Interfaith Council for the Homeless ends homelessness for families and individuals by offering hope, help and housing.  ICH provides permanent housing, education, advocacy, and social services.

HOUSING FIRST
ICH follows the housing first model of care as we work to end homelessness.  We currently serve 63 single women and 41 families who were formerly homeless and living in the City of Chicago shelter system.

These women and families are provided permanent housing and case management, including healthcare monitoring, in order to reach self-sufficency. We, under the Housing First model of care, believe that indivduals and families must first be stablized before case management ans social services can be provided to the families.  We preform these services through three different projects:

Sanctuary Place is a supportive housing community with a beautiful campus located on Chicago's west side, featuring 63 studio apartments and 6 townhomes for women and families.  We have on-site case management to provide immediate assistance to our clients.

Shelter Graduates houses 29 families throughout Chicago's south and west sides in apartments.  We have on-call case management to assist these families in recieving necessary services and providing affordable housing.

Interfaith Homes houses 6 families throughout Chicago's southside.  We have on-call case management.  Faith communities contribute in order to house and service these families.

Casa Kirk is a supportive housing community in South Chicago housing 8 of our Shelter Graduates families to provide an on-site case manager.

1984 ICH was organized to work collaboratively within religious communities of Chicago to forge a united response against homelessness.  Two years later ICH began providing emergency shelter through the Warming Center Program.  Annually, the Warming Center Program provided 208,670 nights of shelter to 22,230 unduplicated homeless persons. 

1991 Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago was organized by ICH to focus its work toward providing permanent housing for those persons with low incomes.  

1994 Out of concern for health care to people who are homeless, ICH established Interfaith House, a respite care facility for homeless persons who needed a period of recovery from an injury or illness.   

1998 Responding to increasing needs within emergency shelters, ICH established a new program designed to provide case-management and mental health support to residents.  Through this program, 1,970 individuals were served.   

1999-2001 During this period, the program expanded providing mental health, drug addiction, case management and medical support services residents living within emergency shelters. 

2002 With the Chicago Continuum of Care’s move toward permanent supportive housing, ICH  transitioned to a” housing first” program model while provided permanent housing placement and at the same time provided case management support services to those housed. These services were designed to help residents retain their housing placement.  

2003 Because of the success of the Shelter Graduates program, ICH received a national award from the Presbyterian Church USA.   Because of our long history within the emergency shelters, our experience in providing case management support services, ICH partnered with Interfaith Housing Development Corporation to provide on-site social services to the residents of Sanctuary Place.  

2005 Interfaith Homes, in cooperation with the City of Chicago, was started to provide a vehicle for the faith community to become more involved with homelessness.