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Our Stories

News and insights from The Night Ministry community.

In My Own Words: The Night Ministry Was That Helping Hand

Darrick, a client of The Night Ministry, spoke to attendees at Lighting Up the Night, our Annual Awards Dinner & Auction, in 2018.

By Darrick S. After a successful career as a celebrity photojournalist, I retired and started my own limousine company. Business was thriving when, in November of 2011, I got a phone call that something was wrong with my mother. On investigating, I found that she'd been living in the dark for nine days in our family home. We soon learned that she h...

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In My Own Words: Music Saved My Life

By Daniel Barber Writing and performing music saved my life. When you're locked up, there's not much to do. I'd always loved poetry, so I spent my time reading, writing, and focusing on my vocabulary. Life doesn't always go your way, and to snap out of my depressive state, I had to put my thoughts into words on paper. Being homeless is tough. But I...

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In My Own Words: For My Daughter - 04/18/2019

For My Daughter - 04/18/2019

A poem by Tiana Johnson The world I wish to give to you. Though you are my world at the age of two. Growing and changing with phases of the sun. Seems that just yesterday you were only 1. Waking every morning with a smile that is true. I can only hope to be as patient as you. Forgiveness is in you, and love radiates from. For 777 days I have b...

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Dear Chicago

Julie, Tone, and Rich read Youth 4 Truth’s “Dear Chicago” letter at Night Lights, The Annual Gala of The Night Ministry’s Associate Board, held in October.

Members of Youth 4 Truth, The Night Ministry's leadership development program for young adults, have written an open letter to Chicago about how our city inspires them and what they would change about it. When we think of Chicago, we think of "hustle." All over the city, people are coming up and doing their thing. Up north, the sidewalks are filled...

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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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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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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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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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Partnership with UI Health Brings Treatment for Substance Use Disorder to the Streets

Individuals can use a mobile phone to access appointments with UI Health doctors for substance abuse treatment.

As opioid-related overdoses and deaths increase by alarming rates in Chicago this year, The Night Ministry has partnered with the University of Illinois (UI) to expand access to treatment for substance use disorder among Chicago's homeless population. Through an innovative telemedicine program, the Street Medicine Team is connecting indiv...

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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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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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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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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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Pregnant and Parenting Program Bedrooms Get Special Makeovers

One of the eight redesigned bedrooms at the Parenting with Purpose program.

The young mothers and children who reside at The Night Ministry's Parenting with Purpose transitional living program are enjoying homey bedrooms uniquely designed for the comfort and privacy of families, thanks to a partnership with nonprofit Humble Design Chicago. Humble Design Chicago provides custom interior design services and furnishings for t...

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Street Medicine Programs Collaborate to Improve Care for the Unsheltered

Members of the Loyola chapter of Chicago Street Medicine working with The Night Ministry at the CTA Blue Line stop in Forest Park.

When The Night Ministry began piloting its street medicine approach six years ago, bringing health care services directly to individuals living in encampments, it was the first program of its kind in Chicago. Today, the agency's Street Medicine Team serves as a model and a hub in the burgeoning network of street-based medical outreach programs curr...

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The Night Ministry is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Our Federal Tax ID (EIN) is 36-3145764.