Welcoming Immigrants to Our Communities
Who, What, and Why
Chicago has a long history of welcoming immigrants, and the faith communities in this city have an equally long history of offering sanctuary to those who need it. We now find ourselves in difficult times yet again, where immigrants are being threatened, fear-mongered, and discriminated against at a level we haven’t seen in years. Busses began arriving to Chicago from the Southern Border in the fall of 2022, and the Faith Community Initiative was founded in May of 2023 in response to the overwhelming need we saw. Although the busses have stopped coming, the need for support has not gone anywhere.
The Faith Community Initiative is seeking to find partners to house, support, and accompany our new neighbors who are experiencing insecure housing in Chicago for up to one year. The Faith Community Initiative empowers migrant families and individuals to stabilize, acclimate, learn, earn, heal, and then thrive. This initiative creates partnerships across and within faith traditions in order to optimize support so that no one faith community is overly burdened. The goal of this initiative is to provide faith communities with the tools and framework to provide housing, support, and accompaniment that can successfully provide our new neighbors with what they need to attain confidence, legal and medical services, education, economic stability, emotional wellness, and empowerment.
Contribute to
Our Asylum Fund
We are raising funds to provide necessities for our new neighbors and host communities who are short on funds and need assistance. Think about what you spend on your day-to-day life: CTA passes, groceries, cell phone bills— all of these are necessary expenses for our families. Many are not able to make enough money to cover these expenses since they have to wait so long for work authorization to come through. Your donation - whether large or small - can make a huge difference. We are incredibly grateful for any level of support you can give.
Ways to Get Involved
Want to become an important part of this effort? Want to learn about the best ways for you and your community to make an impact? Awesome! We have many different ways for you to get involved.