Our Blog
12 Ways To De-Stress in Stressful Times
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we can’t change that our lives have been altered and that stress and anxiety are rapidly becoming the “new normal” for many of us. But we CAN change our attitudes and keep our mental health intact…
Your Gift to 12.66 Million People
If you ever wanted to be a Superhero, now’s your chance. By investing a few minutes of your time, you can give a gift to yourself and over 12 million other people in Illinois simply by completing the 2020 Census. No magic cape, shield, or superpowers are required…
News from the Trenches
Shelter’s Healthy Families abuse prevention program is for first-time parents with multiple challenges whose babies are birth through five. Normally, the program consists of intensive home visitations with goals of enhancing family functioning, promoting healthy child growth and development, and positive parent-child relationships…
How to Calm the Perfect Storm
It’s safe to say there are untold millions of parents experiencing high levels of stress during the Covid-19 pandemic….
Selling America’s Children: Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Fiction: Human trafficking of children mostly happens in third-world countries.
Fact: The U.S. is one of the largest markets for trafficking children. It happens in every state. Shelter has served children from the suburbs who have been victims of commercial sex traffickers…
The Death of Two Boys and a Toxic Silence
As of January 5th, there had been eight homicides listed in metropolitan Chicago that included three babies. Two of them were 7-month-old Ameer Newell, who was stabbed and scalded in the bathtub and his 2-year-old brother Johntavis, thrown from an 11th-floor window. Both died at the hands of their mother, Aleah.
How to Have “The Talk” With Your Kids for Safety and Health
Having “The Talk” with kids has historically been a time of high anxiety for parents, simply because it was learned behavior through the generations. Even now, some consider the topic of sex to be taboo. But to raise safe and healthy children today, parents need to...
The Surprise Inside – What Makes Shelter Different
Visualize an emergency group shelter for kids who are homeless. Do you think of a sterile dormitory-style building painted institution-green with thin blankets placed on metal cots lined-up in a row? Do you picture a rag-clad Oliver Twist at mealtime holding forth a...
When We Must Say “No, thank you”
Volunteers and donors are the backbone of Shelter. Without them, we would collapse, leaving children and families in need without critical services. We are so fortunate to live and work in a community of extraordinarily caring people who share with us the gifts of...