Housing at Missio Dei

Chicago is facing a housing crisis as buses arrive daily with asylum-seekers who have nowhere to live, and who therefore are living on police station floors while they wait for placement in temporary housing. The CPD has asked faith leaders to consider how we might help: some have access to space, but do not have financial funding (like us!), and some do not have access to space, but do have financial means to support this important work.

Some logistics:

• We have been told to expect to house each family for approximately one year. Their case workers will help them through the process of filing for a work visa, at which point they can work but will need to save for the transition to living on their own – we cover their costs during their stay with us.

• The average monthly living expenses for a family of four are $900/month for groceries, cell phone, transportation, and incidentals (those items not available through donation).

• We have identified four family bedrooms in our church building. We are making updates to our kitchen area; the theater room will become a shared living & dining area; we have a family restroom with two shower stalls; we are installing a donated washer/dryer into the basement for laundry. We have a great space to house multiple families!!

• We are working on relationships with other churches, networks, and organizations for the financial support we will need to make this happen. This is not running through our operating budget, and we will need outside support to fund this initiative. Please be praying for God’s provision, and for the unique opportunity to create Kingdom-minded community relationships!

What we need from this community:

• Prayers – for financial provision, for safety for families in our care, and for the teams serving these families.

• Donations – we need goods & services to make this happen! Please review this form and consider what you might be able to contribute.

• Volunteers – whether you’re able to offer occasional help (ex: labor to set up rooms, or be on our list when transportation is needed), or if you’re interested in learning more about being on the designated family Welcome Team (one team per family), we have lots of opportunities to be involved! Again, let us know more on this form.