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Our Stories

News and insights from The Night Ministry community.

Reap the Rewards 2019

David Wywiaolowski, Director of Outreach & Health Ministry, is celebrating 20 years with The Night Ministry.

​On April 4, 2019, The Night Ministry honored 11 employees at our Annual Reap the Rewards of Service Luncheon. Their colleagues, family members, friends, and members of  The Night Ministry's Board of Directors gathered to celebrate their multiple years with the organization. Honorees were presented with awards by Paul W. Ha...

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Having Benefited from The Night Ministry, Craig Echols is Helping Other Youth Find Their Way

By Helen Grove Craig Echols discovered The Night Ministry at a crossroads in his life. At 19 years old, he had recently been released from Cook County Jail and was living in a rehabilitation facility that brought about its own set of challenges, including hostile tenants that made the facility an unsettling place to live. Recognizing that the rehab...

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Mobile Pet Care at the Health Outreach Bus

When Stacy Lempka pulls up in her red van next to The Night Ministry's Health Outreach Bus, she receives a warm welcome from guests, including the four-legged kind. "They come and greet me as soon as I get to the sidewalk," said Lempka, a veterinarian who provides free basic health care for the dogs and cats of Bus guests in Humboldt Park. From the...

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Surveys at Youth Housing Programs Help The Night Ministry Better Understand the Needs of Clients

Short term shelter, securing employment, and food are the top three pressing needs reported by residents of The Night Ministry's Youth Housing Programs.

Four times a year, The Night Ministry's Mission Fulfillment Department visits the organization's Youth Housing Programs to learn about the young people The Night Ministry serves and to find out how they feel their needs are being met. The results of the anonymous surveys conducted by Mission Fulfillment contribute to a data-driven culture of learni...

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The Night Ministry in the News During the Polar Vortex

The Night Ministry's work serving Chicago's homeless population during the dangerously cold weather of January 2019 was highlighted by several media organizations. Below you will find links to a number of the stories. WGN-TVColder Temperatures Mean Increased Risk for Chicago's Homeless Population WBBM NewsradioMobile Assistance Unit Helps Homeless ...

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Reap the Rewards of Service 2018

Earlier this month The Night Ministry honored 16 employees at our annual Reap the Rewards of Service luncheon. Their colleagues, members of our Board of Directors, and supporters of The Night Ministry gathered to celebrate their multiple years with the organization. Honorees were presented with awards by Paul W. Hamann, The Night Ministry's Preside...

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The Night Ministry Takes Home the Henry Schein Gold

The Night Ministry's commitment to providing health care to Chicago's most vulnerable communities has been recognized by Henry Schein, a leading medical supply company.Henry Schein awarded The Night Ministry the Gold Henry Schein Cares Medal for excellence in expanding access to health care to underserved populations.The Night Ministry was honored ...

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Who Are We Serving at the Health Outreach Bus?

Digging into the 2018 Outreach and Health Ministry Street Survey Results Creating a data-driven culture of learning is one of the goals of Serving in the Next Decade, The Night Ministry's current strategic plan. Gregory Gross, Director of Mission Fulfillment, says surveys conducted with The Night Ministry's clients play key roles in building that c...

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Peer Outreach Professionals Help The Night Ministry Engage Homeless Youth

Peer Outreach Professional Sharday Hamilton is an integral part of the Youth Outreach Team. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago Foundation for Women)

Sometimes there is wisdom in knowing that you don't know it all. The Night Ministry's Youth Outreach Team makes contact with homeless young people across the city, connecting them with housing, education, vocational, and physical resources as well as providing compassionate support along their journeys to stability. But a few years ago, the Team's ...

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The Night Ministry Intervenes at the Intersectionality of Homelessness

The Intersectionality of Homelessness More than 82,000 people experience homelessness in Chicago each year. For each and every one of these individuals, homelessness did not just happen. It was the result of a matrix of social, systemic, and personal factors such as economic inequality, discrimination, physical and mental health, job insecurity, an...

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Beyond Phoenix Hall: The Night Ministry Provides Other Supports in North Lawndale

With summer coming to a close, residents of Phoenix Hall are among the hundreds of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students gearing up for the new school year. The Night Ministry opened Phoenix Hall last August to provide students from North Lawndale College Prep High School (NLCP) who are experiencing homelessness with stable housing and servi...

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Phoenix Hall Supports Educational Success by Stabilizing Housing

The school year is wrapping up for residents of Phoenix Hall, The Night Ministry's housing program for North Lawndale College Prep High School (NLCP) students experiencing homelessness or housing instability. This was Phoenix Hall's inaugural year, having opened last August in time for the 2017-18 academic year. Its first year was ca...

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Winter Poses Unique Challenges for The Night Ministry’s Clients and Staff

Matthew Sorenson (left), Medical Director of the Outreach and Health Ministry Program, consults with a patient.

Making it through a winter season of snow and extreme cold can be difficult for all of us. But winter conditions can pose extra challenges for individuals experiencing homelessness as well as The Night Ministry staff members who provide mobile outreach services. "The conditions of homelessness make recovery from some of the more common winter ailme...

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Mission Fulfillment Takes Survey Results Back to the Source

Bringing survey results back to clients ensures that guests of The Crib and The Night Ministry’s other Youth Housing Programs are given a forum to express their opinions.

Serving in the Next Decade, The Night Ministry's current strategic plan, calls for growing and sustaining a data-driven culture of learning. Surveying clients across the organization is an important avenue for achieving that goal. Over the last few years, The Night Ministry began sharing survey results with its clients. Gregory Gross, Director of M...

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Volunteering with The Night Ministry Is Personal

Miriam Thompson says she was drawn to volunteering with The Night Ministry because she could relate to some of the challenges our clients face.

Every year, hundreds of volunteers contribute their time, energy, and passion to The Night Ministry's mission. Many inspired to give back by personal experiences. Miriam Thompson, who greets clients on the Health Outreach Bus while serving meals and coffee, was drawn to The Night Ministry because she had experienced a period of homelessness. "I loo...

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Nurse's Corner: Caring for Patients Is a Privilege for Bethany Hess

Nurse Practitioner Bethany Hess gets ready to check a patient’s blood pressure on the Health Outreach Bus.

Nurse Practitioner Bethany Hess's philosophy of patient care is rooted in respect for others and acceptance of each person's unique experience of life. "I believe in client-centered care. This requires understanding the needs of the people whom we serve, their circumstances, and the challenges they may be facing," said Hess, who provides free basic...

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A Look Back at 2018 Holiday Celebrations

Every year, the generosity of our supporters allows us to celebrate the holidays with the young people and adults we serve across the city. We hold a holiday party for clients of our Youth Programs, which includes a sit-down meal, games, and wrapped presents. Meanwhile clients of our Health Outreach Bus are also treated to holiday celebrations...

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Stocking Stuffing Is a Seasonal Tradition for Supporters

A client of The Night Ministry holds up a gift stocking. The generosity of our supporters allows us to give stockings during the holiday season.

Every year, The Night Ministry's generous supporters help make the holiday season a little brighter for the children, youth, and adults we serve by contributing to the celebrations we hold across all of our programs in December. One of the biggest ways our friends help is through the donation of stockings that are filled with essentials like socks,...

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In My Own Words: What Inspires You To Live Life?

What Inspires You?

​By Malika Tate, a member of Youth 4 Truth, The Night Ministry's leadership and advocacy group for young people. When I first wake up in the morning normally I do not want to get up. But reminding myself of my purpose and goals in life helps me get up every day. They inspire me to live life. As human beings, we have purposes here on earth, whether ...

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Meet Board Member Suzanne Hoyes

Suzanne Hoyes was looking for a way to meaningfully participate in the Chicago community when she moved here in 2014. She found a way to do that by joining The Night Ministry's Board of Directors. We asked Hoyes, who is Vice President, Compliance for Capri Capital Partners, LLC, a real estate investment management firm, about her experience as a Bo...

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The Night Ministry is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Our Federal Tax ID (EIN) is 36-3145764.