According to new report, about 1,500 DuPage County residents were reported as homeless last year, including 368 under the age of 18 and 169 under the age of 5. Carol Simler, of the DuPage County Homeless Continuum of Care, told the County Board that the figures likely are too low, as the numbers only included those who had spent time in a shelter and didn't reflect people who had doubled up with other families or found other accommodations. more ›

The holidays have arrived, and though we always encourage our readers to Give Back, please consider doing what you can this season to spread a little extra holiday cheer. more ›

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A new gourmet catering bakery opened earlier this week in Goose Island to great fanfare from the Mayor’s Office, as the new business is meant to help the homeless in Chicago – something the Mayor certainly finds helpful for his ten-year Plan to End Homelessness. The bakery, Sweet Miss Giving’s, is a both a business and social service organization, providing job training, employment, and support for formerly homeless persons with disabilities. Twenty paid interns are staffed as bakers, packers, and delivery assistants. more ›

Father Carl Morello, the priest at St. Paul of the Cross in Park Ridge, recently suggested turning the school's gymnasium into shelter on Sunday nights, from October through April, as part of the PADS ("public action to deliver shelter") program, a network of faith-based shelters throughout Cook County. And his plan hasn't gone over so well. more ›