Community Education & Outreach

Our organizers and legal staff provide broad community outreach at schools, shelters, drop-in centers, housing programs, and encampments. Through outreach, we educate people impacted by homelessness on their rights and options, connect them to resources and legal assistance, and engage those interested in joining our advocacy efforts.

We write and distribute 20+ types of know-your-rights materials covering a variety of topics, including health care and public benefits access, educational rights, obtaining legal identification documents, and sealing/expunging cannabis records.

Legal staff also offer free trainings to service providers, school staff, and attorneys on how to identify and support people experiencing homelessness.

Led by grassroots leaders, our Speakers Bureau reaches about 2,000 people a year at events hosted by schools, universities, and civic groups. Speakers educate community members on homelessness by sharing their own experiences and providing opportunities to engage with CCH advocacy efforts. Topics include youth homelessness, educational rights, affordable housing for families, community reentry for justice-involved individuals, and more.

Organizers offer creative writing workshops to individuals and families staying at shelters across Chicago. Through the Horizons program, participants develop story-telling skills while fostering self-expression and community connection. An annual showcase allows writers to share their stories while educating the audience on their unique experiences with homelessness.

Designed and managed by CCH grassroots leaders, the Edrika Fulford Mutual Aid Fund has distributed more than $500,000 in emergency grants to over 1,100 households facing homelessness since May 2020. In addition to providing $500 grants, we conduct outreach with fund applicants to gauge interest in engaging in CCH advocacy efforts.