Providing Shelter, Assistance, and a Fresh Start in Chicago

Matson is dedicated to helping improve the lives of people in our communities, and La Casa Norte’s holistic, proven approach to addressing youth homelessness does just that. La Casa Norte (LCN) has served Chicago’s youth and families coping with homelessness and poverty for 20 years.

In tandem with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s community-wide commitment to ending homelessness, LCN’s Continuum of Care program supports unaccompanied youth, ages 16 through 24, who are without family. The program’s mission is “to serve youth and families confronting homelessness” and “provide access to stable housing and deliver comprehensive services that act as a catalyst to transform lives and communities.”

“Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, rising inflation, and a host of other factors, organizations like La Casa Norte are serving five times the amount of Chicago youth they served pre-pandemic,” said Andi Burgess, senior executive assistant and Matson Giving staff.

“La Casa Norte provides more than food and a bed to sleep in for a night; it provides comprehensive wrap-around services to help youth find employment, finish their education and heal from trauma to break the cycle of homelessness and live better lives.”

LCN manages overnight shelters, drop-in centers, stable housing, and supportive services. It assists youth and youth-led families, offering multiple housing services, healthcare in the form of access to vaccines and a full-service health clinic, and fresh, nutritious food products through a partnership with the Nourishing Hope and El Mercadito food pantries. It also offers educational assistance through the More Than Ever Education Fund. This legacy fund provides scholarships and academic support to unaccompanied young people facing homelessness.

Last year, LCN served over 20,000 people via five shelter and housing-related programs–Casa Corazón, Pierce House Supportive Housing, Solid Ground, Palante scattered-side housing, and Youth in College.

Case management for housing clients connects them to supportive services, including life skills, technology training, job readiness, clothing, and transportation assistance. Eighty-nine percent of youth clients are Latino or Black, 5% are multiracial, 6% are white, and about 20% are LGBTQ+.

Shontiesha Floyd lives at Pierce House with her sons, ages 6 and 9. After almost three years at Pierce House, she earned a GED degree and works full-time as a discount store manager.

Shontiesha and her boys were doubled-up on the South Side–“jumping house to house”–when, at age 21, she found La Casa Norte in an online search. In spring 2018, she began participating weekly at the Humboldt Park drop-in center.

“This literally became my safe haven,” she confessed. “La Casa Norte gave me job resources, counseling, food, and eventually housing.”

“I’m way more confident than when I first got here.” Shontiesha says that her life “really got on track” after she found the agency.

Working with a case manager, Shontiesha is saving money. “I’m trying to move forward and buy my own home,” she said. “This is my stepping-stone.”

“La Casa Norte is grateful to Matson for its generous support of programs that help unaccompanied Chicago youth,” said Roy Higgs, manager of both Casa Corazón programs. “These vulnerable young people cope with homelessness and living independently without family. Matson’s support benefits overnight youth shelters and weekday drop-in centers.”