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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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 ...
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...
We had a special visitor at the Health Outreach Bus earlier this month -- all the way from New Zealand! Beth Stitely, director of a free health care clinic in New Zealand, was in the Chicago area as a guest of the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. On Wednesday, October 10, Stitely visited CommunityHealth's clinic and Th...
Michael Thomas has seen the effects of stigmatization on HIV testing and education in his home country of Grenada. "There's a lot of stigma that prevents people from being comfortable and being able to go to the clinics to be tested," Thomas said. "We have situations where people in the communities that we work with are afraid to get tested,"...
Ike Hong, a member of The Night Ministry's Board of Directors, is helping drive our 2018 Golf Outing. We talked with Hong, an engineer who runs his own construction management and real estate development business, about his engagement with The Night Ministry, which began nearly a decade ago. What attracted you to The Night Ministry? The mission. On...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new cases of hepatitis C (hep C), a deadly viral infection that affects the liver, have nearly tripled in the United States over the course of the decade. Risk factors for contracting the virus include having HIV, using intravenous drugs, and being part of the baby boomer generation, char...
By George Martin Four years ago I heard about The Crib, one of the Youth Housing Programs run by The Night Ministry. At the time, the organization I had been volunteering with was shutting down. With my decades of experience as a volunteer coach with young people from different neighborhoods throughout Chicago and my involvement in feeding homeless...
By Paul W. Hamann, MA, MNA President & CEO The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased health care coverage to approximately 670,000 low- and moderate-income Illinoisans through the expansion of Medicaid and 400,000 more through the marketplace. Yet significant gaps in health care access remain. Barriers such as affordability, transition ...
You'll find The Night Ministry's Youth Outreach Van at the corner of Belmont and Halsted in Chicago every Thursday night, but the work of the Youth Outreach Team happens throughout the week. Many young people experiencing homelessness are drawn to the Lakeview neighborhood for services like safe space drop-in centers. But, said Youth Outreach Profe...
The Health Outreach Bus will make a special stop next week. Six days a week, the Bus brings free basic medical care, food, hygiene supplies, clothing, case management, and a sense of community to seven underserved neighborhoods across Chicago. On Friday, July 27, it will pull into the heart of the city for a visit to Daley Plaza during lunchtime. T...
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office and its LGBT+ Employee Resource Group honored The Night Ministry with a Pride Award for its leadership and commitment to the LGBTQ community. Paul W. Hamann, The Night Ministry's President & CEO, accepted the award during a ceremony on June 26 at the Center on Halsted. Also honored that evening we...
The Night Ministry focused on the ways it addresses the complexity of homelessness during Lighting Up the Night, its Annual Awards Dinner & Auction, held June 12, 2018. "At The Night Ministry, we recognize that there is no single cause of homelessness, that it instead results from the intersection of several factors, such as affordable ho...
How often do you use your driver's license or state ID to prove your identity? Would you be able to get a job, enroll in school, or find a home without one? Yet, for individuals experiencing homelessness, the process of obtaining identification required to find work, secure stable housing, and access public services is often complex and confusing. ...