Our Collaborators

Franciscan Outreach Association provides a wide variety of services to Chicago's poor and homeless population, from showers and drop-off laundry to a mailing address to connections with housing and employment opportunities.  We cannot, however, do it all alone.  For this reason, we partner with many agencies and businesses in our efforts to meet the needs of our guest population. 

Franciscan Friars, Sacred Heart Province – The Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart has been one of our greatest supporters, though we do not have any legal connection.  They send friars to serve on our staff, candidates to volunteer, and financial support.  In addition, St. Peter’s Church in the Loop distributes our newsletters and provides financial support.  No money that comes to Franciscan Outreach is given to the Province.

 Shelter Linkage Team – Franciscan House of Mary & Joseph and Thresholds operate the Shelter Linkage Project to bring a mental health outreach worker to our shelter to work with our guests in collaboration with both shelter staff and FOA case managers.  The outreach worker also comes to the Marquard Center and visits public libraries and other places where he is likely to find our guests.

 Heartland Health Outreach (HHO) Clinic – Each Wednesday at the Marquard Center and every Tuesday and Thursday night at Franciscan House, guests have the opportunity to see a nurse and a nurse practitioner for basic medical care and triage..

 RUSH Community Service Initiatives Program (RCSIP) – Since 1991, the RCSIP has been operating a weekly free clinic at Franciscan House.  The clinic is staffed by volunteer teams of RUSH Medical School students and supervised by volunteer attending physicians. 

Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness – Franciscan Outreach is a member of this citywide coalition of over 70 service providers.  The goal of the Alliance is “to build an effective system of care for homeless people in Chicago.”  Drawing on collective experience and using a unified voice, the Alliance engages in advocacy towards ending homelessness in Chicago.

 Illinois Hunger Coalition – Franciscan Outreach Association is a Coalition member.  The Coalition engages in advocacy and community organizing on hunger-related issues in the state of Illinois.  The Coalition also manages the RealBenefits food stamp program, which enables FOA Case Managers to help their clients fill out a web-based food stamps application at our site, giving the clients added confidence as they go to the IDHS office with a completed application in hand. 

 Regular Food Donors – In addition to the our many individual and church donors, we have developed collaborative relationships with many community organizations and businesses, who supply our soup kitchen with food donations on a regular basis.  These include: the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation, Trader Joes, East Balt Bread Company, Old St. Pat’s Church, Kramer Foods, Stockyard Meats, and Milk and Honey Cafe.

Volunteers – Innumerable churches, schools, and other organizations send us part-time volunteers for the Marquard Center Soup Kitchen. 

 AmeriCorps – Franciscan Outreach has in the past participated in the AmeriCorps program for full time volunteers who are US citizens and hopes to do so again in the future. The award can be used to pay student loans or for future college or graduate studies.