In fulfilling our mission to serve Chicago’s unhoused residents, The Night Ministry regularly conducts outreach among the individuals living in Gompers Park on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Our Street Medicine Team and Health Outreach Bus visit the site to offer critical resources such as free health care and case management services. The latter includes housing assessments to start individuals on pathways to stable housing.
We believe that the challenges faced by our unhoused neighbors, including those residing in the Gompers Park encampment, are varied and complex. The Night Ministry’s services, coordinated with the City’s Department of Family and Support Services, are designed to provide and connect our clients with the most appropriate resources to help each client survive, obtain greater stability, and thrive.
The Night Ministry also recognizes that homelessness impacts the whole community. The discussion surrounding Gompers Park underscores Chicago’s affordable housing and homelessness crises. We face not only a shortage of affordable homes but also gaps in resources available to assist unhoused individuals in becoming stable. Evidence shows that, for most individuals exiting homelessness, housing coupled with supportive services such as case management and links to resources like food, employment, and health care assistance greatly improves their chances of remaining stably housed. While coordination among the City of Chicago and nonprofits such as The Night Ministry has opened new housing opportunities for many of our vulnerable neighbors, further investment in supportive housing programs is required to create significant movement in our collective efforts to end homelessness. We hope and ask that conversations such as the one surrounding Gompers Park spur further discussions and action around sustainable housing opportunities for all Chicagoans.
If you would like to support The Night Ministry’s work to assist our unhoused neighbors living in Gompers Park and across the city, please make a donation today.
