WJW at the Illinois Affordable Housing Forum

A rundown of this year's conference.

WJW was at Navy Pier this week for the Illinois Housing Council's annual Affordable Housing Forum. Always an informative and engaging time, it was great to see familiar faces and meet new folks too! We enjoyed connecting with many of our colleagues who do work to contribute to affordable housing in Illinois.

This year, Jane moderated a panel about "Opportunities and Success in Permanent Supportive Housing: Post Occupancy Evaluation Takeaways & Owner Perspectives." She was joined by Vince Heneghan of Impact Behavioral Health, Leticia (Letty) Valencia of IFF, and Ray Benaitis of Sertoma Star Services. The four discussed post occupancy evaluations (POEs), which are a reflective part of the design process after construction is complete and residents move in to their new homes. Feedback from residents and staff about how their spaces function for them gives us valuable considerations for future designs.

Last year, WJW completed post occupany evaluations of four Permanent Supportive Housing communities in Illinois. The post occupancy evaluation research methodologies included: surveys (staff and resident), building tours, interviews (staff and resident), and resident interactive worksheets on the topic of "What feels like home?" WJW synthesized the data we collected from fifty respondents into a booklet publication for POE participants, which included overall findings, community specific findings, and design considerations.

The panelists shared insightful perspective about their experience participating in a post occupancy evaluation and challenges specific to Permanent Support Housing. During the Q&A and after the session, audience members asked engaging questions and the panel enjoyed interacting with panel attendees.

Thank you to Vince, Letty, and Ray for a productive and thoughtful conversation! And thank you to the Illinois Housing Council for another successful Forum!