Supportive Housing Providers Association

What Supportive Housing Providers Association does

Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA) is a non-profit trade association headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, serving developers, providers, and residents of permanent supportive housing across the state. Its stated mission is to strengthen the supportive housing sector so that people have access to affordable housing and can survive and thrive in their community with services individually tailored to their needs. SHPA describes itself as the only trade association in Illinois that integrates supportive housing residents into organizational leadership.

SHPA's service portfolio centers on six interconnected offerings: Advocacy (influencing legislation, funding policies, and state agency actions, anchored by an annual Advocacy Day), Training & Technical Assistance (regional and virtual sessions on supportive housing operations, with individual sessions priced at $50.00 USD), statewide SOAR coordination (helping homeless individuals access SSI/SSDI benefits as Illinois SOAR Team Lead), Peer Leadership Development (mobilizing individuals with lived experience of homelessness, disability, and institutionalization), HETAC (a grant-funded technical assistance center launched spring 2023 supporting projects aligned with the Home Illinois Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness), and a Membership Program for developers, providers, and residents. The business model is membership-based, with annual dues (undisclosed), training fees, and grant funding as primary revenue streams. HETAC is delivered through contracted implementation partners including High Ground Partners LLC and Project Mavens, and SOAR training is coordinated with Parkwyn Training & Consulting. SHPA partners strategically with the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness on state-level initiatives under Governor Pritzker's Executive Order.

The organization operates with 1-10 employees structured around regional coordinators (Northern, Central and Southern Illinois), supported by a board of directors that includes developers, providers, and resident leaders. Leadership comprises Executive Director Eileen McNamee (per the organization's website; the management data block references a different name for the same role), Director of Government Affairs Max Seeley, Director of Peer Leadership Susan Day, Statewide SOAR Coordinator Alivia Perteet, Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator Monique Williams, and Communications Coordinator Olivia Hess. The board is led by President Johnna Lowe. SHPA generates no technology product, holds no patents, and conducts no disclosed M&A, funding rounds, or restructuring activity.

Name

Supportive Housing Providers Association

Legal name

Supportive Housing Providers Association

Website

https://shpa-il.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SHPA is a Springfield, Illinois-based nonprofit trade association serving supportive housing developers, providers, and residents through advocacy, training, statewide SOAR coordination, peer leadership development, and the HETAC technical assistance center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association - Supportive Housing Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Supportive housing advocacy
• Housing provider training
• SOAR coordination services
• Homelessness technical assistance
• Permanent supportive housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SHPA generates revenue through membership dues from developers, providers, and residents of supportive housing. Members receive benefits including advocacy participation, training access, networking, and policy voting rights.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SHPA is a non-profit trade association that provides advocacy, training, and technical assistance for the supportive housing sector in Illinois. It sells membership subscriptions to housing developers, providers, and residents, and delivers fee-based training events, statewide SOAR coordination, and grant-funded programs (including HETAC) under the Home Illinois Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

Product overview

Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA) is a non-profit trade association offering a portfolio of interconnected services focused on supportive housing in Illinois. The core offerings include Advocacy Services (legislative influence and annual Advocacy Day), Training & Technical Assistance (regional and virtual trainings on supportive housing best practices), SOAR coordination (statewide program helping homeless individuals access SSI/SSDI benefits), Peer Leadership Development (empowering individuals with lived experience), HETAC (Homelessness Education Technical Assistance Center for grant-funded projects), and Membership Program (for developers, providers, and residents of supportive housing). These services work together to advance evidenced-based practices, increase supportive housing development, and maintain current supportive housing projects throughout Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy Services SHPA advocates to sustain supportive housing in Illinois by influencing legislation, funding policies, and administrative state agency policies. Includes advocacy campaigns and an annual Advocacy Day where members meet with state representatives and congresspeople.
• Training & Technical Assistance Ongoing trainings offered regionally and virtually to member organizations covering fundamentals of supportive housing, standards in supportive housing operations, and other nuanced topics. Members can also work with SHPA staff for in-person technical assistance on various support areas.
• SOAR Program (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) A national program designed to help eligible adults and children experiencing or at risk for homelessness access Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. SHPA's Statewide SOAR Coordinator acts as SOAR Team Lead for Illinois, developing and implementing a statewide plan to advance the SOAR program.
• Peer Leadership Development Program A program that mobilizes individuals who have experienced homelessness, disabilities, and unnecessary institutionalization to establish a unified voice that informs SHPA's work and member organizations. The program provides a safe place for growth, awareness, and empathy to promote resilience.
• HETAC (Homelessness Education Technical Assistance Center) Administered and facilitated by SHPA after winning a competitively awarded grant, HETAC supports projects aligned with the Home Illinois Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Inaugural projects include Rural Homelessness Report, One System Initiative, Statewide Medicaid Capacity Building, Homeless Systems-change and Data Improvement projects, 100-Day Challenges, and others.
• Membership Program Trade association membership for developers, providers, and residents of permanent supportive housing. Benefits include advocacy participation, training access, peer networking, committee participation, policy voting rights, and monthly updates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significantly increases approval rates for SSI/SSDI applications through SOAR-trained caseworkers

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• High Ground Partners LLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSHPA contracts with High Ground Partners LLC for project development and management support for HETAC (Homelessness Education Technical Assistance Center) initiatives tied to Illinois homelessness prevention programs.
• Project MavenscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSHPA contracts with Project Mavens for project development and management support for HETAC initiatives supporting the Home Illinois Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
• Parkwyn Training & ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParkwyn Training & Consulting (established by Abby Kirkman and Suzy Sodergren, formerly of the SOAR TA Center) provides SOAR model training to help states and communities maximize income and advocate for services supporting individuals experiencing homelessness. SHPA coordinates with PTC for Illinois SOAR training delivery.
• Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (Illinois)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, established in 2021, spurred the creation of HETAC administered by SHPA. This partnership oversees implementation of Governor Pritzker's Executive Order to Fight Homelessness and related state initiatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Corporation for Supportive Housing: National nonprofit that provides training, technical assistance, and advocacy to expand supportive housing; the most direct national analog to SHPA's combination of advocacy, training, and technical assistance for the supportive housing sector.
• National Alliance to End Homelessness: National advocacy and policy organization focused on preventing and ending homelessness in the U.S.; closely comparable to SHPA's advocacy, training, and research-based practice mission, but operating at national scale.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: National membership-based advocacy organization dedicated to achieving affordable and decent housing for low-income families; comparable in advocacy, training, and policy focus on affordable/supportive housing, but federal in scope.
• National Coalition for the Homeless: National advocacy organization for people experiencing homelessness; comparable membership/advocacy structure with a focus on homelessness policy, training, and public education aligned with SHPA's mission.
• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership network focused on community land trusts and shared equity models for permanently affordable housing; a peer in nonprofit membership/advocacy/training structure with overlapping affordable-housing community development mission.

Regional players

• Housing Action Illinois: Statewide Illinois coalition advocating for affordable housing and homelessness solutions; the closest in-state peer to SHPA, sharing Illinois geography and overlapping advocacy, training, and member engagement models.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials: Established national membership association for housing and redevelopment officials; comparable in membership/advocacy model, but serves public housing agencies broadly rather than specializing in supportive housing.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that invests in affordable housing and community development with significant advocacy and technical assistance; comparable in mission to expand affordable/supportive housing, but operates at vastly larger scale as an intermediary and investor.
• National Council of State Housing Agencies: National nonprofit association representing state housing finance agencies; a state-level peer in structure (membership-based, advocacy, training) with overlapping focus on affordable housing policy and programs.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National nonprofit that supports community development and affordable housing through training, technical assistance, lending, and policy advocacy; comparable training/technical assistance and advocacy offerings, but at national scale with a capital deployment arm SHPA lacks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shpa-il

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Supportive Housing Providers Association