Franciscan Outreach COVID-19 Response Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search. The CHHRGE Report June 11, 2020 In this report, we share lessons learned and resources developed by a team of healthcare professionals and homeless service providers who convened in mid-March 2020 to address the impact of COVID-19 on the health of people experiencing homelessness in Chicago. The West Side Homeless Response Group, later renamed the Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity (CHHRGE), grew from conversations at one institution into a twice-daily meeting with up to 50 daily participants from multiple organizations. Read the Report May 22, 2020 Sun-Times Article: Concerns for At-Risk Shelter Guests New COVID-19 outbreak at homeless shelter raises concerns for some still staying thereHotel used to “shield” medically at-risk homeless people from virus is operating at capacity. Read the Full Article. Franciscan Outreach Efforts Highlighted in the Wall Street Journal April 23, 2020 Homelessness and Coronavirus: A Day in the Life of a Doctor Treating the VulnerableDr. Thomas Huggett helped Chicago convert a hotel to house elderly or otherwise at-risk people amid pandemic; he also lives there. Read the Full Article View video Chicago Reader Mentions Franciscan Outreach Efforts April 17, 2020 As local, state, and federal authorities step up their COVID-19 response, one of the most pressing issues is managing Chicago’s existing (and sure-to-be-growing) homelessness crisis. An estimated 86,000 people are homeless in the city, according to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Tens of thousands live “doubled up” with relatives or friends, and between 5,000 and 6,000 people are on the street or in “congregant” emergency shelters such as the Pacific Garden Mission or Franciscan Outreach shelters. Read the Full Article. Chicago Catholic Features Franciscan Outreach March 29, 2020 Every night of the year, Franciscan Outreach serves 382 men and women at three shelters throughout Chicago. The homeless are one of the most vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to keep them healthy and protected has called for new ways to serve them, according to Richard Ducatenzeiler, the non-profit’s executive director. Read the Full Article. WBBM Newsradio Interview with Richard Ducatenzeiler January 2020 Political Editor Craig Dellimore talks with Doug Schenkelberg, the head of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and Richard Ducatenzeiler, Director of the provider Agency Franciscan Outreach about the depth—and variety—of homelessness. They also talk about what the City is doing and what everyday people can do to help. Read the Full Article. Chicago's "Bubble Ambassador" is a Franciscan Outreach Guest! September 2019 When I started it, I was sleeping over there under Wacker Drive before I started in the shelter. One day I found one bubble thing on the ground, and I would just start playing with it. I wasn’t trying to entertain nobody or nothing, but since I was on the bridge lots of people saw it. A lot of people are saying now, “we love your bubbles.” Read the Full Article. Franciscan Outreach Welcomes New Executive Director September 2019 The Franciscan Outreach Board of Directors is pleased to announce that after a thorough search process, Richard Ducatenzeiler has been hired as the organization’s new Executive Director. Richard will begin his new position on September 16, 2019. Read More Franciscan Outreach Launches New Brand Identity May 2019 After a year-long brand-building process, Franciscan Outreach is rolling out a new brand identity. Read More Study Identifies Barriers to Housing for Long-Term Shelter Stayers April 2019 This is a growing trend among other homeless service providers in Chicago and around the country. People who have extensive shelter stays have become known as “long-term shelter stayers” or LTSS. While people who are LTSS may represent a small proportion of the larger population of people who stay at shelters, they account for a disproportionate amount of shelter bed utilization. Read the Full Article. Franciscan Outreach Sells Property & Moves to Pilsen March 2019 In 2018, we announced that the Franciscan Outreach Board of Directors made a strategic decision to sell the organization’s property at 1645 W. LeMoyne, known as the Marquard Center. Over the years, Wicker Park has become increasingly gentrified. As a result, the number of guests served at that service site began to decrease. The funds from the sale of this building will be used to reinvest in our shelter program operations on Chicago’s West Side. Read More Franciscan Outreach open's Chicago's First Low Barrier Shelter. In July 2018, Franciscan Outreach opened the first shelter in Chicago that is directly focused on the specific needs and concerns of men and women who are transitioning from living in tent encampments. This low-barrier facility is unlike any other shelter in Chicago. Franciscan Outreach worked with the City of Chicago to open this new shelter. We work closely with the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) street outreach workers to build connections with people living in encampments to better understand their specific needs and to encourage them to consider staying at the new shelter located in the Pilsen neighborhood at 1856 South Loomis. Read More
