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Shelter Capacity Sangamon County

This page tracks the availability of shelter beds throughout Sangamon County. The information is designed to support individuals, families, and service providers in finding safe places to stay and connecting with ongoing housing resources. This does not include transitional shelter beds. The HCoC shelters focus on serving Sagamon County residents. If not a Sangamon County resident, please call 2-1-1 to learn more about shelters in your area.

**This information is updated every Monday by 12 pm.**

Shelter Capacity - Women

AgencyTotal BedsUsedAvailable Beds Population ServedNotes
Contact Ministries34268Women and Children 
Helping Hands30264Women 
Sojourn Shelter & Services33258Women and Children; victim of Domestic Violence 
Youth Services Bureau880Youth: Ages 16-24

Shelter Capacity - Men

AgencyTotal BedsUsedAvailable BedsPopulation ServedNotes
Helping Hands12010713Men
Helping Hands - Medical Respite10010Men and Women; referral from hospitals

Coordinated Entry

The Sangamon County Coordinated Entry System is a centralized or collaborative process designed to coordinate program participant intake, assessments, and referrals to housing. This process is open to any and all individuals and families in the CoC Service Area who are experiencing literal homelessness, at imminent risk of homelessness, or actively fleeing domestic violence, as defined by HUD, regardless of any potential barriers such as lack of income, criminal history, substance use, or prior program experiences.

A common assessment is utilized throughout the Heartland Continuum of Care to facilitate a household’s placement on the Coordinated Entry list. The assessment collects participant’s homeless history and other essential information to determine eligibility and priority for supportive housing referrals. Households can only access Permanent Supportive Housing and Rapid Rehousing opportunities through the Coordinated Entry System. 

Coordinated Entry covers the HCoC’s entire geographic area of Sangamon County. One of the primary goals of the HCoC’s Coordinated Entry System is for the system to be easily accessible and welcoming to the wide range of people who may experience a housing crisis in Sangamon County. Therefore, multiple types of access points are available for people experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness. The intake and referral process will be consistent across all access points so that participants receive seamless care regardless of which access point they use to enter the system.

Coordinated Entry System in Sangamon County (Pathway to Housing)
Click here for a video explanation of the Pathway to Housing and the Coordinated Entry System. 
Click here for the complete list of Coordinated Entry Access Points.

Coordinated Entry Documentation 

Coordinated Entry Housing Programs' Eligibility Criteria Table

All those referred must be eligible to receive services at the agency they are referred to. The only way to access Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Rapid Rehousing Programs (RRH) is through the Coordinated Entry System. 

Rapid Re-Housing Programs

AgencyProgramCriteria
Helping HandsRapid Re-HousingCategories 1 & 4 HUD's definition of homelessness
Fifth Street RenaissanceRapid Re-HousingCategories 1 & 4 HUD's definition of homelessness
MERCY CommunitiesRapid Re-HousingCategories 1 & 4 HUD's definition of homelessness; families w/children under 18

Permanent Supportive Programs

AgencyProgramCriteria
Fifth Street RenaissanceVeterans Family Renaissance 
Permanent Supportive Housing 6 		Chronically Homeless;
HIV/AIDS
Helping HandsPermanent Supportive HousingChronically Homeless
MERCY CommunitiesPermanent Supportive HousingChronically Homeless Families

Definitions 

Flowchart of HUD’s Definition of Chronic Homelessness
HUD Binder: Continuum of Care Program

Community Standards

The Heartland Continuum of Care is working to develop Community Standards for all programs to help organizations unify around best practices and to continuously improve quality of service across the Continuum of Care. Currently the HCoC has adopted Community Standards for Rapid Rehousing, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Street Outreach and efforts are under way to finalize Emergency Shelter Standards.

Rapid Rehousing Community Standards
Permanent Supportive Housing Community Standards
Street Outreach Community Standards

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

HMIS is a local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to individuals and families at risk of and experiencing homelessness. Each CoC is responsible for selecting an HMIS software solution that complies with HUD’s data collection, management, and reporting standards. WellSky Community Services is the software used by the Heartland Continuum of Care.

HMIS participation requirements
  • Every CoC-funded project is required to participate in HMIS, though other homelessness projects may also have funders who also require this participation as well. Participation in HMIS entails individual agencies entering and maintaining their client and project data in this centralized system. 
Why is HMIS Data Important?
  • Because all Heartland Continuum of Care data is housed in HMIS, the database serves as the CoC’s primary source of information when making data-informed decisions in homelessness planning. HMIS is only as useful as the quality of the data being entered by users, which is part of why participation in HMIS is a vital piece of the homelessness system. 
Who is the HMIS Lead Agency?
  • MERCY Communities serves as the HMIS Lead for the Heartland Continuum of Care.

HCoC HMIS Policy (approved 10/22)

If you are an agency that is interested in gaining access to HMIS, please complete these forms below. 

Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund - Veteran Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund 

The Heartland Continuum of Care agencies are grateful for the partnerships with local landlords and property managers. In order to maintain those relationships, the HCoC wants to provide financial protection for landlords who partner with our housing programs, covering costs such as damages, non-payments, and court expenses. 

The Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund (LMRF) is a formal partnership among housing providers, property owners and managers, and service providers. The goal is to create access to housing through a ‘Housing First’ approach, which emphasizes rapid placement and ongoing support in housing. The LMRF will help persons who face housing barriers access housing and maintain housing by protecting both property owners and agencies providing services. The Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund offers an incentive for landlords to rent to individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness and face significant barriers to housing. Essentially, landlords agree to rent to people who are part of supportive housing programs operated by Heartland Continuum of Care member agencies. 

The program aims to: Mitigate the traditional risks associated with less stringent screening criteria. Meet the needs of persons who otherwise could not access housing or who face challenges to maintaining housing. The Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund will reimburse up to three thousand dollars ($3,000) for physical and operational losses for up to two (2) years after move-in.

The Veteran & Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund (VLRMF) is a community resource designed to support Sangamon County’s previously unhoused Veterans and the landlords who house them. This fund provides financial protection to landlords and helps Veterans overcome barriers to housing by covering up to $3,000 in potential losses for up to two years after move-in. 

By reducing financial risk for landlords, the VLRMF makes it easier for Veterans to secure safe and stable housing while also strengthening partnerships between landlords, service providers, and the community. This initiative is a collaboration with the Veteran Crisis Response System, Springfield Non-Profits, and the Heartland Continuum of Care.

Landlord Risk Mitigation Policy - coming soon! 

Veteran & Landlord Risk Mitigation One Page

Want to donate?

  • By contributing to the LMRF or VLRMF, you’re helping community members find and keep housing, and making it easier for landlords to say “yes.” Together, we’re building a stronger, more stable community, one lease at a time.
  • Your contributions help us ensure that veterans, individuals, familky and youth housing efforts are sustainable, compassionate, successful, and locally led.

Lived Experience Collaboration

Heartland HOUSED and the Heartland Continuum of Care believe engaging persons with lived experience is critical to achieving the goals outlined in the 2022-2028 Strategic Plan to End Homelessness.

The Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB) was established in 2024. Its primary goal is to elevate the voices of individuals with lived experience of homelessness. LEAB members provide ongoing input and expertise on Continuum of Care (CoC) policies, new projects, and ways to improve the homeless response system in Springfield and Sangamon County.

We want to uplift the voices of those that have lived experience of homelessness and ensure that voice is being integrated in the efforts in our community. This board will be used in an advisory capacity in conjunction with the Heartland HOUSED Strategy Board and the Heartland Continuum of Care board.

Before you apply….

What to Expect!
  • Compensation for your time
  • Monthly set meetings
  • Provide personal experience, insight, knowledge, and leadership to community leaders, service providers, and other stakeholders
Requirements to join!
  • Experienced homelessness within the last 7 years.
  • Ability to attend monthly meetings via zoom or in person
  • Currently resides in Sangamon County
  • Have a desire to help our community!

Want to join the board?
  • If you are someone that has experienced homelessness in their life and are interested, apply to join the Lived Experience Advisory Board.
    • If you prefer a paper copy of this application, contact us.
    • ** All applications are reviewed by the HCOC board. Once final decisions are made, applicants will be contacted whether or not they were selected.

 

~We aim to empower those who were once powerless~

Training Opportunities 

This training page houses supplemental materials and recordings of trainings put on by the Heartland Continuum of Care. 

Community Street Outreach Standards and Best Practices

HCoC Point in Time Count Webinar
  • For a copy of these slides click here

Heartland HOUSED & Homebase Training Series

Homelessness Prevention Guidelines and Training
  • Fifth Street Renaissance provided information and training for community members and services providers to utilize Homelessness Prevention funds for eligible households that are in danger of eviction, foreclosure, or homelessness.

Learning Management System
  • The Heartland Learning Management System offers accessible, on-demand training for HCoC members and service providers to build skills, strengthen collaboration, and support best practices in ending homelessness.
National Alliance to End Homelessness: Housing-Focused Street Outreach Series: 

SAMSHA Training Resources:

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