Homeless Services

Street Outreach

CTSO supports unsheltered residents in Champaign County, through regular engagement where residents may be sleeping and taking referrals from local agencies.

  • Staff: Martel Miller, Phyllis McCoy, Marco Price
  • Services: Immediate Needs: food, blankets, clothing, toiletries, transportation; Housing referrals, Referrals other orgs for: vital documents, LINK/medicaid help, domestic violence, mental & physical health services. To provide 3rd party verification of homelessness, we must make contact with the person at the location of homelessness. 
  • Hours: Monday through Thursday 8am to 4pm. May take up to 1 week to respond to a referral.
  • Referral Process: Street outreach referral form.
  • Capacity: No limit on referrals, but a limit of 50 supported at a time.


Housing Navigation and Supportive Services 

CTSO supports Urbana families with children who are facing homelessness and housing insecurity to refer them to all available resources and provides housing navigation for literally homeless families waiting for shelter.

  • Staff: Brittany Tuten, Ariel Davenport, Marco Price
  • Services:  Receive referrals, make assessments, support immediate needs (food, safety), make referrals. Refer families with income who are unstably housed (doubled up or self-pay at hotels) to Rental Assistance; with no income who are unstably housed to GA and TANF; fleeing domestic violence to Courage Connection; literally homeless families to Emergency Housing for Families waitlist and provide housing navigation.
  • Referral Process: There is no direct referral for this program.
    • For families with school aged children, referrals are through USD 116.
    • For families with children <6yo, referrals are through Crisis Nursery.
  • Capacity: No limit on referrals. Referrals typically responded to within 48 hours.

 

Transitional Housing for Families

CTSO provides transitional housing and supportive services for literally homeless Urbana families to transition to more stable housing.

  • Staff: Kerrie Gill
  • Services: Case management with intensive housing navigation, food, transportation assistance, connection to child care, health care, substance abuse, rape crisis, or mental health counseling, referrals for public aid: Medicaid, SNAP, GA, TANF, move in support: rental assistance and housewarming gift.
  • Referral Process: Referrals through CTSO School Outreach
  • Capacity: 8 apartment units. Average stay of 4 months. Typical waitlist of 1-15 families.

Emergency Housing for Residents with Disabilities

CTSO offers housing and supportive services for residents unable to safely stay in congregate shelter.

  • Staff: Jenny Goodwine
  • Services: Case management with intensive housing navigation, food, transportation assistance, connection to health care, substance abuse, rape crisis, or mental health counseling, referrals for public aid: Medicaid, SNAP, GA, TANF, move in support: rental assistance and housewarming gift.
  • Referral Process: NOTE: There is no direct referral for this program, nor is a waitlist kept. When there is an opening, CTSO requests referrals directly from shelters and CIH – email homeless-services@ccrpc.org.
  • Capacity: 12 units. Average stay 6 months.


Rapid Rehousing 

CTSO’s Rapid Rehousing program moves residents with income from literal homelessness into market rate housing with up to 12 months of partial rent and utilities and supportive services.

  • Staff: Queen Odudu
  • Services: Housing navigation, support paying for rental application and move-in costs, partial rent and utility support for 3-12 months, credit repair and legal services, employment support, referrals.
  • Referral Process: Members of the Continuum of Service Providers to The Homeless (CSPH) will will notified via email when there is an opening to the program.
  • Capacity: 10 units.