Local Nonprofits
Modern life can sometimes be overwhelming for many people. Fortunately, if they live in Wheaton, a large number of organizations are ready and willing to help a person get back on his or her feet, or to help a family get through a rough patch.
We are facing difficult times, and yet it’s comforting to know that there are still those who are willing to care for those who have stumbled or fallen. Wheaton knows, and Wheaton cares.
• People’s Resource Center (PRC) www.peoplesrc.org
The People’s Resource Center (PRC) began 35 years ago when a group of families reached out to their neighbors in need by creating a community food pantry. Since then, the PRC has grown to serve more than 28,000 low-income DuPage County residents and is now the largest food pantry in DuPage County. Most families who visit the PRC are working, but struggle to make ends meet due to the high cost of living.
At the PRC, only five cents of every dollar goes to administrative costs. The programs include basic services of food, clothing and emergency assistance, as well as training programs to help those take steps toward a brighter future. These empowerment programs include literacy, computer training and refurbished computers for families’ homes, art enrichment and job search assistance. All the programs are free and many are held in neighborhood sites throughout the county.
PRC relies on the efforts of 16 Board Members, 25 staff members and over 1,000 volunteers and partner agencies throughout the county. It exists to respond to basic human needs, promote dignity and justice, and create a future of hope and opportunity for the residents of DuPage County through discovering and sharing personal and community resources.
• DuPage County P.A.D.S. (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) www.dupagepads.org
One of the largest area groups designed to help the homeless is DuPage P.A.D.S., a group committed to providing shelter, support services and advocacy to the DuPage County homeless. The group is dedicated to helping provide a chance for people in crisis to reach the point where they can once more reside within the community. To that end, the group provides overnight housing and meals in various area churches throughout the year. A transitional housing program for single men and women provides up to two years of safe, consistent housing, during which homeless persons can work toward independence while retaining their dignity. Finally, permanent supportive housing is available for those who cannot safely care for themselves due to mental illness, substance abuse or health problems.
Along with housing, P.A.D.S. offers such services as case management, employment readiness support and life skills enrichment. Programs include everything from basic needs and drug and crime prevention to anger management and social skills, all designed to provide help to those who need it in the most dignified manner possible.
• Outreach Community Ministries, Inc. www.outreachgrp.org
Public organizations, such as P.A.D.S., also work hand-in-glove with private and religious organizations to help solve the crisis of homelessness. One of the religious organizations with a prominent Wheaton profile is Outreach Community Ministries, Inc., a Christian organization founded in 1971 by a coalition of several local churches. One of the group’s branches includes Wheaton Youth Outreach, an organization designed to provide housing for young women in need. The program includes various housing units in Wheaton, as well as in Carol Stream.
In downtown Wheaton, two transitional living houses serve homeless girls without children or who are newly pregnant and examining their options. According to Gail Hoffman, director of the WYO, the goal is to provide stable housing and help the girls to what they need so they can become financially independent, contributing members of society. “We believe if we can catch people at the right time, they will not just need the system, but will contribute,” she says. “It’s a vulnerable population, but a rewarding age to turn their lives around. We encourage them to either finish high school or get their GED, then to complete a job training program, anything we believe will enable them to earn a living wage, get child care and get their finances in order. They can be with us up to two years to accomplish this.”
The organization also runs Jubilee Village in Carol Stream, a 17-unit apartment building for single moms with one child or women in late-stage pregnancy who have made the decision to parent. Everyone living there is expected to work or attend school for a total of 40 hours per week, and safe, affordable child care is available through a partnership with the YMCA or the girls’ schools (some of the girls attend West Chicago High School, which offers child care for students).
The atmosphere is that of a group home, although the girls live in separate units. They attend a community meal once a week, and have programs to help them learn parenting skills, financial literacy and relationship counseling.
Yet, while the efforts are impressive, Hoffman says they are a drop in the bucket for a bigger problem. “We get about 450 calls a year, and have opportunities for about 25 girls.” Although she wishes more could be done, Hoffman finds the results encouraging. “If you can catch [these girls] on the cusp of becoming adults and give them support, they are a population that will reward you.”
• Midwest Center for Homeless Veterans www.helpaveteran.org
They fought for our freedom; it’s only fitting that homeless veterans be provided with help coupled with the dignity they deserve. That’s the goal of the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans. The organization strives to overcome whatever situation led to the veteran’s homelessness and to help him or her return to a useful, productive life.
The transitional living facility in Wheaton provides help by giving its residents the skills needed to return to normal life. These skills include GED and college advising, therapy for mental disabilities and substance abuse, legal assistance and job training and help in finding employment. In addition, residents are taught such independent living skills as financial budgeting, basic housekeeping and meal preparation, all designed to help the veteran once again enjoy independent living and personal dignity. Off-site services are also provided, through cooperation of hospitals, doctors, lawyers and educators, as well as area businesses, all designed to maintain the shelter’s mission: “To Serve Those Who Served the Nation.”
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