Illinois Launches ISC Housing Navigator Pilot

The Illinois Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), 7 Independent Service Coordination (ISC )Agencies, and the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD) are excited to announce a Statewide pilot project titled “The ISC Housing Navigator Pilot”. The ISC Agency Housing Navigator Pilot will cultivate and pursue community-based, independent housing options for people with IDD who are already in the waiver and those newly selected from the PUNS list. The key activities of the ISC Housing Navigator will be to cultivate landlord and affordable housing relationships across various communities to identify housing stock while also working with individuals with DD and their families to maintain a localized list of people interested in independent supportive housing as an option to ultimately make the match between independent housing options and people with IDD.

DDD and ICDD are collaborating in the following ways: 

ICDD will: 

• Provide expert technical assistance (TA) in conjunction with High Ground Partners LLC  
• Establish the DD Transition Fund as a pilot to means test the necessary transitional items and services needed for people to move into their own housing-The transition fund could include: 
• Reimbursement of start-up of utilities as needed 
• Necessary furniture 
• One-time purchase of necessary household items required to live independently  
• Program evaluation  

DDD will: 

• Provide funding for dedicated Housing Navigation staff at ISCs 
• DDD Funded ISCs will: 
• Hire and supervise staff to solely dedicate to this program development 
• Create housing match programming with side-by-side support of TA 
• Create local housing expert teams that meet regularly to ensure access to housing stock 
• Recruit and track interested individuals in their region 

Program start is anticipated for July 1, 2022.