“There is simply no more potent idea than the idea of home.” John M. Buchanan, Sermon: “The Comfort and Joy of Home,” December 4, 2005 |
Mayor Daley Vows to
Eliminate Homelessness
Mayor Richard M. Daley has stated that “faith communities are in the business
of healing souls and mending the spirit. People experiencing homelessness have
had many things broken in their lives and need tools to rebuild them.” In
January 2003, the mayor endorsed an ambitious ten-year Plan to End Homelessness
in Chicago. In March 2005, he called on faith communities across the city to
work together to end homeless in Chicago by 2012.
Interfaith Homes Connects
Faith-Based and Civic Efforts
Interfaith Homes is a partnership between the Chicago
Department of Housing and
the Interfaith Council for the Homeless (ICH). Because of ICH’s
twenty-one-year history of providing award-winning and nationally recognized
services for the
homeless, the mayor chose ICH to spearhead efforts to mobilize faith communities
to sponsor families facing homelessness. The Reverend Mark W. Wendorf is the
Program Coordinator for Interfaith Homes (mark@ichchicago.org).
“Interfaith Homes is a fine example of how faith and communities can partner with the government to solve the problems of our city.” Mark W. Wendorf, Program Coordinator for Interfaith Homes |
Fourth Presbyterian
Church and Chicago Lights Heed the Call
The Advisory Council of Chicago Lights Elam Davies Social
Service Center (EDSSC) is leading the response team
at Fourth Presbyterian Church. As the first faith
community to “sign on” with Interfaith Homes, we will sponsor
two
families for two years. The EDSSC Advisory Council, with the support of the Chicago Lights Board of Directors
and Fourth Church, will work with the Interfaith Council for the Homeless and
the Interfaith Homes staff to begin working with families
by mid-2006.
The Elam Davies Social Service Center
Expands a Historic Vision
For almost twenty-five years, the Elam Davies Social Service Center has carried
out the vision of former Fourth Church Pastor Elam Davies—to serve
those in need with respect and dignity. EDSSC is dedicated to fulfilling
basic human
needs and providing referrals for more than 2,500 individuals each year.
Today, under the leadership of David Murad, EDSSC is increasingly focused
on educatingand
guiding persons who are homeless, helping them to find affordable
housing. In addition to fulfilling their historic mission, the EDSSC staff will
provide coordination for case management services provided by the Interfaith
Council for the Homeless.
How You Can Participate
The covenant relationship between our Interfaith Homes team and each family
includes an understanding that we will pay a portion of each budgeted item.
At the end
of twenty-four months, the goal is for each family to pay nearly full market
rate for all living expenses. To assist the family’s progress towards
self-sufficiency, you can help by giving generously in the following ways:
• A gift of $750 subsidizes one month’s
market-rate rent for a three-bedroom
apartment.
• A gift of $500 subsidizes one month’s market-rate
rent for a two-bedroom
apartment.
• A gift of $150 covers a family’s public transportation
costs for one
month.
• A gift of $100 subsidizes the costs of child care for one month.
• A gift of $50 subsidizes utility costs for one month.
• A gift of $25 contributes to a family’s incidental
budget for one month.
“Homelessness in this affluent culture is a disgrace.” John M. Buchanan, Sermon: “The Comfort and Joy of Home,” December 4, 2005 |
Our Mission as an Interfaith Homes
Leader
Families are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population, yet most
federal funds are directed toward chronically homeless individuals.
• We will support, for twenty-four months, two families who are recently
homeless,
or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.
•We will focus on two working poor families without histories of chronic
homelessness.
•Our goal is to assist families as they transition to independent permanent
housing
and a higher level of self-sufficiency.
•We will provide assistance with deposits, rent, utilities, child care,
counseling,
and other miscellaneous expenses.
Seeking Partners for the Journey
Fourth Presbyterian Church and Chicago Lights’ Elam Davies Social Service
Center are seeking individual, congregational, and civic partners to
join us
over the next two years to help fulfill the mayor’s vision of ending homelessness
in Chicago. Our dream is that these partnerships will not only provide
financial
support but will nurture other communities’ sponsorship of families in
the future.
“I greatly appreciate the faith community’s deep commitment to the dignity of all people by providing your sacred spaces as shelters, offering hot meals and giving warm clothing to those in need, and now providing solutions to end homelessness one person at a time.” Richard M. Daley, Welcome Home, a publication from the Department of Housing, Fall 2005 |