Shield of Hope Serves Nearly 4,000 Individuals in First Year
The Salvation Army partnered with the City of Chicago to open the Shield of Hope on March 6, 2018. The facility, located in West Humboldt Park, has served 3,957 individuals in its first year.
Every family who walks through the doors receives their own personalized care plan, developed during the intake process. Shield of Hope Director Andrea Chatman says the plan is a roadmap of the family’s needs - from health, housing and income to employment, education and life skills.
“People are not expecting to walk through the doors of an emergency shelter and be treated with respect and dignity,” Chatman said. “They expect to receive a service, but do not expect to be served.”
The City of Chicago’s deputy commissioner for homeless and domestic violence programs, Alisa Rodriguez, says families are triaged and assessed with the goal of connecting them to a more stable living situation.
Families are placed within more stable living situations within two weeks, but for most, the timeframe has been much quicker.
“When we began this journey of partnering with The Salvation Army to build the Shield of Hope, our goal was to continue the critical work to support those in need and that any instances of homelessness are rare, brief and nonrecurring,” Rodriguez said. “As a city, we are committed to providing these essential services to the residents of Chicago who are most in need.”
The Shield of Hope keeps families together in their own rooms – including fathers and older teen boys. The facility offers 20 bedrooms, some of which are adjoining, and private bathrooms. The Shield of Hope also offers a laundry room, cafeteria, counseling, support services and life skills training
“The Shield of Hope is not just a facility name. We see this. We see the hope,” Chatman said. “We see people coming in and they’re resistant, and they’re traumatized. But so quickly after they’ve had the opportunity to take advantage of just basic services, a hot shower, laundry, a hot meal, you can see that glimmer of hope in their eyes that you know what, there is something good that can come out of this for me.”
Families that stay at the shelter also have access to social service programs, recreational and educational programs, nutritious meals and snacks, and treatment for substance abuse at the neighboring Salvation Army Freedom Center.
"We are grateful for the partnership with the City and our generous donors that has allowed us to provide a safe and welcoming environment at the Shield of Hope for families during emergencies,” said Lt. Col. Charles Smith, Salvation Army Metropolitan Divisional Commander. “Our hope is to help individuals restart their lives with a renewed sense of dignity by giving them the tools and resources needed to get back on their feet. We are also most grateful for the relationship that we have with our Chicago area homeless family shelter agencies. We are blessed to enjoy working with these fellow mission partners in serving our homeless community.”
Learn more about the Shield of Hope and how you can support the Fight for Good.