Helping Our Village's Homeless On Life's Journey

Today we heard Burt Jensen, Chairman, and Beth Nabors, Executive Director, tell us about Journeys from PADS to HOPE.  Servicing 16 villages with Arlington Heights and Palatine its hub, 18 churches provide overnight housing and meals, and the HOPE center provides additional help after a person’s first overnight stay at a PADS site.

The PADS sites operate from October 1 through April 30.  Opening their doors at 7:00 pm, the “clients” get a hot meal, a safe place to sleep, breakfast the next morning, a packed lunch to go, and leave by 7:00 am.  At least two of the 18 sites are open each night.  An average of 65 clients stay at a PADS site on any one night of the week.  During their fiscal year 2007, the PADS program hosted over 11,000 overnight stays.

The HOPE Center operates weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm throughout the year.  Here a “client” can get clothing, food, vocational training and a hot shower.  The Center runs a lawn service to provide employment opportunities.

The goal of the organization is to “stabilize” people and enable them to return to a normal life.  Last year the organization transitioned 66 individuals back to a normal life.

For more information call 847-963-9163 ext. 20 or visit www.padstohope.org.