Illinois Stability Investment for Family Housing (SIFH) Pilot

Eligible families experiencing homelessness and/or housing instability are invited to apply for cash assistance through the program funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and managed by GiveDirectly, a nonprofit. Oversight and research will be provided by the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab (IEL).

This funding will serve families with students who attend a school in one of the following:

• Chicago Public Schools
• Harvey School District 152
• East St. Louis School District 189

If additional spots are available, applicants will be considered if they have any student enrolled in a public school in the following counties in IL:

• Cook
• Kane
• Lake
• Peoria
• St. Clair
• Will
• Sangamon

Please note, families who already receive a housing subsidy from local governments, the State of Illinois, or the federal government are not eligible, nor are those who were selected for SIFH Round 1 or 2. Applications are being accepted here. You will be asked to enter your email in order to get to the application. The deadline to apply is March 9, 2025.

ONE of these descriptions must be true:

• Family is experiencing literal homelessness, like staying in an emergency shelter, a car, or other place where people usually do not live or sleep, such as a park or abandoned building.

OR

• Family has at least one student aged 17 or younger enrolled in a program for students experiencing homelessness. These programs are often referred to as McKinney-Vento, Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS), Families in Transition, or the homeless program.


• The student was enrolled in the above homelessness programs by December 9, 2024 (for CPS and all public schools in Chicago) or September 30, 2024 (for eligible public schools outside of Chicago) and the family is still experiencing housing instability at the time of application.

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This must also be true: The parent/guardian or the student must be currently enrolled in an eligible IDHS benefit (SNAP, TANF, VTTC Cash, or State Food) or expect to be enrolled by March 9, 2025.

Note: If only the student is enrolled in a benefit, the applicant must be listed as the parent/guardian on their IDHS benefit.

The following information is required:

• Social Security Number (SSN), Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), or IDHS IES Individual ID
• Name and district of student’s school

The following documents are required, click links for examples:

• Proof of your identity
• Proof of your guardianship status of the student

Confirmation of completed applications will be sent via text and email. Applicants may be asked for further information as applications are reviewed. Eligible applicants will then be added to a list of potential recipients. Recipients will be selected from the list at random.

Program recipients will be notified in May 2025, and funding will be awarded in June 2025.