A Chicago without homelessness and inequities.
OUR VISION
Empower Chicagoans for long-term success through innovative and comprehensive supportive services and housing.
Our Mission
Read our Strategic Plan to learn how we will prevent and end homelessness for Chicagoans in crisis over the next three years.
Our Strategic Plan
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Renaissance was established in 1997 to help low-income Chicagoans maintain their housing. The organization’s first units of supportive housing came from a partnership with The Renaissance Companies, a national property developer and manager. Through this collaboration, Renaissance was able to house clients, provide supportive social services, decrease residential turnover, and increase the stability of the building and community.
What began at one building has grown to become a citywide network of housing, behavioral health care and social services, uplifting more than 3,600 people in 2023.
Our History
ABOUT US
About Us
Renaissance is a leader in Chicago’s response to homelessness, providing a range of proven solutions including prevention, outreach, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, behavioral health care, and clinical case management.
What We Do
In 2023, Renaissance provided services to more than 3,600 people in Chicago, including individuals, families, seniors and veterans.
Renaissance prevents homelessness in Chicago by providing short term, emergency funds to people at risk of losing their homes. We provide payment vouchers for urgent financial hardships, such as car repairs or unexpected medical bills, which could result in missed rent payments and end in homelessness.
Renaissance partners with landlords across Chicago to provide safe and affordable housing for its participants. Along with housing, participants receive a range of supportive services to help them stabilize and move towards the greatest degree of autonomy possible.
Renaissance maintains ongoing relationships with participants to ensure they are able to stay in their homes. This includes helping them to acquire mainstream benefits (SNAP, TANF, SSI, etc.), manage public transportation, find employment, learn how to maintain their homes, create and manage budgets, and gain support for their children's education.
More than half of our participants also have a chronic health condition and were at risk of dying if they didn't find housing.
50%
The average number of hospital visits during our participants' lifetimes, with 6 ER visits in just 12 months prior to entering our program.
52%
Percentage of participants who also have a chronic health condition and were at risk of dying if they did not find stable housing.
50%
Percentage of participants who have spent time in jail or prison -- an average of 3.5 years of incarceration during their lifetime.
93%
Leadership
Renaissance’s team members work in collaboration with unhoused and vulnerable individuals and families to improve their housing stability, health outcomes, and quality of life.
Michael Banghart
MA, LPC
Erica Ernst,
LCSW, RDDP, CADC, LPHA
AJ Brown
MSB
Dean Arhos, BS
John W. Pfeiffer
MPA, CFRE
