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Our Stories

News and insights from The Night Ministry community.

A Stable Home and Advocacy Work Empower Youth Leader Adalina

Youth 4 Truth member Adalina obtained an apartment through a Rapid Rehousing event.

Adalina now has a home of her own. But the 20-year-old knows what it is like to experience housing instability. In recent months, she has stayed temporarily with family and friends and in shelters and housing programs, including at The Crib, The Night Ministry's emergency overnight shelter for young people, as well as its short-term youth housing p...

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One Decision Can Change a Life

Carol J. Sharp is the President & CEO of The Night Ministry

By Carol J. Sharp, President & CEO One decision. One decision has the power to shift the trajectory of your life. When I was two years old, I experienced housing insecurity. For approximately five years, my sister and I navigated Chicago, traveling from a foster home located on the South Side in the Englewood neighborhood to visit my biological...

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Remembering Barbara Bolsen

Barbara Bolsen was a longtime and beloved employee of The Night Ministry.

It is with deep sadness that we inform you that Barbara (Barb) Bolsen, The Night Ministry's former Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement, passed away on Wednesday, August 16. Barb joined The Night Ministry in 1997 after leaving a 20-year career in journalism and graduating from Chicago Theological Seminary. Barb once tol...

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Carol Sharp Joins The Night Ministry as President & CEO

Carol J. Sharp joins The Night Ministry as President & CEO.

After a national search, human services leader Carol J. Sharp has been named President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Night Ministry. Sharp assumed her responsibilities on August 14, 2023. A Chicago native, Sharp brings a deep passion for serving marginalized communities. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to enhancing t...

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Reap the Rewards

This summer, staff, guests and members of The Night Ministry's Board of Directors gathered for our annual Reap the Rewards lunch honoring employees who have demonstrated their dedication to our mission with 5, 10, 15 and 20 years of service. Pictured (from back and left) are honorees Phyllis Murphy (Program Support Coordinator, 15 years); Chri...

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Lighting Up the Night 2023

On June 7, 2023, more than 300 of our friends gathered with us for Lighting Up the Night: An Evening to Benefit The Night Ministry. During the event, members of The Night Ministry staff spoke about our the agency helps clients find a home. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, we raised more than $350,000 in support of our mission ...

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Solving the City’s Housing Crisis Will Protect the Lives of Unhoused Chicagoans

An encampment on Chicago's Lower West Side. Protecting the safety of our unhoused neighbors requires us to expand access to housing and widen the range of supportive service options available to the population.

All of us at The Night Ministry were deeply saddened to hear of the tragic loss of Kevin Powell last month. We mourn with his family and others who knew and cared for him. Mr. Powell, who was killed while utilizing Chicago's public transit system, was one of the more than 65,000 Chicago residents who experience homelessness every year.[1]...

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2022 in Review

As the year comes to a close, we are looking back at memorable milestones and accomplishments at The Night Ministry in 2022.  Parenting with Purpose Settles into Its New Home Parenting with Purpose provides long-term, supportive housing for up to eight pregnant and parenting young mothers and their children. The private bedrooms for each resid...

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Street Medicine Survey Sheds Light on Experiences of Unsheltered Chicagoans

Senior Nurse Practitioner Stephan Koruba consults with a patient. A new survey provides insight into the challenges faced by unhoused Chicago residents.

The Night Ministry's Street Medicine Program provides free health care, food, survival supplies, and supportive services to unsheltered individuals across the city. To stay informed on the program's progress and about its clients, the agency's Learning and Impact Department conducts an annual Street Medicine Survey. The survey aims to identify who ...

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The Night Ministry in the News

The Night Ministry's mission to serve unhoused members of our community has been featured in many news stories recently. Chicago's Night Ministry Plows Ahead, Despite Expected Blizzard | WBBM Newsradio | 12/20/22 As Possible Blizzardlike Conditions Barrel toward Chicago, Advocates for Homeless Work to Provide Shelter, Save Lives | Chicago Tribune |...

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Remembering Those We've Lost

As we prepare for the longest night of the year, we remember our unhoused community members who lost their lives in 2022.

The Night Ministry staff gathered today to remember and honor those who have died this year while living on the streets. Below are the remarks delivered by our staff on this solemn occasion. Every year since 1990, on December 21, the longest night of the year, a National Homeless Persons' Memorial is held to bring attention to the tragedy of homele...

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Our Mission Remains the Same

December 1, 2022 Dear Friends, Last month, we shared news with you about a leadership transition at The Night Ministry. I am following up on that announcement to reconfirm the agency's commitment to its mission. Just as we have done for decades, The Night Ministry will continue to provide human connection, housing support and health care to those w...

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Leadership Transition at The Night Ministry

A message from Kiantae Bowles, Chair of the Board of Directors | November 10, 2022 Dear Friend, It is with mixed emotions that I announce the departure of our President & CEO, Paul W. Hamann. After more than twenty years of service to The Night Ministry, Paul has decided that this is the most advantageous time to step away from the Organiz...

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Survey Confirms Health Outreach Bus Visitors Face Housing, Food Insecurity, and Health Care Challenges

Outreach Professional Lavelle Horne provides a meal at the Health Outreach Bus. A new survey indicates that nearly three out of four visitors to the Bus rely on the program for at least some of their daily food intake.

Unstable housing, food insecurity, and limited access to health care remain widespread among visitors to The Night Ministry's Health Outreach Bus. That's according to the 2022 Outreach and Health Ministry Bus survey, conducted by The Night Ministry's Learning and Impact department. The survey also finds that the Bus provides an important source of ...

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Revised Mission Statement Recognizes Primacy of Human Connection and Dignity of Clients

Princess (right), a resident of the Pathways Transitional Living Program, speaks with Program Specialist Tracy Walker.

The Night Ministry has revised its mission statement, as it continues to pursue innovative solutions to the challenges of homelessness and poverty in Chicago while remaining true to its core beliefs. "We are not changing our mission," said Paul W. Hamann, President & CEO of The Night Ministry. "Rather, we have updated our mission statement...

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Overdose Reversal Drug Is a Key Tool in Saving Lives

Substance Use Specialist Yoela Tepper assembles a harm reduction kit, which includes the overdose reversal drug Narcan.

Deaths from drug-related overdoses have soared in recent years in the United States. With opioid use common among a segment of the population The Night Ministry serves, the agency is often on the front lines in efforts to save lives by preventing overdose deaths among Chicagoans who are unhoused. Naloxone, a non-addictive medication that can revers...

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Reap the Rewards

The Night Ministry community recently gathered to celebrate milestones of service among our passionate and dedicated staff. Our Reap the Rewards luncheon, the first held since the pandemic, honored employees with 15, 10 and 5 years of service with The Night Ministry. Please join us in recognizing the following:  15 Years 10 Years 5 Years Yasmi...

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Lighting Up the Night 2022

On June 13, 2022, nearly 300 of our friends gathered with our staff and Board of Directors for Lighting Up the Night: An Evening to Benefit The Night Ministry. During our first in-person benefit since 2019, we raised more than $370,000 in support of our mission to provide human connection, housing support, and health care to members ...

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The Night Ministry in the News

The Night Ministry's mission has been featured in the news lately.

Our ongoing work to provide human connection, housing support, and health care to members of our community who are unhoused or experiencing poverty has been featured in the news lately. The Night Ministry transforming lives of Chicago's homeless by bringing services directly to them. Suzanne Le Mignot from CBS 2 Chicago explores how our mission mak...

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Decades of Systemic Housing Discrimination Contribute to the Overrepresentation of Black Americans Among the Nation’s Homeless

A color-coded map issued by the federal government in 1940 showing the southern portion of the metro Chicago area. Neighborhoods in red, where African Americans lived, were deemed too risky for investment.

As The Night Ministry continues its series of articles exploring the intersection between race and homelessness, we delve into a theme that weaves through more than a century of national and local history: how systemic housing discrimination has contributed to disproportionate numbers of Black Americans among those experiencing poverty and homeless...

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1735 North Ashland Avenue, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60622 | 773-784-9000
The Night Ministry is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Our Federal Tax ID (EIN) is 36-3145764.