Oral health issues are common among unhoused people and can lead to serious health consequences, such as exacerbating diabetes symptoms or negatively affecting heart health. Unfortunately, with its high cost and frequent need for multiple treatments, accessing dentistry is a struggle for many experiencing homelessness. To help address these concern...

Young people served by The Night Ministry are represented in "Unaccompanied," an art exhibition and audio installation that captures the faces and voices of unhoused youth through large-scale portrait paintings and sound recordings. The show's artists, Kate Capshaw and Joshua-Michéle Ross, collaborated with The Night Ministry and other organization...

All of us at The Night Ministry were deeply saddened to hear of the tragic loss of Kevin Powell last month. We mourn with his family and others who knew and cared for him. Mr. Powell, who was killed while utilizing Chicago's public transit system, was one of the more than 65,000 Chicago residents who experience homelessness every year.[1]...

People experiencing homelessness, unhoused youth included, often face significant challenges when it comes to finding employment such as lack of access to transportation to and from interviews, no permanent address to write on applications, no funds for interview attire, possible prejudice from employers, and more. To support their ability to obtai...

In the U.S., health disparities run along racial lines, with Black Americans continuing to experience poorer health outcomes than white Americans overall.[1] Poor health can negatively affect many areas of life, including by contributing to financial instability that may lead to housing loss. In this article, the fourth in our series exploring...

By Kyanna Johnson, Lead Street Medicine Outreach Professional, and Yoela Tepper, Substance Use Specialist As members of The Night Ministry's Street Medicine Team, we see firsthand the damage to human lives caused by encampment sweeps—the removal by municipal authorities of personal property from an outdoor space where unsheltered individuals have g...

In the first week of 2023, The Night Ministry debuted its brand-new Health Outreach Bus on Chicago's streets, bringing free health care, food, and other resources to neighborhoods with high rates of homelessness and poverty. The new vehicle includes helpful features such as exterior illumination and secure and refrigerated storage for medicati...

When you picture a shelter, you likely do not imagine a modern space with an open concept, a view of Chicago's skyline, a spacious kitchen, and plenty of natural light. But, after several months of renovations, The Night Ministry's Parenting with Purpose program, which provides up to 21 months of housing for pregnant and parenting young mothers and...

As the year comes to a close, we are looking back at memorable milestones and accomplishments at The Night Ministry in 2022.  Parenting with Purpose Settles into Its New Home Parenting with Purpose provides long-term, supportive housing for up to eight pregnant and parenting young mothers and their children. The private bedrooms for each resid...

The Night Ministry's Street Medicine Program provides free health care, food, survival supplies, and supportive services to unsheltered individuals across the city. To stay informed on the program's progress and about its clients, the agency's Learning and Impact Department conducts an annual Street Medicine Survey. The survey aims to identify who ...

The Night Ministry's mission to serve unhoused members of our community has been featured in many news stories recently. Chicago's Night Ministry Plows Ahead, Despite Expected Blizzard | WBBM Newsradio | 12/20/22 As Possible Blizzardlike Conditions Barrel toward Chicago, Advocates for Homeless Work to Provide Shelter, Save Lives | Chicago Tribune |...

The Night Ministry staff gathered today to remember and honor those who have died this year while living on the streets. Below are the remarks delivered by our staff on this solemn occasion. Every year since 1990, on December 21, the longest night of the year, a National Homeless Persons' Memorial is held to bring attention to the tragedy of homele...