Audit of Department of Family and Support Services Outreach to Encampments of People Experiencing Homelessness

Executive Summary

OIG found that DFSS has found success in rapidly housing encampment residents who wish to pursue permanent housing using a “housing first” approach via its Accelerated Moving Events (AME) program. Further, DFSS follows the City’s policy for cleaning encampment areas, including notifying encampment residents in advance and providing notice before disposing of potentially abandoned items; the City’s off-street cleaning policy strives for balance between the health and safety of the public way and the needs and rights of encampment residents.

Specifically, OIG found that 94% of 238 encampment residents who attended an AME between November 2020 and May 2022 secured housing. Eighty-three percent were still housed on October 3, 2023. In an AME, people experiencing homelessness complete all the steps required to secure housing in one day.  DFSS is the lead coordinator for AMEs to house encampment residents and works in collaboration with Chicago’s Continuum of Care, a network of homelessness service providers.