Read our Executive Directors' letter:
Help Give ICH Women and Children a Home for the Holidays
Dear Friend,
I hope this letter finds you and your family well this holiday season. This is an exciting time here at ICH. Our residents are busy decorating, shopping for gifts and planning holiday meals for the first time in years. Many of you have helped make this possible.
As I think about our residents, one young person especially comes to mind. Her name is Sadé, and she’s like many other bright, 15-year-old high school students—except that she and her family were recently homeless.
Sadé recently told our staff that when she and her family lived in the shelter, they didn’t have the things that many families have, like a private space of their own or traditional family dinners. Sadé’s family also lived in constant fear that their belongings would be taken. Even doing homework at the shelter was difficult. Sadé longed for a computer of her own so she could learn and do her homework.
The holidays are especially stressful when you’re homeless
For Sadé and her family, Christmas was another story. When Sadé was asked what Christmas was like before she came to ICH, she said that nothing stood out because she and her family had nothing to celebrate.
Sadé explained that she and her brother and sister would watch from the window of the shelter as people brought in gifts, knowing that they wouldn’t receive all the gifts that were brought. You see, Sadé and her siblings never received the gifts on their wish lists because her mother couldn’t afford to buy them. She and her family did try to make the day a little better by enjoying the warm meals prepared for them and playing games to pass the time…but they were still in a shelter.
You can make futures—and the holidays—brighter
Thanks to ICH, Sadé and her family have something to celebrate this Christmas—a new home. Sadé is excited about the celebration her mom is planning and is looking forward to helping prepare the Christmas meal. Sadé told us, “It’ll be good simply because we have a home, and that Christmas will not be in the shelter.”
By donating to ICH, you can help us provide a happy holiday to women and children just like Sadé, who are working their way from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Your donation will also help ICH provide these families with a permanent home and the tools they need to rebuild their lives.
I know it’s a tough year, but homelessness remains a crucial issue in our struggling economy. Since the foreclosure crisis began in 2007, local and state groups have seen a 61 percent increase in homelessness.1 It’s important now, more than ever, that we work together to break the cycle of homelessness.
Donate today
Your generous gift can help transform the lives of women and children who were formerly homeless, and help us give them the holiday they deserve, with gifts on their wish lists, home-cooked family meals, and most importantly, a place to call home for the holidays. Please donate to ICH today.
Sincerely,
Bill Johnson
Executive Director
Interfaith Council for the Homeless (ICH)
P.S. Spread holiday cheer and donate to ICH today! Simply fill out and return the enclosed reply card or donate online today at www.ichchicago.org.
