Resource Directory /

General Resources

  • Chicago Coordinated Entry System for Housing

    The Coordinated Entry System for Chicago (CES) connects people experiencing homelessness to housing opportunities in Chicago. CES can refer youth, individuals and families to housing. Its website includes information for individuals and service providers on finding housing, walk-in locations for assessments and updates (Access Points) and more.

    The Coordinated Entry Call Center is also available at (312) 971-4178 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Individuals meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition of homelessness can call to complete a CES housing assessment. Assessments and updates are available on a walk-in basis at access point locations throughout Chicago. Please contact the office (access point) in advance to confirm hours.

    Anyone who needs emergency shelter should call 311.

  • Chicago Hearing Society

    The Chicago Hearing Society (CHS) provides a wide range of programs to support families and connect people who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing. Its services include:

  • Chicago Survivors

    Chicago Survivors (CS) provides crime victim services and support to family members of Chicago homicide victims. Services are free, voluntary and open to all. Services include a crisis helpline and response services, protecting victims’ rights and compensation assistance, funeral planning, counseling, wellness kits, support groups and more. Help is available in Spanish and English. Real-time translation services for other languages is also available.

    The Chicago Survivors Crisis Helpline is open 24/7 at (877) 863-6338.

    Chicago Survivors resources and services also include:

    • Counseling for youth and adults
    • Comprehensive referral services (e.g., grief counseling, legal aid, housing, utilities)
    • Protecting victims’ rights and compensation assistance
    • Court advocacy and unsolved case assistance
    • Community of Survivors adult and youth workshops, events and groups

  • Child & Family Connections of McHenry County

    Child & Family Connections (CFC) is the starting point for the referral of children under 36 months of age to the Part C Early Intervention Service System in McHenry County. Early Intervention services are designed to meet an infant’s or toddler’s needs if they are experiencing issues related to five specific areas of development: physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional and adaptive.

    For more information, click on the brochure in English or Spanish.

  • Childproofing Your Home Toolkit

    As you welcome a new baby, prepare for toddlerhood or relocate to a new home, it is important to provide a safe environment for your child. The Illinois Early Learning Project put together this Childproofing Your Home Toolkit that includes general guidance, helpful checklists, videos and additional resources.

  • Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs in Emergencies

    All children have unique needs in emergencies, but care for children with special healthcare needs is often more complex because of their various health conditions and extra care requirements. They may have a hard time moving from one place to another, urgent or constant medical needs, difficulty communicating or have trouble with transitioning to different situations. A disaster can present all these difficulties at once.

    The CDC provides information on how to prepare and respond so you can help maintain calm and keep your family safe.

  • Children’s Burial Assistance

    Children’s Burial Assistance (CBA) helps families honor their deceased children with a decent and proper burial.  Families without life insurance or money saved to bury their deceased child, ages 1 through 17, may be eligible. CBA resources include:

    • The “What To Do – The First 48 Hours of Your Child’s Death” guide
    • A database of service providers
    • Burial plots, urns and other in-kind gifts to offset the cost of a burial

    Parents, legal guardians or family members may apply online for assistance. Please note: CBA does not provide financial assistance for funeral service fees or grave markers. Visit the CBA website for more details.

  • Chinese American Service League

    The Chinese American Service League (CASL) is a nonprofit agency with 40-plus years of experience educating youth, caring for seniors, training the workforce, placing immigrants on the path to citizenship and securing the housing and financial wellbeing for families and individuals in the Chicago Chinese community and beyond.

    CASL has programs centered around children and youth development, senior wellness and independence, employment and financial empowerment, community and family wellbeing, Center for Social Impact and legal services.

  • Chive Charities

    Chive Charities is a non-profit providing grants to support underserved veterans, military families, first responders and people with rare medical diagnoses. Chive Charities shares grant recipients’ stories to educate, advocate and inspire others to help provide a weekly grant to individuals with life-altering or life-threatening needs.

    Chive Charities grant items must either improve quality of life or be medically-related and not fully covered by insurance. Past grants have included:

    • Therapy equipment, such as adaptive tricycles and robotic walkers
    • Service dogs
    • Wheelchair-accessible vans
    • Mobility items

  • Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

    The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis.

    The website includes: