Housing program for HIV positive youth experiencing homelessness offers path to health, safety, and stability
Angelina pictured in 2024.
By Melanie Rockoff, Manager, Grants and Communications
Between 2017 and 2023, Angelina, a young mother of five from Chicago’s Southeast Side, cycled in and out of homelessness. After years of tumult marked by abuse and declining health, she received life-altering news: She was HIV positive.
“After I got diagnosed, I was like, I can’t do this [anymore],” says Angelina. “My partner didn’t want to get treatment. I was the only one that wanted the help. I had to transition away from that. I started reaching out for the help that usually I would be embarrassed to ask for. I [had] to just turn the other cheek and do what I have to do for my kids.”
Making good on her word, Angelina and her children moved into a shelter for survivors of domestic violence in March 2023. From there, things progressed quickly. She was enrolled in La Casa Norte’s first-ever KEYS (Keep Empowering Youth to Succeed) cohort – a Rapid Re-Housing programmatic subset for young adults concurrently navigating homelessness and HIV/AIDS.
“When you get diagnosed with HIV, you automatically think the worst is going to happen. When I got enrolled with the KEYS program, it lightened up my life to where I was able to start reaching out for medicine and staying on track.”
Next, she was matched with La Casa Norte case manager Rosario Cruz. Says Angelina, “When I sat down and told [Rosario] my situation, she had me in my apartment within one month. She’s helped me with everything: transportation, living, food, furniture. When I came to this apartment, I didn’t even have clothes. She came and saved the day. She’s not only a case worker; she’s my family’s angel.”
Despite these positive developments, Angelina’s health struggles persisted. “I was sick all the time. Turns out, I was 29 weeks pregnant and had 10 weeks to plan for a baby. I was so scared [he] would be born sick.
Her case manager’s response to the unexpected news? “We’re having a baby!” recalls Angelina, laughing. “She was so excited for me that it comforted me, you know?”
Under the guidance of her doctors, Angelina began treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission. “He’s been undetectable so far, thank God,” says Angelina, who, for the past seven months, has also been undetectable. In the next room, her now five-month-old son Zachary naps contentedly.
With her family safe, her housing stabilized, and her health trending upward, Angelina returned to school in August 2023. Through Olive-Harvey College’s Career Bridge program, she recently earned her high school diploma and is in the process of obtaining an associate degree in early childhood education. One day, she hopes to open her own learning center.
Looking to the future, Angelina is optimistic. “Without [this program], I don’t even know where I would be right now. Probably still house-hopping with my family. KEYS has given me all the tools to get a full-time job, finish school, and maintain my living.”
Client Voices: Meet Solid Ground resident Major
Major pictured in 2023.
By Melanie Rockoff, Manager, Grants and Communications
Major, 19, grew up in a southwest suburb of Chicago. When his parents divorced in 2018, his living arrangement was turned on its head.
After a tense few years living with his father, whom he describes as intermittently abusive and absent, Major was kicked out of the house in 2022. The inciting event? The purchase of a shirt his father deemed too feminine.
“I don’t want to throw the word ‘depression’ around, but I was really distraught,” he recalls. “All I’ve wanted my entire life was to be heard. Instead, I was just given titles like ‘son’ or ‘gay,’ but not a voice.”
Bounced from relative to relative, Major soon found himself, in his words, “homeless homeless.” After a brief stay at a neighboring emergency shelter, he moved into Solid Ground – La Casa Norte’s transitional housing program for male-identifying youth ages 18 to 21 – at the start of 2023.
With the support of his case manager, Tyrek Gates, and youth empowerment specialist Eric Gonzalez, Major completed his senior year of high school this past spring.
“Through homelessness, I still made sure I finished,” he says. “I could have given up. There’s so many things that could have made me a hard rock. But I had to just let it go. I know what I want to do with my life, and I’m not just going to sit [around].”
When asked about his newfound support system, Major glances over at Gonzalez, who is seated to his left, and smiles. “It’s the little things that matter to me,” he explains. “I was just like, ‘Wow, y’all actually care about me.’”
Major’s time in the program continues to be marked by growth.
“I’ve learned so much about myself since being at Solid Ground, and I like that it’s a judgement-free zone,” he says. “When I was younger, my life was so chaotic. I feel like I haven’t really had a moment to breathe until now.”
Still, Major has never been one to sit idle. In addition to working a part-time job in retail, he is studying to become a certified nursing assistant. In his spare time, he is a prolific and passionate creator of music and aspires to do so professionally one day.
Ever the pragmatist, Major continues to cultivate a professional contingency plan, just in case. “I could also see myself being a doctor or a social worker or a therapist. I just like caring for people and [being a] voice for people who can’t speak.”
Board of Directors welcomes Melissa Flores
Born and raised in Chicago and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Melissa Flores has dedicated her career to advocate for equity and improve the educational and economic outcomes of children and families, especially within Chicago's Latino and immigrant communities.
Melissa was welcomed to the La Casa Norte Board of Directors at its March 27 meeting. Fourteen civic and business leaders serve on the Board.
In her current role at McDonald's USA, Melissa oversees the Chicago engagement strategy on the Global Public Policy and Government Relations team at McDonald's headquarters. She also serves as an independent, part-time organizational development consultant and executive coach to nonprofits in Chicago.
Her diverse background includes working as Senior Director of Programs and Quality Assurance at Erie Neighborhood House and as a Dean of Adult Education at City Colleges of Chicago. Most recently, Melissa served as Chief Operating Officer at the Latino Policy Forum. She brings experience leading non-profit communications, development, finance and operations departments to ensure the long-term sustainability of organizations.
In her spare time, Melissa is chapter lead for the Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance (HLAA) in Chicago, serves as an Alumni Ambassador for the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is a mentor to the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Chicago Fellowship.
A proud graduate of the Chicago Public Schools, Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree in English Professional Writing from Mount Mary College, an Ed.M. in education from Harvard University, and a master’s in Chicana/o Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Melissa also expanded her leadership development as a 2019 Surge Institute Fellow, a 2020 New Leaders Council Fellow, and a 2020 Civic Leadership Academy Fellow. In 2019, she was named to Negocios Now’s Who’s Who in Hispanic Chicago and to Negocios Now’s 40 under 40 in 2020.
Melissa lives in Chicago with her husband, Fil, and their pet hedgehog Archie. She spends every Saturday with her little best friend — her niece Ellie — trying new local restaurants.
Angela Hoeflich joins La Casa Norte’s executive team
By Anne Bowhay, Director, Grants and Communications
La Casa Norte’s new Director of Contract Management and Compliance began working here seven years ago, starting a career here with an unpaid internship.
Promoted to the executive team in February, Angela Hoeflich has managed government contracts for La Casa Norte since July 2021, when she joined the finance team led by Larry McKay. Larry was also promoted this month to Vice President, Finance and Operations, after four years of directing La Casa Norte’s finances.
Angela previously worked five years as the Executive Assistant, supporting the executive director and executive team while assisting with human resources.
Angela came to La Casa Norte in mid-2015, assigned to intern for several months with the development staff as it worked on the annual gala. At the time, she was finishing up a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Angela already earned a bachelor’s in elementary education from Bethel University in Indiana. After seven years of teaching, Angela decided to switch careers, pursuing graduate studies that focused on non-profit management. She was recommended to then-Executive Director Sol Flores by a professor who taught Angela grant writing.
“I always felt pulled to nonprofits and wanted to go that way. I feel like my gifts are in administration,” said Angela.
After she joined the staff, Angela assisted with a capital campaign and financing plans undertaken to build the Humboldt Park community center and Pierce House youth apartments. The $20 million complex opened in 2019.
In her current role overseeing government contracts, Angela manages $5.6 million in grant contracts from local, state, and federal agencies. With about 25 government grants under management at any time, Angela oversees grants that comprise about three-fourths of La Casa Norte’s annual revenue.
A recent state grant application secured $312,767 to fund a pilot at the Back of the Yards drop-in center for unaccompanied youth. The innovative pilot will offer anger management, therapeutic and support services to justice-involved youth. The program will serve about 75 youth working in cohorts of 10 to 15 youth, starting in March and running to mid-2024.
It's a good example of how La Casa Norte staff works together across departments to develop many of its grant proposals.
Drop-In Supervisor Erin Ellenbolt had hoped to start an anger management program for her youth clients, more than half of whom have been involved with the justice system. Some youth are required to take anger management training to complete probation, while some youth struggle to manage their behavior as they cope with homelessness. Erin had already researched a program structure and potential partners prior to Angela identifying the state grant opportunity last September.
Erin and Casa Corazón Manager Roy Higgs worked with Grants and Communications Manager Melanie Rockoff as she wrote the 27-page proposal content. Larry and Angela prepared an 18-month budget, and Angela edited and submitted the extensive proposal packet. The Illinois Department of Human Services notified Angela in mid-January that funding was approved.
Also in Angela’s portfolio, La Casa Norte was named a finalist for a city grant submitted last fall to create a non-congregate youth shelter with private bedrooms. Plans call for retooling an existing multi-unit building on Chicago’s South Side.
Angela is grateful for a position that’s “a really good fit” for her interests and skills while serving an organization with so much community impact.
“I can use the skills I have for something that really matters. Even if I’m not doing direct service, I know the work I do helps facilitate that,” Angela explained.
Pictured: Angela Hoeflich
Solid Ground’s PJ Jones wins trip to Super Bowl LVII
By Anne Bowhay, Grants and Communications Director
Last week was the best ever for Phillip “PJ” Jones, a new resident at La Casa Norte’s Solid Ground.
The 19-year-old was one of six youth who – after writing essays for CHAMPS Male Mentoring – won an all-expenses paid trip to see Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix last Sunday.
“I had a week to write it and I was stressing,” said PJ. “I didn’t know where to start. I asked people around me and they said, ‘Man, just be you.’ I was glad I did that, because I won. I actually jumped up and down!”
PJ Jones at the Super Bowl
The trip meant traveling with CHAMPS teens who are “becoming my brothers, and it was my first time on an airplane,” chaperoned by mentors Vondale Singleton, Sr. and Kareem Wells. Thanks to travel and ticket costs donated by motivational speaker Eric D. Thomas, the group enjoyed a nailbiter Chiefs v. Eagles game and an exciting half-time show by Rihanna – capped off by a late-night electric scooter ride around Phoenix.
Back in Chicago, PJ’s housemates hung out together in the kitchen, sharing snacks, watching the game on TV, and trying to spot PJ in the crowd, says Solid Ground Supervisor Eric Gonzalez.
PJ says the year is off to a great start, starting with his move to Solid Ground in early January.
An aspiring chef, PJ made friends sharing his cooking skills with housemates at the Humboldt Park facility. A favorite dish is PJ’s stuffed chicken breast with spinach.
“He’s an amazing cook and he plated it real nice,” Eric adds.
A senior at West Town alternative high school, PJ will graduate this spring with plans to enter a trade school to study business and culinary arts. He aspires to one day own his own restaurants and properties, building a business that could fund a charity “like Solid Ground, for people who have no place to go.”
PJ with CHAMPS mentors Vondale Singleton and Kareem Wells
The youngest of six, PJ was a 7th grader when his mom died. After that, he lived with some of his supportive older siblings. PJ says that with families of their own to care for, he recently convinced them he was prepared to go out on his own. Along with school and CHAMPS activities, PJ works part-time for a security company, a job Eric helped him find.
To add to PJ’s exciting week, he was one of the CHAMPS members invited Tuesday to a Chicago mayoral candidates forum, hosted by Lil Durk. Excited to meet the rapper, PJ is proud to have asked candidates what they’d do to create vocational opportunities “for kids who don’t want to go to college, because everybody needs a path in life.”
Adds an upbeat PJ, “It’s been an amazing week. I never had a week like this – not yet anyway. But I’ve got better to come.”
PJ with his CHAMPS brothers and rapper Lil Durk
LCN’s Community Assistance team aids asylum seekers
La Casa Norte has collaborated with other nonprofits, city agencies, and volunteers to provide assistance to Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers sent to Chicago since last fall.
We sat down with one of our migrant clients to learn more. With her interview translated from Spanish, this is Liliana’s story.
By Melanie Rockoff, Grants and Communications Manager
On July 2, 2022, Liliana González embarked on a two-month journey. With her toddler in her arms, she began a slow, winding ascent northward in search of a better life.
“I want my son to have a future. And here, he can. Here, you can.”
Liliana, 30, and son Matías, 3, number among the more than 7.1 million refugees and migrants who have left Venezuela.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a majority have sought refuge in neighboring Latin American and Caribbean countries, with approximately 465,000 going to the United States.
Last fall, Republican governors in Texas and Florida began haphazardly bussing and flying migrants, many of them Venezuelan, to Democrat-led sanctuary cities, including New York City and Washington, D.C. More than 5,000 people have been transported to Chicago.
The causes of this fraught Venezuelan exodus are many: an overly oil-dependent economy, hyperinflation, increasingly autocratic governance marked by corruption and mismanagement, massive-scale food scarcity, and a global pandemic.
It is amidst this socioeconomic and political maelstrom that Liliana made the difficult decision to leave. Increasingly unable to locate – much less purchase – basic necessities like baby formula, diapers, or medicine, she struggled to envision a future for her then-2-year-old son.
“Here, I can feed him and make sure he has what he needs. I wasn’t able to do that in Venezuela,” she says.
Upon arrival in Chicago in early September, Liliana, her son, and several hundred Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers were lodged temporarily at a handful of north suburban hotels. There, a network of local nonprofits, civic organizations, and volunteers converged to prepare them for the road ahead.
La Casa Norte is among these organizations.
“While I was at the hotel, that’s where I met Luz,” says Liliana, referring to Luz Cortez, manager of La Casa Norte’s Community Assistance Program, based in the Brighton Park neighborhood.
So far, Luz and her bilingual team have provided more than 50 migrant families with in-person, Spanish-language rental application assistance, school and job referrals, legal support, and access to El Mercadito food pantry, a joint collaboration between La Casa Norte and Nourishing Hope.
“It would have been very different without La Casa Norte, Casa Michoacán, Catholic Charities, and all of the organizations that have been helping us. Very different.”
Liliana pauses. “Not just different, but difficult. Very difficult.”
On a blisteringly cold day in late January, after four months living in suburban hotel limbo, Liliana and Matias moved into a cozy apartment in the Pilsen neighborhood. And her good luck didn’t end there.
“I met a woman who was moving back to Puerto Rico who helped me a lot. She was about to leave Chicago, and we had just arrived with absolutely nothing. She left me everything in here,” says Liliana, gesturing to her partially furnished apartment, wide-eyed, as if she can’t quite believe it herself.
“It felt like God was looking out for me – all these beautiful things happening, you know?”
“I think that, as a migrant, you go through a lot to get here. A lot. But it was worth it. It’s hard to explain – like, look at this,” she says, pointing to a colorful tiled vase left behind by the apartment’s previous tenant. “I never thought I’d have a vase with roses!” she says, laughing.
When asked about the future, Liliana smiles broadly. “I feel excited. My hope is to enroll Matías in preschool, find a good job, have some things of my own, maybe even a house. I want to be able to have something all my own, where I can say, ‘Look, this is mine. I worked for this.’”
“I know I can do this. God willing. Using all of the knowledge that I have. I will start from zero.”
Liliana and her son Matías
New: Thursday walk-in hours to apply for rent or utilities assistance
Every Thursday, La Casa Norte's Community Assistance team will process applications from people seeking short-term rent assistance or utilities assistance.
An applicant must document a temporary economic crisis beyond their control, just as a job loss or medical crisis.
Apply on Thursdays at our Humboldt Park community center, 3533 W. North Avenue, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. #rentalassistance #utilitiesassistance
What is a temporary economic crisis?
Applicants can show they lost employment, experienced a medical disability or emergency, a substantial change in household composition, or the loss or delay of a public benefit. Or, show that you were the victim of a natural disaster, victimized by criminal activity or a landlord’s illegal action, or displaced by government or private action.
An applicant cannot be more than six months behind on payments.
Please note that submitted applications are not a guarantee of funding.
What documents are needed to apply?
Proof of crisis: Such as medical documents, an employer termination letter, letter from a domestic violence shelter, or death certificate.
Lease
Notice from landlord of balance due: For example, a ledger or 5-day eviction notice
Utility bills (if requesting utilities assistance)
Proof of identity: Such as a government ID car, school ID card, letter from a case manager
Proof of income: Such as check stubs, W-2 or 1099 income tax forms, bank statements
Proof of public benefits: Such as SNAP, Medicaid, or the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Angelina Sidney joins La Casa Norte executive team
La Casa Norte congratulates Angelina Sidney on her promotion to Director of Facilities and Asset Management, a new position on the executive leadership team.
Previously the agency’s property manager, Angelina has worked at La Casa Norte almost five years. In her new role, she will be more hands-on in managing building repairs and upkeep at LCN’s seven sites in Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Back of the Yards, and Brighton Park.
Angelina manages a staff that includes a leasing associate and the six-person facilities staff. She also oversees Pierce House for youth and youth-led families living in 25 studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments. She also networks with property owners in the Chicago neighborhoods where our scattered site clients prefer to live.
Angelina Sidney
“I’m excited to work with the team in a different capacity,” she says.
Angelina began working in non-profits when she joined the staff of New Moms, a West Side agency that assisted her when she was a teenage mom. Just 17 when her older daughter was born, Angelina said her own experiences informed her work with New Moms.
Like many young mothers, Angelina said she dealt with people telling her “your life is over,” or offering up harsh, unsolicited parenting tips. Such comments undermine a young mom’s confidence in her ability to build a happy, self-supporting life for herself and her family.
“Just because I was a young parent does not mean I wouldn’t be an effective parent,” she points out.
As a teenager, Angelina participated for two years in New Moms community outreach program. She graduated from Association House alternative high school, studied to be a chef, and won her first job at New Moms as a cook. (In fact, working with her older daughter, Angelina still runs her own catering business on the weekends!)
Later, while working full-time and raising her three children, Angelina earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Kaplan University.
In eight years working at New Moms, Angelina’s jobs included parent support specialist and serving as the organization’s group facilitator, running four nightly meetings a week. In her groups, young mothers would discuss parenting and personal issues, such as “how to be attentive as a parent and how to set boundaries.”
A lifelong West Sider, Angelina still runs into former clients. Some thank her for encouragement she gave them when they needed it most.
“I feel good about it because I always question, “Did I do something right?’ Every time I question it, someone pops up and says thank you,” she said.
Angelina first joined La Casa Norte as a supervisor in the drop-in program, which serves over 200 youth a year, ages 16 through 24.
In that role, she started a jobs club and intensive case management for youth who participate in the weekday program. At the time, Angelina was the West Side’s only skilled assessor for unaccompanied youth who wanted to access the homeless services and housing system.
She left La Casa Norte for a year in 2020 to work as a recovery counselor at Trilogy, assisting older adults. She returned in March 2021, wanting to resume working with young people who typically have a more hopeful perspective about changing their lives.
“I wanted to come back to be around the youth, because they feel like they have the time to change their lives,” she says.
Angelina also sees her role as helping to advocate for La Casa Norte’s 69 scattered site residents, about half of whom are youth.
Many are so accustomed to living in poor conditions that “they don’t know what to expect or what to do about landlords who fail to do repairs. I’m glad to be able to help clients get their problems fixed.”
- By Anne Bowhay
Anthony has big plans - and he’s moving ahead, thanks to La Casa Norte!
La Casa Norte helps youth like Anthony
What a difference a year makes when you’ve got new opportunities and new reasons to be hopeful.
A year ago, Anthony Rocquemore quit high school and left home. He had lived alone with his father for three years after his mother was disabled by a stroke. But fed up with unending abuse, Anthony followed the advice of school counselors – he called 311 for help moving out.
“If you stay in that environment, it could turn into a situation that’s worse,” he points out.
A social worker took Anthony to a police station to file a report, then placed him in a short-term youth shelter not far from his South Side home. Two months later, Anthony was moved to a transitional housing program called Solid Ground.
La Casa Norte’s transitional housing facility serves 16 male-identifying youth, ages 18 to 21. The three-story Solid Ground building is located near the agency’s Humboldt Park community center and Pierce House youth apartments. It was one of Chicago’s first transitional housing programs for unaccompanied youth who are homeless and living on their own.
Anthony, now 19, was grateful to be given his own room at Solid Ground. With meals and living expenses covered, Anthony says he can focus on following the advice of his Solid Ground case managers, Katie and Ashley.
Number one?
That meant returning to high school to finish his senior year.
“They always push school. If you’re not in school, working. They want everybody in the program to be doing something. It’s great to be in an environment where everybody has plans.”
He graduated last spring from West Town alternative high school and began classes this fall at Harold Washington College, where Anthony also works part-time. Recently admitted to Northeastern Illinois University through its ROTC program, he wants to transfer to NEIU next year.
Anthony has big plans.
He’s also studying for a private pilot’s license, working almost every week with the aviation teacher he had during his three years at Dunbar Vocational Career Academy. Combining aviation studies with college courses in business and history, Anthony plans to earn a bachelor’s degree before commissioning into the U.S. Air Force.
“I think there should be more programs like Solid Ground through this whole entire city. There’s a lot of kids who struggle through abusive situations. This program makes it easier for somebody going through that to find resources.”
“Solid Ground changed me in many ways,” Anthony adds, smiling. “I get to focus more. I don’t have to worry about so many situations like I used to. I can focus on my goals. My life is going in the right direction.”
You can hear from Anthony and others at La Casa Norte in our 20th anniversary video posted on YouTube!
Thank you for supporting La Casa Norte, this year celebrating 20 years of service to Humboldt Park and Southwest Side neighborhoods. Our programs help secure the futures of unaccompanied youth and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Chicago.
- Photos by Carlos Medina and story by Anne Bowhay
Special shelter hours, site closings
With a winter storm expected Thursday, our Casa Corazón program will be running 24/7 starting Thursday, Dec. 22. Our overnight youth shelters will be open round-the-clock, from Thursday evening to Tuesday morning (Dec. 22 - 27). Chicago Department of Family and Support Services requested overnight homeless shelters remain open due to severe weather.
Single youth ages 18 through 24 can stay at La Casa Norte's two shelters, 1940 N. California Ave. (5 beds) and 1736 W. 47th St. (15 beds). Our youth shelters open at 9 p.m.
Also, for young mothers with children, ages 18 through 24, can stay 24/7 at our pregnant and parenting shelter, 1942 N. California Ave. (5 parent beds, plus cribs). Doors open at 7 p.m.
At our two weekday youth drop-in centers, the 3533 W. North Ave. drop-in will be closed Friday, Dec. 23 and Monday, Dec. 26, reopening Tuesday, Dec. 27 through Thursday, Dec. 29 (9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) The 1736 W. 47th drop-in will stay open regular weekday hours, Monday, Dec. 26 through Thursday, Dec. 29. Both drop-in centers will be closed on Friday, Dec. 30 and Monday, Jan. 2.
And next week, also at 3533 W. North, El Mercadito food pantry managed by Nourishing Hope will be open only on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Howard Brown Health clinic will be open next Tuesday, Dec. 27 through Thursday, Dec. 29.
La Casa Norte's Humboldt Park community center, 3533 W. North Ave., and our office at 2523 W. 47th St., will be closed for the holidays on Friday, Dec. 23, Monday, Dec. 26, Friday, Dec. 30 and Monday, Jan. 2. Both will open next Tuesday, Dec. 27 through Thursday, Dec. 29, resuming a regular weekday schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Many thanks to Roy Higgs and his dedicated Casa Corazón team for staffing La Casa Norte shelters round-the-clock to meet the needs of our unaccompanied youth.
- By Anne Bowhay
El Giving Tuesday es el 29 de noviembre
Ahora en su décimo año, el Giving Tuesday, o “martes para dar” – el martes después del Día de Acción de Gracias – celebra la generosidad comunitaria y las organizaciones sin fines de lucro que nos brindan apoyo.
Según reporta el USA Today, el Giving Tuesday se inició en el 2012, y hoy se celebra en más de 85 países del mundo.
Cada donación, por grande o pequeña que sea, es valiosa, apreciada, y nos permite seguir apoyando a las comunidades de Humboldt Park y el lado suroeste de Chicago.
“Nuestra meta este Giving Tuesday es llegar a los $5,000 en donaciones. Cualquiera que sea la cantidad, todas las donaciones pueden hacer una diferencia, y las apreciamos,” dijo Director Ejecutivo Jose M. Muñoz.
La Casa Norte está agradecida por figurar entre los 60 grupos sin fines de lucro que forman parte de la nueva campaña del Giving Tuesday diseñada por Intuit Mailchimp. La campaña #GiveWhereYouLive (“#DarDondeVives”) se fundó para animar a la gente a realizar donativos a las pequeñas organizaciones locales sin ánimo de lucro que mejor conocen sus comunidades.
Se aceptan donaciones a través de la página web de La Casa Norte:
https://www.lacasanorte.org/donate
Para conocer más acerca de la campaña #GiveWhereYouLive, visite: https://mailchimp.com/givewhereyoulive/
#DarDondeVives
Giving Tuesday is November 29
UPDATE: Thanks to generous donors and a grant from Intuit Mailchimp, we raised $7,180!
This marks the tenth year that Giving Tuesday - the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving - celebrates generosity to the community and the nonprofits that serve us.
As USA Today reports, Giving Tuesday began in 2012 and is officially celebrated in more than 85 countries around the world.
La Casa Norte is grateful for the donations, small and large, that are given in support of our work in Humboldt Park and Chicago’s Southwest Side.
“Our goal on Giving Tuesday 2022 is to reach $5,000 in donations. Even a small donation makes a difference and is appreciated,” said Executive Director Jose M. Muñoz.
La Casa Norte is grateful to be among 60 nonprofits in six cities that are part of a new Giving Tuesday campaign designed by Intuit Mailchimp. The #GiveWhereYouLive campaign is meant to encourage people to donate to small, local nonprofits that know their communities the best.
Donations are accepted through the La Casa Norte website: https://www.lacasanorte.org/donate
More on the Give Where You Live campaign: https://mailchimp.com/givewhereyoulive/
Crain’s Chicago Business, Giving Tuesday Nonprofit Showcase: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/crains-content-studio/giving-tuesday-2022
Run with us in the 2023 Chicago Marathon
Sign up by February 28 to join the team! You're invited to run for Team La Casa Norte in the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Runners who missed getting a slot in the marathon’s December lottery can still join a charity team to run in the 2023 marathon on Sunday, October 8.
Those who join after mid-November are required by the Chicago Marathon to set a $1,750 fundraising goal. La Casa Norte will cover the $230 entry fee and support runners setting up their online fundraising page.
To learn more about joining the team, please contact resource@lacasanorte.org
Thank you for supporting La Casa Norte as it provides shelter, housing, and support services to unaccompanied youth and families experiencing or at-risk of being homeless in Chicago.
El Mercadito
La Casa Norte’s hunger relief partnership with Nourishing Hope is now called El Mercadito.
Formerly known as the Fresh Market, the partnership has been renamed to El Mercadito to better reflect and appeal to the predominantly Latino population that it serves in Humboldt Park.
La Casa Norte’s hunger relief partnership with Nourishing Hope is now called El Mercadito.
Formerly known as the Fresh Market, the partnership has been renamed to El Mercadito to better reflect and appeal to the predominantly Latino population that it serves in Humboldt Park. Housed within La Casa Norte, at 3533 W. North Ave., the food pantry opened in 2019 as a collaboration built upon the mutual belief that basic human needs must be met before the cycle of poverty can be broken.
Service levels at El Mercadito have grown significantly in the past year — a combination of increased need due to inflation and greater community awareness of the resource. So far this fiscal year, which began April 1, 2022, visits to El Mercadito have more than doubled compared to the same period last year — from 2,755 visits to nearly 7,000.
“Many of our staff, volunteers and people turning to us for help were already calling it El Mercadito, so we’re making it official,” said Kellie O’Connell, CEO of Nourishing Hope. “We’re hoping to send a clear message to folks — this is your place for food and hope. We’re proud to serve this community in partnership with La Casa Norte.”
In addition to food, Nourishing Hope staff connect people to mental health counseling and social services at El Mercadito. Under the same roof, La Casa Norte provides comprehensive housing services focused on unaccompanied youth, in a robust effort to prevent homelessness. Howard Brown Health also operates a full-service health center inside the facility.
It’s effectively a one-stop shop for people facing complex and often interwoven difficulties. “At La Casa Norte, we seek to provide comprehensive services to transform lives and uplift communities,” said Jose M. Muñoz, executive director of La Casa Norte. “Our partnership with Nourishing Hope helps put food on the table for thousands of people each month.”
September is Hunger Action Month, a time to raise awareness and spur action toward ending food insecurity. That’s particularly relevant this year, as soaring food prices related to inflation have caused hardship for countless American families.
Grocery prices rose 13.5 percent in the 12-month period ending August 2022 — the largest increase since 1979, according to the latest inflation report released this week from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
El Mercadito, which offers a monthly choice option and weekly produce pickup, is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“What makes it special to come into El Mercadito is that connection we make every single time someone comes through our doors,” Omar Roman, pantry coordinator at El Mercadito. “It’s not just about food, sometimes just the interaction and having them smile at times when they need it most — that’s what makes the day more special.”
Those visiting El Mercadito will continue to be eligible for Nourishing Hope’s comprehensive social services, including public benefits assistance, job search training, information and referral services, and free mental wellness counseling.
Staff at this location and across both organizations are looking forward to strengthening this partnership and continuing to serve the heightened needs of those living in Humboldt Park and across the city of Chicago.
- By Nourishing Hope