Franciscan Outreach Association 
1645 W. LeMoyne Street, Chicago, IL 60622
Telephone (773)278-6724  Fax (773)278-712
 
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Our Collaborative Efforts

 

Franciscan Outreach Association provides a wide variety of services to Chicago's poor and homeless population, from showers and drop-off laundry to a mailing address to connections with housing and employment opportunities.  We cannot, however, do it all alone.  For this reason, we partner with the more than 25 other agencies and businesses, in our efforts to meet the needs of our guest population.  Click on the name of the organization to learn more about our collaborative efforts.

 

Franciscan Friars, Sacred Heart Province

Shelter Linkage Team

Heartland Health Outreach (HHO) Clinic

RUSH Community Service Initiatives Program (RCSIP)

Art Therapy

The Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness

Illinois Hunger Coalition

West Side Action Group

Job Opportunities Linkage Team (JOLT)

Regular Food Donors

Volunteers

AmeriCorps

Working for Togetherness

Franciscan Friars, Sacred Heart Province – The Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart has been one of our greatest supporters, though we do not have any legal connection.  They send friars to serve on our staff, candidates to volunteer, and financial support.  In addition, St. Peter’s Church in the Loop distributes our newsletters and provides financial support.  No money that comes to Franciscan Outreach is given to the Province.

 Shelter Linkage Team – Franciscan House of Mary & Joseph, Thresholds and Heartland Health Outreach developed this project in conjunction with the Illinois Office of Mental Health. The Shelter Linkage Project brings three full-time mental health outreach workers  to our shelter daily to work with our guests in collaboration with both shelter staff and FOA case managers.  An outreach worker also comes to the Marquard Center on Wednesdays.

 Heartland Health Outreach (HHO) Clinic – Each Wednesday at the Marquard Center and every other Thursday night at Franciscan House, guests have the opportunity to see a nurse and a nurse practitioner.  A different team of nursing professionals visits each site.

 RUSH Community Service Initiatives Program (RCSIP) – Since 1991, the RCSIP has been operating a weekly free clinic at Franciscan House.  The clinic is staffed by volunteer teams of RUSH Medical School students and supervised by volunteer attending physicians. 

 Art Therapy –  Each Wednesday, an art facilitator comes to the Marquard Center to hold an art creativity group.  Art creativity groups offer a means of expression to those who are unwilling or unable to communicate verbally about their feelings and sometimes helps to open them up to speaking and working with case managers. 

 Working for Togetherness  - This organization provides rapid testing for HIV, AIDS, STDs, and Hepatitis C. Our HIV-AIDS case manager then provides case management services, prevention groups and support groups.

Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness – Franciscan Outreach is a member of this citywide coalition of over 70 service providers.  The goal of the Alliance is “to build an effective system of care for homeless people in Chicago.”  Drawing on collective experience and using a unified voice, the Alliance engages in advocacy towards ending homelessness in Chicago.

 Illinois Hunger Coalition – Franciscan Outreach Association is a Coalition member.  The Coalition engages in advocacy and community organizing on hunger-related issues in the state of Illinois.  The Coalition also manages the RealBenefits food stamp program, which enables FOA Case Managers to help their clients fill out a web-based food stamps application at our site, giving the clients added confidence as they go to the IDHS office with a completed application in hand. 

 West Side Action Group – As members of this group, FOA Case Managers network with other West Side service providers.  For the past several years, efforts of West Side Action have focused on developing a local resource center for the homeless, particularly those with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. 

 Job Opportunities Linkage Team (JOLT) -- Monthly meetings of JOLT give FOA Case Managers an opportunity to discuss employment-related issues and engage in networking and resource-sharing in order to provide their clients with more job training and employment opportunities. 

 Regular Food Donors – In addition to the our many individual and church donors, we have developed collaborative relationships with many community organizations and businesses, who supply our soup kitchen with food donations on a regular basis.  These include: Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation, Cub Foods, Treasure Island,  Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Turano Bread, La Preferida Mexican Foods, Old St. Pat’s Church, Irish Heritage Society, the Port, Frito Lay, Milk and Honey Restaurant, Corner Bakery, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository (including USDA and Restaurant Rescue programs).

Volunteers – Innumerable churches, schools, and other organizations send us part-time volunteers for the Marquard Center Soup Kitchen. 

 AmeriCorps – Franciscan Outreach’s full-time volunteers who are U.S. citizens are eligible for an education award after one year of service.  The award can be used to pay back student loans or for future college or graduate studies.