Since its inception, the Polk Bros. Foundation has sought to address the complex issues underlying homelessness. Our funding has primarily supported organizations that provide interim, transitional and permanent housing, along with supportive and employment services.
In 2001, we joined the Chicago Continuum of Care, a network of 200 public and private organizations committed to serving the homeless. The Continuum has developed Getting Housed, Staying Housed: A Collaborative Plan to End Homelessness in Chicago, which outlines a course of action for ending homelessness in Chicago by 2012. The plan focuses on three key tenets: preventing homelessness, quickly finding stable permanent housing for people who have become homeless and providing wraparound services to help people maintain their housing. Endorsed by Mayor Daley, the plan calls for a fundamental shift in Chicago’s service delivery system, moving it from a shelter-based to a housing–based approach.
The Polk Bros. Foundation is integrally involved in the Continuum of Care’s development and implementation of the plan to end homelessness. Debbie Reznick of the Foundation’s staff recently completed terms on the Continuum's governing board and executive committee. For more information on the Chicago Continuum of Care, visit http://www.chicagocontinuum.org. For information on the Foundation’s additional efforts to address issues of homelessness and housing, click here.