AT NO COST TO YOU, GET FUNDING FOR Chicago Coalition for the Homeless WHEN YOU:
Buy a Home / Sell a Home / Lease Commercial Property
Your Next Real Estate Transaction Could Help Prevent Homelessness in Chicago
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) is a nonprofit organization committed to the prevention of homelessness. As a member of Investing in Communities®, CCH can receive funding from the real estate transactions of its supporters, at no cost to the supporter or to CCH. The more supporters use this free platform before engaging a real estate agent, the more resources CCH has for its mission.
Since its founding in 1980, CCH has operated on the belief that housing is a basic human right. CCH helps the Chicago homeless population through various efforts, including advocacy and community organizing. Ultimately, CCH seeks to develop a plan to end homelessness in Chicago, which affected an estimated 80,000 people in 2016. With funding from a diversity of partners and sponsors, CCH also helps create ladders to opportunity awarding college scholarships or helping a family submit fee waivers for graduation. CCH also offers several programs, including HomeWorks and No Youth Alone.
HomeWorks
According to CCH data, approximately 13,054 Chicago families were homeless at some point between 2014 and 2015, and less than one percent had access to affordable housing. The HomeWorks program arose to help address these housing problems. HomeWorks is a long-term endeavor to provide Chicago’s homeless population with affordable housing and improved academic services. From an advocacy standpoint, HomeWorks has led in recent years to many victories, including:
- Homeless Education Policy — Achieved updated policy for the support and education of homeless children attending Chicago Public Schools;
- Chicago AirBnB Ordinance — Obtained a four percent surcharge for supportive services and housing for homeless people; and
- Families in Transition — Secured permanent housing for 100 families in high-crime neighborhoods with children in certain elementary schools.
No Youth Alone
The No Youth Alone program was created to address the day-to-day challenges of unaccompanied youth living without family members or a legal guardian. For these individuals, it can be a struggle to find adequate shelter or food, let alone pursue educational opportunities or find suitable employment.
As outlined in a comprehensive 2005 study, approximately 25,000 youth in Illinois will experience a period of homelessness in any given year. The reasons for youth homelessness vary greatly and include:
- Family Conflict;
- Physical Abuse;
- Sexual Abuse;
- Domestic Violence; and
- Abandonment.
The No Youth Alone program and the Youth Committee work with a network of 38 partner agencies to provide homeless youth with essential services, such as food and shelter or educational assistance. These youth-serving agencies exist all over Illinois — 25 in Chicago, six in the Chicago suburbs, and seven downstate.
Help Stop Chicago Homelessness with Your Next Real Estate Transaction
Now anyone who cares about stopping homelessness can turn virtually any brokered real estate transaction into funding for Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Generate funding for the cause by using this free platform to choose among real estate agents that are appropriate for your residential or commercial real estate needs. Or use IIC to make arrangements with an agent you already have in mind. For example, the purchase or sale of $300,000 home can result in about $1,300 of free funding, which has a direct impact on our ability to assist homeless people, establish public programs, and secure affordable housing. Ready to start?
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Focus Area: Social Justice
Budget: $1 million - $5 million