Lead Outreach Minister Juan Roca's passion for his work is palpable. He joined The Night Ministry in the fall of 2019, and since then has become an invaluable part of the agency's Outreach and Health Ministry Program. Roca works on the Health Outreach Bus, a custom-built vehicle that visits neighborhoods across Chicago with high concentrations of p...
Our ongoing work to provide human connection, housing support, and health care to members of our community who are unhoused or experiencing poverty has been featured in the news lately. The Night Ministry transforming lives of Chicago's homeless by bringing services directly to them. Suzanne Le Mignot from CBS 2 Chicago explores how our mission mak...
In the second installment of our series spotlighting neighborhoods we're active in across the city, South Shore takes centerstage. Located on Chicago's South Side along Lake Michigan, the community boasts natural beauty and plenty of assets including beachfront property, civic engagement, and architectural gems like the South Shore Cultural Center....
As The Night Ministry continues its series of articles exploring the intersection between race and homelessness, we delve into a theme that weaves through more than a century of national and local history: how systemic housing discrimination has contributed to disproportionate numbers of Black Americans among those experiencing poverty and homeless...
In commemoration of Black History Month, we are proud to launch a new series of posts spotlighting neighborhoods we play a part in across the city. Over the next few months, we'll share brief histories and voices from residents working to empower the communities they call home. February's focus is North Lawndale, the site of our Pathways ...
The young mothers and children who reside at The Night Ministry's Parenting with Purpose transitional living program are enjoying homey bedrooms uniquely designed for the comfort and privacy of families, thanks to a partnership with nonprofit Humble Design Chicago. Humble Design Chicago provides custom interior design services and furnishings for t...
Traci Rivera joined The Night Ministry in the newly created role of Chief of Staff in 2020. With an extensive career in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, she brings her deep knowledge and experience to bare in helping to guide decision making and implementation across the agency. We asked her to share about her background and her role at ...
Homelessness is disproportionately experienced among historically marginalized groups in the United States, but for Black Americans, the disparity is especially stark. In Chicago, for example, despite making up about 30% of the general population, according to the City of Chicago 2021 Homeless Point-in-Time Count & Survey Report, African A...
From The Crib emergency overnight shelter to its transitional living programs that offer up to two years of supportive housing, The Night Ministry's Youth Housing Programs provide a continuum of care for young people who are struggling with homelessness. Now, a new diversion program piloted by the agency aims to quickly end the amount of time that ...
When The Night Ministry began piloting its street medicine approach six years ago, bringing health care services directly to individuals living in encampments, it was the first program of its kind in Chicago. Today, the agency's Street Medicine Team serves as a model and a hub in the burgeoning network of street-based medical outreach programs curr...
The Night Ministry's Youth Programs help young adults experiencing homelessness fulfill basic needs such as housing, but they don't stop there. Case Managers equip residents with tools to help them thrive. One way they do so is by tapping into connections with local partners like Little Village-based nonprofit Working Bikes, an organization that re...
The temperature is dropping on an already cold January morning. Still, Marcus, a client of The Night Ministry's Health Outreach Program, has removed his coat and sweatshirt and pulled his arm out of his shirt sleeve so Stephan Koruba, The Night Ministry's Senior Nurse Practitioner, can give him a COVID vaccination booster. Marcus had lost his vacci...
The Night Ministry is taking steps to realize racial equity in its day-to-day operations, a process which involves becoming an anti-racist organization. The agency's mission makes it imperative for The Night Ministry to take these steps, said Chief of Staff Traci Rivera. "We have a social responsibility to move things forward. Systemic racism and i...
The Night Ministry's President & CEO, Paul Hamann, spoke with Hubbard Helps, a program of Hubbard Radio about homelessness in Chicago, our impact in the community, the challenges of COVID, and more. This interview was first broadcast on January 9, 2022.
The Night Ministry's ongoing work to provide services to members of our community experiencing homeless as the COVID-19 pandemic continues is featured in a recent column by Neil Steinberg of The Chicago Sun-Times. ‘The need gets larger and larger’ - Chicago Sun-Times Overtaxed social service agencies struggle to cope with COVID-19 and help the city...
December 31, 2021Dear Friend,Call me a sentimental optimist, but I still believe in the promise inherent in a new year. When hanging up a new wall calendar and swiping into the next year on my phone, I am excited by the opportunities 12 fresh months and 365 brand new days can bring. That sense of excitement is palpable here at The Night Ministry as...
The Night Ministry and partner organizations have been busy urging state lawmakers to back funding and legislation supporting Illinois residents experiencing homelessness and poverty. These efforts have paid off with Governor Pritzker signing a budget for the fiscal year 2022 that includes over $1 billion for housing assistance and homele...
When The Night Ministry relocated its headquarters to Bucktown in summer 2020, the agency gained a generous neighbor in the Jonathan Burr Elementary School, whose students have made a habit of giving back. "Last year we were able to do a whole school food drive to help support The Night Ministry in the spring," said Middle School teacher Sarah Craw...
Who is identified as experiencing homelessness and who is not varies under federal definitions, and when interpretations of the term are strict, individuals and communities may be unable to access the resources they need. According to a recent report from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), the vast majority of those experiencing homeless...
The Night Ministry is restructuring aspects of its Youth Programs to offer more flexible long-term housing and deepen the impact of its services to young people experiencing homelessness. "We are making these changes in response to the evolving challenges faced by the population and to reflect demographic shifts among the youth we se...