Respond

Street Outreach

We work with individuals and families who are unsheltered and help them transition to supportive housing. Our Street Outreach Specialists connect with individuals by addressing basic needs such as food, water, personal hygiene kits, and clothing. As trust and relationship is built, staff members assess the needs of unsheltered individuals and connect them to case management, supportive services, and referrals.

See our street outreach card

Emergency Shelter

Housing Forward provides a 20-bed overnight emergency shelter for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness. The shelter is open to men, women, non-binary individuals, and small families. Guests will receive overnight sleeping accommodations; a hot dinner, breakfast, and to-go sack lunch; and showers to support hygiene needs. Housing Forward staff will be on-site to provide service information and navigation support. The shelter is in the former rectory building of the St. Catherine of Siena - St. Lucy campus at 38 North Austin Blvd. in Oak Park and will be open from 7pm to 6:30am, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Respite

Medical Respite is short-term residential and post-acute medical care for patients experiencing homelessness who are too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness while living in a shelter or on the streets, but who are not sick enough to be in a hospital. We offer medical respite at two locations, described below.

Watch this video to hear about Misty's experience with our Medical Respite Program.

RISE Center of Cook County

The RISE Center of Cook County (Recuperation In a Supportive Environment) provides 24/7 care in partnership with Cook County Health, allowing individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to rest, recover, and heal in a safe environment while accessing medical care and other supportive services. We also provide case management to assist clients in creating a plan for their post-respite housing and then connect them to the resources they need to succeed.

Watch Cook County Health's video about our RISE Center here.

Sojourner House

Sojourner House is provided in partnership with MacNeal Hospital (part of Loyola Medicine) which provides medical staff to ensure client recuperation for those who are ready for independent living. Housing Forward provides case management to meet each client’s basic needs and support them in achieving post-respite housing.

Interim Housing

The path out of homelessness often includes a stay in a temporary housing environment, such as “interim housing.” This short-term stay is a critical component of a comprehensive, system-wide approach because people experiencing a housing crisis or fleeing an unsafe situation need access to a safe place to stay while they secure permanent housing.

Housing Forward's Interim Housing program provides short-term private accommodations for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.  With a stable place to stay addressed, the program has a two-prong focus of assisting clients in making connections to housing resources and ending their homelessness as soon as possible; and, helping clients to build great stability by addressing the issues that contributed to homelessness. We provide housing-oriented wraparound services, case management, pre-tenancy services, on-site health assessments, and income supports either through employment and/or entitlement benefit supports. 

Housing Forward’s Interim Housing program is located in a former boutique hotel immediately north of downtown Oak Park. We leased the property in September 2020, as part of our response to the COVID-19 crisis. Leasing an entire 65-room hotel is a move that follows a national trend of nonprofit organizations that provide homeless services utilizing empty hotel space to safely house individuals and families experiencing homelessness, who were among the most vulnerable to a global health pandemic. In December 2023, we received funding from Cook County that allowed us to purchase this property. In 2025, we will begin a complete renovation and retrofitting the property to make it the state-of-the-art, permanent location of this program. 

The property is also the location of The RISE Center of Cook County medical respite services for persons experiencing homelessness.  To learn more, click here. 

Transitional Housing (TH)

Provides a safe place for people to stay – transitional (crisis) housing – with financial assistance and wrap around supportive services determined by program participants to help them move to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Stays in transitional housing are intended to be brief and without preconditions, and participants should quickly move to permanent housing. During the temporary stay, clients are provided tailored services, access to wraparound services, case management, and income supports.  

Bridge Housing

Provides immediate hotel-based shelter for up to 90 days for unhoused individuals at risk of unnecessary psychiatric institutionalization, overdose death, or re-incarceration due to a serious mental health condition or severe substance use disorder. This pilot initiative provides a new intervention, and much-needed pathway into safe, affordable housing.  The program is designed with intensive case management and wraparound services to meet the person where they are in their recovery, while also taking a harm reduction approach by not requiring treatment or abstinence to be eligible for the next stage of housing. Program partners include MacNeal Hospital, Riveredge Hospital, Ascension and Thrive Counseling Center. 

Wraparound Services

The Wraparound Team collaborates with case managers to provide clients with specialized services and a continuity of care across program areas from a client's initial entry and until a permanent destination is found. This interdisciplinary team strengthens the agency's service integration model in the areas of health and behavioral health, employment and income supports, and other critical needs of clients. Professional volunteers from partner organizations supplement the skills of the Wraparound Services Team. 

Behavioral Health Services provide support for mental and behavioral health needs through referrals, counseling services, psychosocial education, and advocacy for clients throughout all Housing Forward programs. This service also provides behavioral health consultation for other program staff in the agency.

Employment Services engages and equips clients in breaking the cycle of unemployment and establishing reliable income. Clients build soft skills, receive career coaching, and job search strategies. Traditional wages and on-the-job skill development are available to eligible clients enrolled in our Workforce Development Program. 

Family Support Services supports the unique needs of families with minor children to guide them in the transition from crisis to housing stability as quickly as possible. A family-centered approach helps them navigate the maze of school, government, and social services which are important steps to strengthening the family's support system. 

Financial Literacy and Budgeting Counseling is provided to current clients and community members to help them gain understanding of how to develop a household budget,  credit history, choosing a financial institution and long-term saving.

Legal Clinic in partnership with Greater Chicago Legal Clinic, we provide pro-bono legal services to support clients in resolving problems such as evictions, criminal records expungement, immigration status, disability benefits, family law, and other issues.  

Medical Clinic empowers clients to take care of their health and well-being and build a personal healthcare routine. Resident physicians from Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine, our staff community health nurse, and a volunteer nurse perform health assessments, offer health education, and provide basic care weekly at our Interim Housing Program.