We are overwhelmed by the generosity of Gifts for Hope! The private organization donated tablets for students to use during remote learning and smart phones with six months of service. The smartphones will go to some of our housed clients. "These smartphones allow them to do independent jobs like Doordash and Amazon Flex so they have income due to loss of job from COVID-19," Director of Housing Javon Harris said. "It also allows them access to mental health appointments via Zoom. These phones are a great help to single moms, zero-income clients and people living with mental health issues." ... See more

Learn more about our 2020 rental assistance program, including what information you need to apply for help. A special thank you to Bill Fogarty for producing this video gratis for BEDS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-JJel795w&feature=youtu.be

For more information about how we work to prevent homelessness, click here: https://beds-plus.org/how-we-help/prevention-stabilization/ ... See more

Joann Boblick, Manager of Prevention & Stabilization Services, explains how to apply for homelessness prevention rental assistance.

BEDS Bulletin!
For the past 15 years, Diane Nilan has been on the road documenting the plight of those who live in shelters, on the street, in overcrowded apartments, in motels and in abandoned buildings, and those who sleep in cars or storage units or who couch surf from one location to another. From her 2014 Mercedes Sprinter van, Nilan tells the stories of America's homeless. Nilan worked as a director for various homeless shelters in Illinois for many years before she founded Hear Us. "I have been working in this field for more than 30 years and I thought I understood what contributed to homelessness," Nilan she said. "I thought I knew what the pitfalls were that caused families to become homeless. There are so many ways families get trapped into homelessness, and most people don’t understand it. When they are trapped, they are really, really trapped."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/09/15/driven-tell-stories-americas-forgotten-homeless/3467279001/ ... See more

According to one estimate, nearly 570,000 people nationwide were homeless on a night in 2019.

Tomorrow is the day to show off your summer buzz! This year's annual Summer Buzz has gone virtual. Help support Assisting the Homeless and its virtual event, which will benefit BEDS Plus and Pillars Community Nurse. Find out more about the event here: https://beds-plus.org/events/annual-summer-buzz/ ... See more

Thankful Thursday! Thank you to Emmanuel Episcopal Church of La Grange for providing BEDS with food drive donations! Pictured here with Community Engagement Coordinator Erin Molek is Rachel Weaver. Through our Food Rescue, Match a Meal and Meal Train programs, BEDS is able to provide fresh meals to shelter clients in motels and temporary housing. Feeding one person a day is valued at $40. If you would like to help with our Meal Train program, please click here: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/rwww62 ... See more

Thankful Thursday! Thank you to Emmanuel Episcopal Church of La Grange for providing BEDS with food drive donations! Pictured here with Community Engagement Coordinator Erin Molek is Rachel Weaver. Through our Food Rescue, Match a Meal and Meal Train programs, BEDS is able to provide fresh meals to shelter clients in motels and temporary housing. Feeding one person a day is valued at $40. If you would like to help with our Meal Train program, please click here: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/rwww62 ... See more

BEDS this week held its first on-site enrollment of applicants for Chicago-Cook County Workforce Development. The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership is investing about $8 million in grant funds to expand job opportunities for residents in Chicago and Cook County who have been unemployed as a result of or during the COVID-19 pandemic. The workforce received $4.275 million from a Disaster Recovery Grant Program and identified 11 community-based organizations to put funding into effect immediately, including BEDS Plus Care. BEDS Plus is prioritizing clients and former clients for positions in which lived experience is valuable, such as street outreach and shelter staff. ... See more

Participate in our Match a Meal program and support a local business while helping feed the homeless and food insecure! This month, Philip Wagler - American Family Insurance Agent - Chicago, IL will match each $2 or more donation added to your receipt at Palmer Place Restaurant and Biergarten. The downtown La Grange restaurant has been a wonderful partner and donor, providing regular meals for our clients since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic! ... See more

BEDS Bulletin! The Chicago Tribune reported that renters are still being pushed out of their homes with threats of lockouts and notices on doors despite state and federal COVID-19 eviction moratoriums. Between March and August, there were 3,339 eviction cases filed in Cook County. Bob Palmer, policy director of the nonprofit Housing Action Illinois, said there could be more than a half million renter households in the state at risk of eviction due to COVID-19's economic impact. Find out more about how BEDS works to prevent homelessness here: https://beds-plus.org/how-we-help/prevention-stabilization/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/real-estate/ct-re-pandemic-eviction-cases-0908-20200911-ngt3tlfehjej3hwly64z4jrgyu-story.html ... See more

The pandemic-driven moratorium on evictions in Illinois keeps getting extended, yet Chicago-area tenants are still being served with notices.

BEDS Plus has received funding from the Chicago-Cook Workforce Partnership to fill four positions: Emergency Services Coordinator, Front Desk Operator, Outreach Worker and Prevention Specialist. The positions are temporary and funded for 12 months. The purpose of the program, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, is to provide employment relief directly related to the effects or complications of widespread COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to learn more about the positions and apply: https://beds-plus.org/who-we-are/leadership-staff/#join-our-team. ... See more