Program areas at Chicago House and Social Service Agency
Chicago Houses 340B Pharmacy Services Program essentially forms a three-member team for participating clients: an HIV medical case manager, a pharmacist, and the participating client work together to keep the participant medication adherent and their viral load undetectable. Case management empowers individuals living with HIV to remain healthy and independent, receiving services such as medical appointment and medication adherence support, financial assistance, insurance navigation, behavioral health and substance use resources, and transportation assistance.
Residential housing - the family support program offers housing, case management, and other supportive services to 15 hiv/aids affected families that include over 25 dependent children. Designed for families facing homelessness and poverty in addition to hiv/aids, the program works intensively with both the parents and the children. The supportive living program is a 16-unit group living facility in Chicago's west town neighborhood, which provides the "first step" of housing and supportive services to adults living with hiv/aids who came directly from the streets or the shelter system; this facility is staffed 24 hours. The independent living program is a 24-unit apartment building in uptown, providing permanent housing to adults living with hiv/aids in need of affordable housing with supportive services available to meet intermittent needs.
Scattered site housing - the gaining ground program links housing services with Chicago House's employment program. Clients in gaining ground develop the skills necessary to return to work and increase their income level, moving them to greater self-sufficiency and ultimately allowing the housing subsidies to pass to others beginning the employment process. The hospital to housing program (hhp) and the samaritan program are scattered site housing programs which provide stable, safe housing for individuals with a chronic medical illness, such as hiv/aids, who are homeless or lack permanent housing. Under these programs, case managers find attainable housing for the chronically ill and homeless by locating interim housing until permanent housing becomes available or by placing clients directly into permanent housing. Family ties, finally home and housing first are three additional scattered site housing programs that provide stable and safe housing for chronically ill individuals who are homeless. The family ties program houses 10 families while finally home and housing first primarily House single individuals, each housing anywhere from 15 to 20 households. The housing advocacy program assists low-income individuals and families living with hiv/aids in obtaining and maintaining appropriate and affordable housing.