Franciscan Outreach Association
1645 W. LeMoyne Street, Chicago, IL 60622-2240 www.franoutreach.org
Telephone (773) 278-6724
August 9, 2002
Dear Friend of Franciscan Outreach
The photos you see on these pages are of our guests. These are some of the men and women who were at our program sites on April 11th, July 18th, or July 25th of this year. They let us take their photos because they’re grateful for the services we provide. Although most of them are in desperate situations, they know that the good things they find here are made possible by donations from people like you.
Yet each
day we wonder how we can help our guests to turn their lives around. Our 250
bed emergency overnight shelter provides supper of soup and a sandwich, a
bed with a blanket pillow and linens, and the opportunity to take a shower,
visit with case managers, or meet with mental health and medical workers. At
our soup kitchen, we provide a nutritious meal, showers, a drop-off laundry
service, and the chance to
meet
with case managers. At both locations, our case managers help our guests
with a variety of issues, such as finding a job, entering substance abuse
programs, and getting medical care.
Yet even with all these services, we still wish we could do more to help our guests end their homelessness. In fact, homeless service providers around the country are thinking the same thing. Service providers, grantmakers, and government agencies are joining together to find ways to end homelessness.
In Chicago, a plan has been developed by the “Continuum of Care” committee that’s designed to end homelessness within 10 years. One of these goals of the plan is “to transition the existing shelter system to an Interim Housing model which emphasizes brief shelter stays as individuals and families are aggressively assisted to access permanent housing and needed supports.” (Chicago Continuum on Care - Exhibit 1, June, 2002.) We endorse the concept of this goal, but have a long way to go before we can afford to make it a reality.
In the last year, we’ve kept our emergency services the same but added a case manager, two supervisors at the shelter, and necessary support staff. Our goal is to take