and ways to better coordinate our efforts. This is an essential step forward in our efforts to end  homelessness.”

Through the ALL INside initiative, the City of Chicago, All Chicago, and Chicago Continuum of Care Board will concentrate efforts on these critical areas:

• Prioritizing and dedicating resources to support the housing needs of individuals who have been incarcerated or have an arrest or conviction records. This will involve a systematic review of eligibility and exclusions to ensure that housing opportunities are accessible to this population.

• Tackling the challenges faced by unsheltered individuals who seek shelter on public transit, highways, viaducts, and bridges. Efforts will be made to divert these individuals from transportation systems to safer places for protection.

• Creating a dedicated support system for participants in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) will receive dedicated support to make informed community choices. This includes creating a robust data system that facilitates collaborative change and helps improve the overall response to homelessness in Chicago.

• Streamlining identification and documentation processes to support access to affordable housing and benefits.

• Increasing the involvement of individuals with lived experience of homelessness in decision-making processes. This goes beyond merely seeking input and extends into the implementation stage, allowing those with lived experience to play an active role in shaping policies and programs.

ALL INside is part of All In, The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which aims for a 25% reduction of homelessness in the U.S. by 2025. The ultimate goal of All In and ALL INside is to create a country where every person has access to safe and affordable housing. 

In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration will launch new policies to address significant barriers to housing, health care, and other support for people experiencing homelessness. Additional information is available through the ALL INside White House Fact Sheet and USICH website.