We Empower Lives Through Education
Please click the links below for parent resources and to learn how you can help. If you are able, please consider donating.
Chicago HOPES for Kids provides educational support for children living in Chicago's homeless shelters. It is our mission to provide our students with the resources and encouragement needed to succeed academically, despite the challenges of homelessness.
Neighborhoods Depicted On Map:
Uptown (2 sites), Rogers Park, Lakeview, South Shore, Englewood, Austin and South Chicago
* Exact locations are not provided to ensure the safety and privacy of the families and children we serve
We Provide Encouragement - Children thrive with guidance from caring adults. HOPES volunteers encourage children to be self-motivated and embrace challenge.
We Support Academic Success - Children experiencing homelessness are at risk of falling three-six months behind in school with every move. At HOPES, we provide the academic support needed to keep our kids on track.
We Engage Families - Strong families foster strong kids. We teach parents how to effectively advocate for their children in the public school system to help them better support their children's academic success long-term.
More than 650 students and families were impacted by HOPES programs and and services.
65% of students in our after school program grew one or more reading levels in 12 weeks during the fall 2019 semester.
56% of grade 3-5 students report that they feel they have improved in reading when asked an open ended question about what subjects they think they have improved on.
Join us for a virtual workshop! This session will compare the ways in which the Department of Housing and Urban Development counts the homeless population vs. the Department of Education, and the implications this has on overall funding and distribution of resources for people experiencing homelessness. Register here.
Join us for an evening with astronaut, STEM educator, former NFL player, and dog advocate Leland Melvin! The main event is FREE to attend, but you can support Chicago HOPES for Kids work to empower lives through education by making a donation or becoming a sponsor. More information on registration here.
Our AmeriCorps VISTA, Clarissa Huard, wrote a piece for our blog on how the pandemic and the shift to virtual learning has disproportionately impacted a specific population of students: those experiencing homelessness. Read the entire article here.
Chicago HOPES for Kids is honored to have been named one of the Neighborhood Innovation Award winners for their COVID-19 Virtual Academic Support. The
winners were announced at this year’s virtual event held on Monday, October 19th. Read the full press release and see a video of our Board President, Tonya Rice accepting the award here.
Support us by eating at Chipotle on the 25th! Tell the cashier you’re supporting HOPES and 33% of the proceeds will be donated to us. You can also order online for pickup! Use code KTED9Z8 before checkout in the ‘promo’ field.
Our founder and others weigh in on challenges students experiencing homelessness face with remote learning in NPR’s latest segment. Click here for the full audio and transcript.
Nakia supports our after-school program at our partner shelter on the southeast side of Chicago and is an active part of our program’s outreach team. It is through her diligent and consistent efforts within the community that Chicago HOPES for Kids is able to participate within the community and connect families to great opportunities. Read more about Nakia here.
Chicago HOPES for Kids is pleased to announce it has received a grant from SC Johnson to support our virtual academic support program for children experiencing homelessness in Chicago during COVID-19. Read the full press release here.
The grant will support the expansion of STEM curriculum in our After-School programs located in homeless shelters across the city of Chicago. Read the full story here.