Paul W. Hamann is the President & CEO of The Night Ministry
December 31, 2021
Dear 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 we close out 2021 and look forward to 2022.
Thanks to friends such as you, two previously unhoused young adults are starting the new year as roommates in a fully furnished, two-bedroom apartment provided by The Night Ministry. They moved in just before Christmas, as part of our new Pathways Transitional Living Program, which is designed to better prepare young people who are experiencing homelessness for independence. It does this by providing a hybrid model of long-term housing that offers both a congregate living environment and apartment living with supportive services.
I am excited for the possibilities that lay before these two young people and all the participants in Pathways. I am equally excited for what 2022 has in store for The Night Ministry, as we embark on new initiatives that promise to widen and deepen the impact of our mission to provide housing, health care, and human connection to our neighbors struggling with homelessness and poverty.
Here are just a few of them:
The new Parenting with Purpose Program will offer long-term supportive housing for pregnant and parenting mothers and their children with a focus on building a family's self-sufficiency.
We are exploring ways to expand mental health services throughout our Health Outreach Programs and Youth Programs, in recognition of how deeply mental health challenges affect so many experiencing homelessness and poverty.
The newly created Youth Diversion Specialist position will work with young people who connect with The Night Ministry's services to quickly resolve their housing crises by identifying appropriate and immediately available options, be they reunification with family, non-shelter accommodations, or placement in their own permanent housing.
The Night Ministry will launch a new strategic plan in 2022 which will further support the culture of innovation that makes such new approaches possible while also ensuring that our mission is rooted in equity and anti-racism.
Because of your support, we will be able to realize the promise of these programs and endeavors in the new year. Your partnership in our mission also ensures that The Night Ministry will continue to provide the lifesaving resources and life-changing relationships upon which our clients already rely.
On behalf of everyone at The Night Ministry, thank you for your support.
I wish you and your loved ones health and happiness in 2022, and I hope each day of the year ahead brings you the excitement, hope, and promise of new opportunities and possibilities.
1735 North Ashland Avenue, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60622 | 773-784-9000 The Night Ministry is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Our Federal Tax ID (EIN) is 36-3145764.
