- Franciscan Outreach Association
- 1645 W. LeMoyne Street, Chicago, IL 60622
- Telephone (773)278-6724 Fax (773)278-7120
Who is Franciscan Outreach Association?
- "The father of the poor, the poor Francis, conforming himself to the poor in all things, was grieved when he saw someone poorer than himself, not because he longed for vainglory, but only from a feeling of compassion." (from The First Life of St. Francis, by Thomas of Celano, Chap. XXVIII)
In this same spirit, the volunteers, donors, and staff of Franciscan Outreach Association serve the needs of the poor. Some of us are Franciscans, but most of us are not. All of us are committed to helping the poor in whatever way we can.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission statement reflects the spirit of what we do at Franciscan Outreach Association. We created it during our strategic planning process when we took a good look at what we do and why we do it.
We, Franciscan Outreach Association, strive
to be the heart and hands of Jesus
in the Spirit of the Gospel
and St. Francis of Assisi.
We provide for basic human needs
such as food, shelter, encouragement
and assistance in creating a better life
for the homeless and marginalized,
especially those who are underserved.
We pledge to walk with them
by being vulnerable,
by advocating for them,
and by being reliable.
We wish to provide an open, respectful,
welcoming, secure environment,
and to affirm the dignity of our guests.
We, the donors, board members, staff,
volunteers, and guests,
are looking for the transformation
of ourselves and our society.
Tax-Exempt Status
We are an independent not-for-profit corporation, incorporated in Illinois in 1976. We have been granted tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. All donations to us are deductible to the full extent of the law.
Our Budget
Our budget for the year 2012 is $1,461,500. Our program expenses are very low because we conduct our program with only a small number of salaried employees. The full-time volunteers, who bless us with a year of their lives, and the 2,500 part-time volunteers who help us each year enable us to provide a great deal of services on a very small budget. In 2010, we would have had to raise an additional $492,135 if not for the donated services of the full-time volunteers. You can see our audited financial statements and links to our IRS 990 forms here.
Our income in 2011 of $1,600,137 (unaudited) came from a variety of sources, including:
-
donations from individuals, churches, and small businesses - 31%
-
special events - 5%
-
donations from Franciscan sources such as St. Peter's Church in the Chicago Loop and the Sacred Heart Province - 4%
-
grants from foundations and corporations - 23%
-
grants from the government - (City of Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services and the Emergency Food and Shelter Grants Program) - 10%
-
wills and bequests - 25%
-
donated services and interest -2%
Our 2011 audited statements should be available in May, 2012.
Our History
We were started in 1963 by Fr. Phillip Marquard when he opened a half-way house for ex-offenders. Fr. Phil, who passed away in 1986, was a member of the Sacred Heart Province of the Order of Friars Minor. The Sacred Heart Province is a part of the world-wide order of Franciscans and is based in St. Louis. Fr. Phil's first outreach effort was a half-way house for ex-offenders called St. Anthony's Inn. We were incorporated in 1976.
Since our founding, we have operated a wide variety of ministries that serve the poor and homeless. We have had several outreach locations over the years, including a soup kitchen on Kinzie Street just north of the Chicago River (St. Francis Inn), a transitional shelter (St. Anthony Pilgrim House, in Harvey), and other ministry sites. We opened the Franciscan House of Mary & Joseph shelter in 1983, the Marquard Center dining room in 1991, and added case management services in 1995.
Throughout our history, our primary focus has been on serving the poor by providing them with basic services that preserve their lives and their dignity while engaging in efforts to help them improve their lives.
We offer our services without regard to the religious affiliation of our guests and do not conduct any kind of religious services for them.
Our staff
Our programs are staffed by only 35 paid employees and 12 full-time volunteers. Because of all the wonderful volunteers who help us, we are able to provide all our services with a small staff and a small budget.
Even with a small staff and small budget, however, we are never guaranteed of being able to raise our whole budget each year. Your financial support will help us provide these valuable emergency and case management services to the homeless. Please participate in this good work by making a donation if you can.