Thank you for your interest in partnering with CCO to make a joyful Christmas experience for our families and single residents. You can choose to give financially, purchase gifts through our official Amazon Wish List, or make an appointment to drop off new gifts at our Donation Center.
Give a Financial Donation for Christmas
Give a Gift for Christmas
If you would like to give a Christmas gifts to Families and Single residents at CCO, go to our Amazon Wish List and see gift ideas from individuals, children, and parents. If you would like to purchase gifts from other retailers, contact our donation center, by email at donate@ccolife.org, about gift ideas and schedule a time when you can drop off your newly purchased gifts.
Please send new un-wrapped gifts to: Cornerstone Community Outreach – Christmas Elves 4615 N Clifton Ave Chicago, IL 60640
The Haven on Lincoln has reached a major milestone. On Thursday, May 7, 2026, Cornerstone Community Outreach joined with civic leaders, community partners, supporters, and neighbors to celebrate the ribbon cutting for this new transitional housing location at 5230 N. Lincoln Avenue.
Make a gift today to support The Haven on Lincoln.
The Haven transforms a former motel into a place of dignity, privacy, healing, and hope for individuals experiencing homelessness. With private rooms, supportive services, and a trauma-informed environment, The Haven is designed to help residents stabilize, connect with care, and move toward permanent housing.
Block Club Chicago highlighted The Haven as a place offering “dignified privacy” for Chicagoans experiencing homelessness. That phrase captures the heart of this project. The Haven is not only about opening a building. It is about creating a resilient setting where people are treated with dignity and supported in their next steps toward home.
ReceptionLoungeIndividual RoomADA BathroomMedical Intake OfficeCase management officeDining RoomKitchenSenator Durbin and Andrew Winter
Help Prepare The Haven on Lincoln for Residents
The ribbon has been cut, and we are now preparing for resident move-in and early operations. Cornerstone is raising $92,500 to help support the care and services connected to each of The Haven’s 37 rooms.
That goal represents $2,500 in launch support for each room, helping provide staffing readiness, resident supplies, transportation, housing navigation, behavioral health connections, service coordination, and the early operating support needed as The Haven prepares to welcome residents.
Your gift helps provide launch support for:
Resident supplies and room essentials
Staffing readiness and early operations
Transportation to appointments and essential services
Housing navigation and landlord engagement
Behavioral health and healthcare connections
Meals, basic needs, and daily care
Service coordination as residents prepare for permanent housing
Every gift helps prepare The Haven to welcome residents with dignity, privacy, and support, moving The Haven from ribbon cutting to resident care.
Interested in Volunteering at the Haven, fill out our Interest Form
Background on The Haven on Linclon
The Haven on Lincoln is a transformational redevelopment project for Cornerstone Community Outreach in partnership with the Chicago Department of Housing and Department of Family & Support Services, that will create dignified, non-congregate transitional housing for individuals experiencing homelessness in Chicago.
Located at 5230 N. Lincoln Avenue, the Haven on Lincoln is the adaptive reuse of the former Diplomat Motel into a purpose-built environment designed for stabilization, healing, and transition to permanent housing. The project reflects Cornerstone’s commitment to housing as a human right and to creating spaces that are safe, calming, and supportive of long-term stability.
Images by Gensler, and Gensler, Site Design Group LTD, Project Sponsors.
Image by GenslerImage by Gensler
A Response to a Growing Need
Many individuals experiencing homelessness face complex medical, behavioral health, or age-related challenges that are difficult to address in traditional congregate shelter settings. The Haven on Lincoln responds to this need by providing private rooms and trauma-responsive design, allowing residents to rest, recover, and engage in services with dignity and privacy, on their path to permanent housing.
The Vision
The Haven on Lincoln is designed to feel like a place of refuge and renewal, not an institution. The project prioritizes:
Private, non-congregate living spaces
Thoughtful, calming design that supports recovery and wellbeing
Purposeful common areas for connection and services
Accessibility and safety throughout the building
Every element of the design supports stabilization and prepares residents for their next step toward permanent housing.
Integrated Care and Support
The Haven on Lincoln is part of Cornerstone’s broader system of care, strengthening the connection between healthcare and housing. The project is designed to support coordinated medical and behavioral health services and aligns with Cornerstone’s work to expand medical care and medical respite capacity. This integrated approach helps residents address underlying health and stability challenges while preparing for housing placement.
Part of a Larger Commitment and Community
The Haven on Lincoln is one of several major redevelopment initiatives advancing Cornerstone’s mission to end homelessness for each person we serve. Together, these projects reflect a shift toward non-congregate, person-centered environments that honor dignity, promote health, and create real pathways home.
Equally important, the Haven on Lincoln is embedded within a network of community partnerships that help ensure residents’ needs are met during their stay and beyond. Cornerstone works closely with healthcare providers, behavioral health partners, housing agencies, and community-based organizations to connect residents with medical care, mental health support, benefits, and permanent housing opportunities. These partnerships strengthen continuity of care, expand access to services, and support each resident’s progress toward stability and independence.
By combining purpose-built space with coordinated community support, the Haven on Lincoln is designed not only to provide shelter, but to serve as a bridge to long-term housing, health, and connection within the broader Chicago community..
The Work Ahead
As Cornerstone completes final readiness steps, our focus is preparing the building, staff, services, and partnerships needed to welcome residents well. This includes operational readiness, resident supplies, housing navigation, transportation, service coordination, and healthcare and behavioral health connections.
Creating a personal fundraising page and inviting others to give
Exploring partnership opportunities that strengthen care, housing pathways, and community connection
Contacting Executive Director Andrew Winter at awinter@ccolife.org
Together, we can help prepare The Haven as a place of stability, healing, and possibility for individuals working toward permanent housing.
The Haven on Lincoln has moved from vision toward readiness, and there are meaningful ways to help prepare this new model for the residents it will soon welcome.
Project Supporters
Alderman Vasquez -40th Ward Chicago Department of Family & Support Services Chicago Department of Housing Chicago Department of Public Health Illinois Public Health Institute Trilogy Thresholds ONE Northside Swedish Endeavor Hospital Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness and individual residents of the 40th Ward
Cornerstone Community Outreach is in one of the most transformative periods in our organization’s history. Across our shelters, redevelopment projects, healthcare initiatives, and leadership growth, we are building a stronger model of care centered on dignity, healing, stability, and long-term housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.
Our vision is not simply to provide temporary housing. We are working to create welcoming, trauma-informed environments where individuals and families can stabilize, access healthcare and supportive services, regain independence, and move toward permanent housing. Through non-congregate shelter design, integrated behavioral health and medical partnerships, workforce development, and organizational growth, Cornerstone is building a model that strengthens both immediate care and long-term community impact.
Much of this work is already underway, and continued growth depends on partnership and support from funders, healthcare leaders, public agencies, foundations, corporations, faith communities, and individual donors who believe homelessness should be addressed with dignity, quality care, and long-term vision.
Currently Operating Programs
Transitional Housing Shelter Programs Cornerstone operates transitional housing shelter programs for families, women, and men experiencing homelessness across multiple Chicago locations. These programs provide safety, stability, meals, case management, and pathways toward permanent housing in a dignity-centered environment, their home until they are permanently housed.
Sylvia Shelter for Families Sylvia Center is an active family shelter serving families experiencing homelessness while helping them stabilize and move toward permanent housing. Currently providinghousing for up to 28 families at one time in a semi-congregate setting. Opened in 2001 as the first intact family shelter in Chicago, at the same time, Sylvia is preparing for a major redevelopment that will transform the facility into a modern, ADA-compliant, non-congregate family shelter.
Hannah Shelter for Families Hannah Shelter provides safe shelter and supportive services for families experiencing homelessness. Established in 1989 as the first family shelter in Chicago, providing housing for up to 14 families at one time, the program is also part of Cornerstone’s broader vision to create more private, accessible, and supportive spaces for residents.
Naomi Shelter for Women Naomi Shelter provides shelter, stabilization, and support for up to 44 women experiencing homelessness at one time in a congregate setting. Opened in 1998 as the need grew in Chicago, the program helps residents connect with housing, healthcare, and other resources needed for long-term stability.
Epworth Shelter for Men Epworth Shelter provides transitional housing shelter and supportive services for men experiencing homelessness. Cornerstone began operating this program in 2009, and the program focuses on stabilization, housing navigation, and connection to employment, healthcare, and permanent housing. This project is transitioning into the much awaited Haven On Lincoln!
Pantry and Free Store Cornerstone’s Pantry and Free Store provide food, clothing, household items, and other essentials for residents and community members. This program helps meet immediate needs while offering practical support that strengthens dignity, stability, and connection.
Projects in Development
The Haven on Lincoln The Haven on Lincoln is Cornerstone’s newest transitional housing location, designed to replace and strengthen the current Epworth Shelter for Men model with private rooms, supportive services, and a more dignified environment. This project represents a major step forward in trauma-informed, non-congregate shelter design centered on dignity, privacy, healing, and housing. A joint project between the Chicago Departments of Housing, Family & Support Services, and Public Health, creating the best-in-class dignified spaces. Status: The Haven on Lincoln is opening soon!
Sylvia Center Redevelopment The Sylvia Center redevelopment will transform the active family shelter into a fully ADA-compliant, non-congregate transitional housing model with private family units and integrated service space. This project will improve safety, accessibility, privacy, and long-term stability for families experiencing homelessness. Status: Pre-Development and Capital Advancement
Hannah Center Redevelopment The Hannah Center redevelopment will modernize the women’s shelter into a more private, accessible, and trauma-informed environment. The project will strengthen the quality of care available to women while creating space for integrated behavioral health and supportive services. Status: Pre-Development and Capital Advancement
Behavioral Health Clinic Development Cornerstone is developing Behavioral Health Clinic capacity to provide stronger mental health and supportive services within its shelter settings. This work will expand clinical infrastructure, improve access to care, and help create more sustainable service funding through Medicaid. Status: Pre-licensing
Medical Respite Development Cornerstone is developing a Medical Respite model for people experiencing homelessness who need a safe place to recover after hospitalization or medical crisis. This project connects housing, healthcare, and care coordination to reduce avoidable hospital use and improve health outcomes. Status: Finalizing, will follow opening of the Haven on Lincoln
Workforce and Staff Development Cornerstone is strengthening staff training, leadership development, and workforce pathways to support higher-quality care. These investments help retain skilled staff and build the organizational capacity needed for growth. Status: In-process and expanding training curriculum
Board Development and Advisory Leadership Cornerstone is expanding its board development work and building advisory leadership structures to support the organization’s next stage of growth. This includes creating stronger pathways for strategic expertise, community partnership, and guidance from people with lived experience of homelessness. Status: In-process with board development consultant and fellows.
The Hannah Center Modernization Project is a major redevelopment initiative by Cornerstone Community Outreach that will transform one of Chicago’s long-standing women’s shelters into a safer, modern, non-congregate environment designed for healing, stability, and pathways to permanent housing.
Located at 4628 N. Clifton Avenue in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, the Hannah Center has served women experiencing homelessness for decades. The modernization project will update the aging facility while preserving its critical role in the community. The renovation will transition second-floor congregate sleeping areas into 29 private rooms for women, while implementing comprehensive building upgrades that improve safety, accessibility, and long-term sustainability.
This investment reflects Cornerstone’s ongoing commitment to creating spaces that support dignity, recovery, and long-term housing stability.
A Response to a Critical Need
Women experiencing homelessness face unique vulnerabilities in congregate shelter environments. Many residents have experienced domestic violence, economic displacement, chronic health challenges, or prolonged housing instability. Shared sleeping environments can increase stress and limit privacy, making recovery from trauma more difficult.
Across the country, communities are increasingly moving toward non-congregate shelter environments that provide privacy, dignity, and safety. Yet relatively few modernization efforts have focused specifically on shelter environments for women.
The Hannah Center modernization responds to this need by creating a safer environment designed around privacy, accessibility, and trauma-informed design, allowing residents to stabilize and move forward toward permanent housing.
The Vision
The Hannah Center modernization is designed to transform an aging facility into a space that feels safe, calm, and supportive rather than institutional.
The project prioritizes:
• Private sleeping rooms for women experiencing homelessness • Trauma-informed design that promotes safety and stability • Accessible pathways and ADA-compliant facilities • Durable finishes and modernized interior spaces • Improved lighting and sanitation environments • Modern fire protection and life-safety systems
Every element of the design is intended to support women as they stabilize, access services, and prepare for permanent housing.
Strengthening Safety and Stability
The modernization of the Hannah Center focuses on both resident wellbeing and long-term building safety.
The project includes upgrades to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, roof replacement, fire protection improvements, structural reinforcement, and building envelope stabilization. These improvements will bring the facility up to modern safety standards while protecting a critical community asset that has served the Uptown neighborhood for decades.
Private sleeping spaces significantly improve personal safety and reduce conflict within the shelter environment. Improved accessibility ensures that women with mobility limitations or chronic health conditions can safely access shelter and services.
Together, these improvements create a healthier and more stable environment where women can focus on recovery and housing placement.
Project Timeline
Planning & Design — 2024–2025 Engineering assessments, architectural planning, and renovation design are underway to ensure the building meets modern standards for safety, accessibility, and long-term sustainability.
Capital Funding — 2025–2027 Cornerstone is pursuing public and philanthropic funding partnerships to support the modernization of the Hannah Center.
Construction Preparation — 2027–2028 Final construction documents, permitting, and contractor procurement will prepare the project for renovation while minimizing disruption to ongoing shelter services.
Renovation & Modernization — 2028–2029 Construction will upgrade building systems, improve safety infrastructure, and create private living environments for residents.
Completion — 2029 The Hannah Center will reopen as a modernized non-congregate shelter environment supporting safety, healing, and pathways to permanent housing.
Part of a Larger Commitment and Community
The Hannah Center modernization is part of a broader effort by Cornerstone Community Outreach to transform shelter environments into person-centered, non-congregate spaces that support long-term housing stability.
Together with projects such as The Haven on Lincoln, these initiatives represent a shift toward modern shelter infrastructure that prioritizes dignity, health, and stability.
Cornerstone works closely with healthcare providers, behavioral health partners, housing agencies, and community-based organizations to ensure residents receive coordinated support during their stay and as they transition into permanent housing.
These partnerships strengthen continuity of care, expand access to services, and help residents move toward stability and independence.
Next Steps
As planning and funding efforts continue, Cornerstone Community Outreach is engaging partners and supporters who share a commitment to dignified shelter and housing solutions.
Support from the community helps advance planning, construction readiness, and long-term sustainability for this important project.
Supporters can get involved by:
• Learning more about Cornerstone’s housing redevelopment initiatives • Exploring partnership opportunities that strengthen housing stability and health outcomes • Making a contribution to support renovation and operational readiness • Contacting the us at info@ccolife.org to learn more
Together, we can help create a place of stability and possibility for women working toward a permanent home.
The Hannah Center modernization is moving from vision to reality, and there are meaningful ways to be part of this work.
Project Supporters
City of Chicago – Department of Family & Support Services Illinois State Senator Mike Simmons Alderwoman Angela Clay Illinois Representative Hoan Huynh Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago Republic Services Thresholds Trilogy Montrose Behavioral Health Greater Chicago Food Depository ONE Northside and community partners throughout Chicago
As we enter into the new year, we thank everyone who has supported Cornerstone during the past few months. Our 2025 Annual Report is in progress, but in the meantime, we want to share good news from our Open the Doors, Light the Way campaign during the holiday season.
Between October 1st, 2025 and January 15th, 2026, Cornerstone’s supporters gave over $140,000 to open the doors and light the way for families and individuals experiencing homelessness in Chicago. These dollars provided 237 people with food, shelter and care. We cannot do this work without our supporters. You make this possible.
Our longstanding Christmas traditions continued in December. At Cornerstone, we know the little things matter especially at the holidays. A person needs more than life essentials to thrive. With the help of hundreds of incredible donors and volunteers, Cornerstone’s clients received 1000+ gifts, including new coats for the men’s program, headphones for teenagers, and spa kits and robes for women just to name a few.
Many thanks to everyone who made Christmas at Cornerstone possible.
Help us continue this strong start to the year by donating now.
It’s never too late. Ted Jindrich started running at age 57, and, a little over ten years later, he has run 24 marathons.
This year, he’s not running for a medal, but for our neighbors. Ted and his friends are running the entire Chicago Lakefront and fundraising for Cornerstone Community Outreach. Give today, support Ted and his friends as they run from Indiana to Evanston, and fund the work being done to change the lives of Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.
Pictured above Ted, Fred, and Peter, posing along the Chicago Lakefront that they will run the full length of this spring.
Ted says, “This year on May 2nd friends and I will be running all 26 plus miles of the Chicago Lakefront (Indiana to Evanston) to raise money for Cornerstone Community Outreach. CCO is a homeless shelter that houses families of all types, as well as single men and women. CCO not only provides a roof over ones head but also the support services to help people get permanent housing. Please support my running friends and I as we take on this challenge. And please spread the word to others who might contribute. My goal is to raise $10,000. I never would have thought that at 68 years old I would be running marathons.”
Cornerstone Community Outreach has developed collaborative mission trip opportunities with Jesus People Covenant Group Missions serving as host and facilitator, and Cornerstone as one of the service sites in Chicago
This would be a hands-on, relational experience inviting churches to serve alongside our staff and neighbors experiencing homelessness—grounded in dignity, presence, and shared learning. Opportunities may include hospitality, meal service, outreach support, and time for reflection and prayer.
If your church is discerning a future mission trip and interested in learning more, we’d love to begin the conversation.
Employees may request a copy of their Form 1095-C from Cornerstone Community Outreach.
To request your form, please contact us using one of the methods below:
Email: lyda@ccolife.org Mail: Cornerstone Community Outreach, 4615 N Clifton Ave, Chicago, IL 60640 Phone: 773-506-6396 x 113
Upon request, Cornerstone Community Outreach will furnish your Form 1095-C within the timeframe required by IRS guidance. It may be helpful to acquire your 1095-B from your own insurance portal.
