PSH Commitment Letter Instructions & Template
October 2015
Instructions:
In time for the October 14, 2015 renewal deadline, PSH renewals will include the following commitment
letter when they email their Project Application PDF to nofa@suburbancook.org. The purpose of the
letter is to affirm and clarify the PSH projects’ commitment to prioritizing people experiencing chronic
homelessness (CH). In the past, the Alliance has not requested this commitment of family PSH programs
because of the infrequent occurrence of chronically homeless families in our geography. However, HUD
expects the nearly universal commitment of Continuum-funded PSH programs to prioritize chronic
homelessness, and so we are asking for your written commitment that an otherwise eligible family
experiencing chronic homelessness would receive a priority over another otherwise eligible family.
CH-dedicated vs: CH-prioritized: Take the example of a 100-bed PSH program. In the project’s Grant
Agreement, in its Project Application, and in the January sheltered counts, the project consistently
reports 20 CH beds. That means the project has 20 CH-dedicated beds. CH-dedicated beds are beds
reserved for chronically homeless persons. A CH-dedicated bed must always be used for a CH person
until such time as there are no more CH persons in suburban Cook County. We are not asking you to
change the number of CH-dedicated beds in your program. Your letter should reflect the number of CHdedicated beds that is consistent with the project’s Grant Agreement and its yearly Project Applications.
In this 100-bed PSH program, ideally all of the remaining 80 beds should be CH-prioritized. What does
that mean? That means that when the beds turn over and there is a vacancy, although you are not
required to reserve that bed for a chronically homeless participant, you would prioritize an eligible
chronically homeless household for entry over an eligible household that is not experiencing chronic
homelessness.
How do we expect your PSH program to operationalize this?

In projects that serve primarily adult-only households, you likely already made a similar written
commitment to take referrals from the Alliance’s Vulnerable List when you have a vacancy.
Within that list, households are prioritized by chronic homeless status, length of time homeless,
and medical vulnerabilities as assessed by the VI-SPDAT. When you anticipate a vacancy, you are
(or will start) calling the Alliance staff to alert them of the vacancy, and we refer one or more
persons from the Vulnerable List to fill that vacancy. We do our best to connect you to another
agency that is likely in touch with that vulnerable homeless person so they can assist in reaching
out and finding that person. In the future, the referral process will become more automated as
we incorporate our prioritization and coordinated entry procedures into HMIS.

In projects that serve primarily families with children, you may not have previously made this
commitment. By making the commitment now, you affirm that if a chronically homeless family
that is otherwise eligible for the project is referred to the project, you will prioritize them over
other eligible households. At this time, families that meet HUD’s definition of chronic
homelessness are rare within our geography. The Alliance is required to adopt a coordinated
entry process that establishes how families will be prioritized for permanent supportive housing
placements, and we intend to utilize a vulnerability assessment that is appropriate to families,
such as the Family VI-SPDAT. In the future, much of this process will be automated into HMIS.
Housing First: As always, we encourage ALL projects to eliminate restrictive eligibility criteria. That
means programs should not be screening out for lack of income, mental health status, substance use,
criminal history, past evictions, or past victimization by intimate partner violence. As always, we
encourage ALL projects to eliminate policies that lead to termination if a participant experiences a
relapse, is institutionalized for a short period of time, or refuses to participate in treatment. For more
description and discussion of this Housing First orientation that HUD expects of us, refer to the NOFA
and the Detailed Instructions for the Renewal Project Application.
Copy the following onto agency letterhead, customizing for your program:
October __, 2015
Ms. Jennifer Hill
Executive Director
Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County
4415 Harrison Street, Suite 228
Hillside, IL 60162
Subject:[PROJECT NAME HERE]
PSH Commitment to Prioritize Chronic Homelessness
Dear Ms. Hill:
The _______ program hereby commits to prioritize chronically homeless households within its
participant selection process in the manner described below.
Within the project, there are __ total units and __ total beds, as shown in the 2015 Project Application.
The number of beds that are dedicated to chronically homeless [individuals/families] is ___ beds. These
CH-dedicated beds are reserved for chronically homeless persons until such time that no chronically
homeless persons can be found within suburban Cook County.
Within the remaining ___ beds, the project commits to prioritize chronically homeless
[individuals/families]. This means that when there is turnover in the project and a vacancy is created,
[your agency name] will notify the Alliance and accept referrals for eligible households according to the
prioritization process locally established by the Cook County Continuum of Care, which includes
chronically homeless status, length of time homeless, and other vulnerabilities associated with the need
for permanent supportive housing.
[Your letter can further explain additional eligibility criteria, if applicable. For instance, if in your Grant
Agreement you are limited to serving Veterans or people experiencing serious mental illness, either for
all of the beds or for a specified number of beds, you can explain that in your letter. You do not need to
restate HUD eligibility criteria for PSH, such as disability or homeless status.]
Sincerely,
[Signed by Executive Director or Program Director]