Christian Faith
Our faith is why we're here. It's never a condition of receiving help.
About
To restore hope and provide opportunities for people to become all that God intends them to be.
Outreach is a Christian nonprofit serving Chicagoland since 1971. We are confident about our methodology and clear about who the hero is: the people and communities we serve.
We don't just address one need.
Housing affects employment. Employment affects family stability. Education affects opportunity. Relationships affect everything. Our services are built to hand off to each other rather than hand people around.
- 01
We start with the whole person
One intake, one relationship, one plan, not nine separate front doors. We ask what you need, not which department you belong to.
- 02
We connect services that reinforce each other
Housing steadies employment. Employment steadies family life. Counseling steadies all of it. Our programs are designed to hand off, not to hand people around.
- 03
We stay local and stay long
Neighborhood resource centers, staff who live nearby, and partnerships with local churches, schools and employers who are here for the next decade too.
- 04
We measure what changes
Housing kept. Diplomas earned. Jobs held at six and twelve months. Decades of practice, refined by what the numbers actually show.
What we hold to
Excellence
Licensed staff, measured outcomes, and programs we keep improving.
Relationships
People change alongside people who know their name.
Dignity
Our neighbors are capable adults and young people, not cases.
Justice
We work on the barriers, not only their symptoms.
The local Church
We partner with congregations who are rooted where we serve.
Our Beliefs
The Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed, though not written by the apostles, is the oldest creed of the Christian Church.
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there, He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
Governance
Led by Our Community
Outreach is a local nonprofit governed by a Board of Trustees. Each of our locations has a Community Board, and our Resale Shops each have an Action Board. Learn more about these key groups that help the vital work we do.
View Board of TrusteesLast year, in numbers
- People served last year
- 24,600People served last yearAcross four resource centers and 30 program sites.
- Youth supported
- 6,900Youth supportedIn mentoring, after-school and summer programs.
- Families strengthened
- 3,100Families strengthenedWith a case manager who stayed for the long haul.
- People housed
- 1,240People housedMoved from shelter or eviction into stable housing.
- People prepared for work
- 1,870People prepared for workTrained, credentialed and connected to employers.
- Communities served
- 38Communities servedNeighborhoods across Chicagoland.