Partners working throughout Springfield and Sangamon County to address homelessness do so for a variety of reasons. The overwhelming motivation is compassion and concern for those in our community facing incredible hardships. Compassion and empathy are crucial elements of work that involves walking alongside neighbors who have endured trauma and helping them pursue stability and […]
Josh Sabo
Josh Sabo is executive director of Heartland HOUSED, which serves as the backbone organization tasked with developing strategy, supporting implementation activities and facilitating the collaborative work of the Heartland Continuum of Care with the purpose of effectively addressing homelessness in Sangamon County.
Posted inArts & Culture
City, county and Capital Township support fuels homeless system successes
In 2004, a community strategic planning effort resulted in the development of the 10-Year Strategic Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, 2004-2014. The plan placed a strong emphasis on coordination efforts but little infrastructure was built following the plan’s completion to ensure its goals could be met. Sixteen years later, in 2020, a full-time coordinator for […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Heartland HOUSED expands community outreach efforts
We all benefit from support systems that help us navigate life’s challenges and difficulties. At times, that support may come from a family member, mentor or teacher who guides us and helps us grow. In other seasons, it might take the form of a loan, a public benefit or advice on how to handle a […]
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Reducing homelessness, improving health: How supportive housing can build a stronger community
For those experiencing homelessness, every day can feel like a struggle for survival. In the face of each day’s uncertainty, one of the few constants is difficulty. Every turn poses complications that create barriers to accessing life’s basic needs and the stability and safety people long for. Local organizations and advocates work to provide some […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Building a path forward: Tackling homelessness together
A recent report titled “State of Homelessness” from the National Alliance to End Homelessness reveals a challenging reality: the number of people experiencing homelessness in America reached an all-time high in 2023. Based on nationwide Point-in-Time counts, the report highlights a 12.1% increase in homelessness from the previous year. Further, between 2019 and 2023, there […]
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Solving homelessness requires person-specific, real-time data
If you talk to 10 different people about the state of homelessness in Springfield, you are likely to get 10 different answers. There are many reasons for this. Homelessness is complex and can be difficult to clearly define. Cultural assumptions around homelessness often lead to broad generalizations about people and their housing status and publicly […]
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100 Day Challenge results in 29 entering supportive housing
Is it possible to support individuals who have experienced years of homelessness in connecting to permanent housing opportunities? What about those who are reluctant to engage services for a variety of reasons and are deemed to be the hardest to house? A recent Heartland Continuum of Care effort saw 29 individuals with a history of […]
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Local efforts increase federal funds to address homelessness
Over the past decade, the Springfield and Sangamon County community has received the lowest amount of U.S. Housing and Urban Development funding to address homelessness among Continuums of Care in the state of Illinois. HUD utilizes an annual Continuum of Care competition and application process to determine the amount of funding communities receive through their […]
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Organizations work to reach “functional zero” homelessness by 2028
Springfield and Sangamon County’s 2022-2028 Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness was finalized in the fall of 2022. The plan’s ambitious goals aim to help our community reach “functional zero” homelessness in 2028. Functional zero is the point when a community’s homeless system of care can prevent homelessness whenever possible and ensure that when homelessness does […]
