About the Nonprofit
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Margaret’s Village (MV) provides transitional housing to homeless women, children, and families and offers experiences that empower, mentor, and transform our residents and the broader community so that they may reach their full potential—turning homelessness and isolation into community and self-sufficiency.
We operate two 50-bed facilities:
· Maria Shelter for women and children in Englewood,
· and Believe Shelter for intact families in South Chicago.
We connect our residents to critical resources, fostering their transition to independent living and enabling them to lead fulfilling lives. We also operate the Vincennes Senior Center which provides sustenance and socialization to local seniors facing isolation and food insecurity. Since 1989, we have served over 10,000 residents and area seniors.
Each year, we:
· shelter ~500 individuals, typically for 4-8 months
· serve 105,000+ meals
· provide nearly 30,000 nights of shelter
· serve about 100 seniors from the local area
We address the root causes of homelessness and provide services to help residents transition to independent living.
· On-site case managers, trained in trauma-informed care work with residents to arrange social and legal services, to help set personal goals for housing and employment, and to participate in and complete educational, financial management, job-training, life-skills, and enrichment programs
· We provide physical and mental health services and referrals at our free onsite clinic run by the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
· We help residents find and negotiate their best option for affordable housing.
· Our partnerships with many additional organizations, such as local City Colleges, Legal Aid Foundation, CARA, Goodwill, Jane Addams Resource Corp, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Teamwork Englewood help us provide wrap around services to our residents
At MV, we believe that “your current situation is not your conclusion.” When residents arrive at our shelters, they are often at the lowest point in their lives. Some arrive with only the clothing on their backs or a plastic bag of belongings, and nothing else but precious memories. We welcome them with dignity and respect, and work with them to create a plan to achieve productive, self-reliant lives.
