Unity Parenting and Counseling, social service agency, offers support for at-risk youth and struggling families who live in the South Side of Chicago. Our goal is to help people, primarily persons of color in communities of color, achieve stability in their lives and achieve their personal goals.
Read on to learn more about Unity Parenting and Counseling as well as the programs and services that we offer to the South Side of Chicago and how you can help support Unity Parenting’s mission.
What Is Unity Parenting and Counseling?
Unity Parenting and Counseling is passionate about providing at-risk young people and struggling families with the stability and support structure they need to live more meaningful lives.
Unity Parenting and Counseling began in 1993 and since then has focused on protecting and supporting the most vulnerable groups within the community. Unity Parenting strives to support those who are homeless or in unstable housing situations, abused and neglected children in foster care, and their parents, including those with physical and mental health challenges.
We are a social service agency invested in promoting the development of healthier and stronger family units, which also results in cultivating more positive communities. We are invested in making life better, meaningful, and rewarding for young people and families from disadvantaged backgrounds. We empower and equip them with the resources and knowledge that can enable them to transform their lives so that they can add value to themselves and positively impact their local communities.
Our vision is to add value, impact, and structure to the lives of people who need our help. We seek to build life skills and reduce and eliminate barriers to successful independent living.
How Does Unity Parenting Help the South Side of Chicago?
Unity Parenting and Counseling offers a variety of programs and services that are designed to meet the needs of persons, populations, and communities of color.
Unity’s social service agency programs include the Flexible Housing Pool Youth Expansion Project, Focus Hope I and II, Foster Care, the Housing Advocacy Program (HAP), Harmony Village, Project Ignite, a Student Emergency Fund, Ujima Stars Joint Transitional Housing (TH) and Permanent Rapid Rehousing (PH-RRH), Ujima Village, Umoja Village, Housing Navigator, Flexible Pool Collaboration, and the Expedited Housing Initiative (EHI) Rapid Rehousing Program.
The services that Unity Parenting offers are adoption home studies and foster parent recruitment.
Unity Parenting and Counseling Services
Here are the different services that we offer.
Flexible Housing Pool Youth Expansion Project
We work with other homeless youth providers to provide housing and support services to homeless youth. We work with homeless youth to increase their housing and overall stability while decreasing their need to utilize crisis systems.
Focus Hope I and II
Focus Hope I and Focus Hope II are much-needed permanent housing programs for special populations, including individuals or families headed by homeless disabled individuals. These programs provide homeless individuals with safe and secure housing on Chicago’s South Side.
Foster Care
Unity Parenting and Counseling is a licensed welfare agency that implements a foster care program. Our services are geared toward facilitating reunification of parents and children when possible and appropriate. When reunification is not possible, we work with foster parents and courts to achieve guardianship or adoption with the foster parents. Additionally, we oversee children and youth in foster homes and support foster parents in providing the best possible care.
Housing Advocacy Program (HAP)
The Housing Advocacy Program (HAP) assists biological parents who are close to reunification with their children. Parents who need adequate, safe, and stable housing to facilitate reunification may be eligible for HAP services. HAP also serves youth who are transitioning out of foster care to avoid homelessness.
Harmony Village
The Harmony Village Transitional Housing Program offers transitional housing to homeless, unaccompanied youth, ages 18 to 24, as well as both single and parenting youth. Harmony Village is one of the few resources for pregnant and parenting youth in the South Side of Chicago. It is the only Chicago youth housing program that serves young couples and their children.
Project Ignite
Project Ignite is a unique resource that provides stable housing for homeless youth, ages 18 to 24, who are living with HIV/AIDS. It is the only program of its kind in Chicago.
Student Emergency Fund
In partnership with All Chicago: Making Homelessness History and The Emergency Fund, Student Emergency Fund provides small grants to homeless college students who are experiencing a crisis or transition where timely, financial assistance would support them towards college graduation.
Ujima Stars Joint TH/RRH
Ujima Stars is the only youth program in Chicago with the new Joint Transitional Housing (TH) and Permanent Rapid Rehousing (PH-RRH) model. It provides housing and support services to homeless youth, ages 18-24, including singles and youth-headed families.
Ujima Village
Ujima Village promotes our mission of providing resources and services to neglected and underserved populations. It offers overnight shelter for homeless youth, ages 18-24, and is located on the border of Greater Grand Crossing and Englewood. Ujima Village provides services that satisfy the basic needs of housing, food, personal hygiene, security, connectivity, mobility, and youth engagement.
Umoja Village
Umoja Village provides long-term housing and support services for homeless youth with disabilities such as mental illness, developmental delays, HIV/AIDS, and other medical issues. This helps reduce the need for crisis services such as emergency room care, psychiatric and medical hospitalizations, and even arrests and incarcerations.
How Can You Support Unity Parenting’s Mission?
Unity Parent and Counseling would not be able to provide all of these necessary services and programs if it wasn’t for the support of their sponsors and generous donations from the community.
If you are able to donate money, in-kind services, or goods, we would greatly appreciate it. Your financial support helps to end homelessness in a myriad of ways.
$25.00 Donation
This donation can purchase two to three days of groceries for a family of four or book bags and school supplies for a family as their children return to school.
$50.00 Donation
This donation can purchase a week’s worth of groceries for a single homeless youth, fall and winter jackets for the children of homeless parenting youth, or transportation fares for homeless youth to go to a new job and/or job interviews.
$100.00 Donation
This donation can purchase job interview clothes (including suits, shoes, and accessories), daycare registration so a young parent can go to work, a week‘s worth of diapers for four families, a bassinet/crib for a baby of a homeless youth, or college application and testing fees for homeless youth.
$250.00 Donation
This donation can purchase a comfortable bed frame and mattress for Unity’s Shelter for Homeless Youth or an adult bed for Unity’s Transitional Housing programs for Homeless Youth, a computer laptop that youth can use for school or work, or a household setup kit for a homeless family moving into Rapid Rehousing.
$500.00 Donation
This donation can provide a subsidy for the rent of an unemployed homeless young family, partially furnish an apartment for a young family entering rapid rehousing or subsidized housing, purchase a year’s worth of linens (including sheets, blankets, and towels) for the Ujima Village Homeless Youth Shelter.
$1,000.00 Donation
This donation can purchase an educational field trip for 60 homeless youth and their families, a four-month-long arts project, which promotes creativity and positive expression for 12-15 homeless youth residing at the shelter, or six months of consulting fee for a parenting coach at Unity’s homeless youth programs.
$2,500.00 Donation
This donation purchases two month-long rental subsidies for two youth-headed families to extend their time in Rapid Rehousing apartments when unforeseen circumstances such as job loss or health issues impact the ability to pay rent, a partial consulting fee for a Crisis Therapist, for shelter and other youth housing programs, furniture for five households of homeless youth moving into independent housing, or security deposits for four youth-headed families moving into independent housing.
We appreciate any level of support that you can provide. Your contributions are recognized, highly valued, and always welcomed.
Unity Parenting and Counseling Helps Children and Families
Unity Parenting and Counseling offers programs and services to families in need in Chicago. Unity’s programs and services are designed to meet the needs of persons, populations, and communities who are underserved and ignored. Unity’s goal is to support each person in achieving stability. Donate to Unity Parenting and Counseling today to help support our mission.