Sarah’s Circle is a Chicago-based nonprofit (501c3) founded in 1979 with a mission of serving women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Sarah’s Circle provides a full continuum of services to help women who are homeless meet their basic needs, house women who are exiting homelessness, and help maintain housing stability.
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The reasons for homelessness are complex and are often layered. A shortage of affordable housing, inadequate mental health services, low wages, and inequities related to race and ethnicity are major structural causes of homelessness. Domestic violence, unexpected crises, disabling conditions, overburdened support systems, and job loss add to the structural causes.
The length of time varies from person to person.
The Daytime Support Center is available to any woman who is homeless. Some women come once or twice while others have been attending for many years, primarily as a means of maintaining housing stability.
The Interim Housing Program helps women transition from homelessness to permanent housing as quickly as possible. The average stay is 55 nights, but there is no time limit on the length of stay. Instead, our staff works with women as long as it takes to find them safe and secure housing.
The Rapid Rehousing Program is designed to help women quickly end their homelessness with case management and rental assistance. The program lasts from 12-24 months.
The Permanent Supportive Housing Program is permanent housing for women experiencing homelessness. Many women in the program have been chronically homeless, which means they have a disabling condition and have been homeless for a year or more. Women can remain in this housing for the rest of their lives, or they may choose to move onto other housing for any reason.
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Yes. Each woman engaged in case management, Interim Housing, or Permanent Supportive Housing completes a service plan with her case manager when she enters the program. Case managers provide women with referrals to collaborating employment service organizations depending on their needs and interests.
Sarah’s Circle provides services to single adult women only. If a woman with children seeks our help, staff refer them to organizations that can better meet their needs.
We have many opportunities to become involved with Sarah’s Circle whether you are an individual or a group. See our volunteer opportunities here.
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We appreciate your thinking of Sarah’s Circle for inclusion in your school project. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to respond individually to student requests. Please refer to our Services, Impact Snapshot, or our latest Annual Report for any questions you have about our work.
Sarah’s Circle is funded by government contracts, grants, individual contributions, and special events. To learn more, visit our Reports page.
