Author: andrew

A new chapter of hope. A stronger future for Chicago.

Since 1989, Cornerstone Community Outreach has been a place of hope for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Chicago. For nearly four decades, we’ve provided more than shelter. We’ve offered a welcoming place to rebuild, access essential care, and take meaningful steps toward permanent housing.

Today, Cornerstone is entering one of the most exciting chapters in our history.

We’re transforming our shelters, creating more private and dignified living spaces, expanding access to healthcare, and building new opportunities for people to move from homelessness toward stability and independence.

And we’re just getting started.

Through major investments in our facilities, new partnerships, and the generosity of our supporters, we’re building a future where shelter is more than a place to stay. It’s a place to heal, grow, and prepare for what comes next.

We invite you to explore what’s happening at Cornerstone and discover how you can be part of this remarkable transformation.

See What’s Happening at Cornerstone

Our vision is becoming reality. Across our shelters and programs, we’re making historic investments that will transform how individuals and families experience shelter, access healthcare, and build pathways toward permanent housing.

Some of these changes are already taking shape, while others represent the next exciting steps in our journey.

Explore the projects and programs shaping Cornerstone’s future, and see how your support can help bring this vision to life.

Transforming Shelter: More Than a Place to Stay

Across Chicago, Cornerstone is reimagining what shelter can look and feel like. We’re creating more welcoming, accessible, and private environments where people experiencing homelessness can find safety, regain stability, and prepare for permanent housing.

The Haven on Lincoln

A New Standard of Shelter for Men

Our newest shelter represents a major step forward in dignity-centered care. Transforming a former motel into 37 private rooms, the Haven provides men experiencing homelessness with privacy, personal space, and access to individualized support.

With 24-hour staffing, case management, and connections to medical and behavioral healthcare, the Haven is designed to help residents move beyond homelessness toward lasting stability.

Explore the Haven on Lincoln

Sylvia Center Redevelopment

Building a Better Future for Families

For more than two decades, Sylvia Center has provided shelter and support to families experiencing homelessness. Now, we’re preparing to transform this longtime family shelter into a modern, fully accessible environment with private family living spaces and improved facilities.

This renovation will provide greater privacy, safety, and comfort for parents and children while strengthening the services that help families move toward permanent housing.

Hannah Center Redevelopment

Creating Dignified Spaces for Women

Hannah Center has been part of Cornerstone’s work since 1989. Its next chapter will transform existing shelter space into a more private, accessible, and supportive environment for women experiencing homelessness.

With plans for private rooms, accessibility improvements, and spaces supporting healthcare and individualized services, this redevelopment will create new opportunities for stability, healing, and independence.

These projects are more than building renovations. They represent our commitment to ensuring that every person who comes through Cornerstone’s doors is treated with dignity and has the opportunity to build a better future.

Beyond Shelter: Building Pathways to Stability

A safe place to stay is just the beginning.

Every day, Cornerstone provides meals, essential supplies, case management, and housing support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

We’re also expanding access to medical and behavioral healthcare, developing medical respite services, and creating new workforce development opportunities.

Together, these services help people regain stability, strengthen their independence, and move toward permanent housing.

The People Behind Our Mission

Behind every shelter room, every meal, and every supportive service is a person with a story, hopes, and dreams for the future.

Every journey is different, but each reminds us why safe shelter, compassionate care, and opportunities for lasting stability matter.

Be Part of What Comes Next

Cornerstone’s transformation is made possible through significant public investment, strong partnerships, and the generosity of people who believe everyone deserves dignity, care, and the opportunity for a better future.

While public funding helps us build and improve our facilities, the generosity of individual supporters helps provide the daily care, services, and personal attention that turn these spaces into places of hope.

Whether you’ve supported Cornerstone in the past or are just discovering our work, we invite you to be part of this exciting next chapter.

Become a monthly supporter or make a one-time gift to help provide shelter, essential care, and opportunities for lasting stability.

More Info on:

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.

Modernizing family shelter with greater dignity, accessibility, and care

Cornerstone is excited to move forward with a major renovation and modernization of the Sylvia Center, our longtime shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Uptown. With over twenty-five years of serving families at Sylvia, this building has been a place of safety, stability, and new beginnings for thousands of parents and children as they worked toward permanent housing. The strength of that work, and the outcomes families have achieved with Cornerstone’s support, are what make this next chapter so meaningful.

With significant investment from both the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, the project will transform Sylvia from an existing congregate shelter into a modern, fully accessible, non-congregate shelter designed around privacy, dignity, health, and stability.

The project is funded by the Chicago Department of Family & Support Services’ Shelter Infrastructure Initiative and is jointly funded by the Illinois Housing Development Authority Non-Congregate Development Program, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Trust Fund.

A more dignified space for families

The most important transformation will be what families experience every day.

Congregate sleeping areas will be replaced with private family accommodations and individual bathrooms, giving families greater privacy, safety, and stability while they work toward permanent housing. These improvements are designed to create a healthier, less stressful environment and support better outcomes for families during their stay. And with better use of the space, there will be a small increase in capacity from two hundred and thirty beds to two hundred and fifty-two beds, providing space for a few more families in need.

The renovated residential areas will also include spaces for children and families, community gathering areas, laundry, case management, and other services that support families during their stay.

Modern infrastructure for a century-old building

Sylvia operates in a building that is approximately one hundred and twenty years old and wasn’t originally designed as housing. The renovation will comprehensively update the building’s infrastructure, including heating and cooling, ventilation, plumbing, electrical systems, elevators, windows, accessibility, and life-safety systems.

Major focuses of the project are making the facility fully ADA accessible while also creating a healthier, more efficient, sustainable, and environmentally sound building for residents and staff.

Supportive services and healthcare built in

The renovated Sylvia Center will incorporate integrated health services, bringing care directly into the shelter environment. Proximity to care is an important factor in successful engagement, and having services onsite will make it easier for residents to access care consistently, supporting better health outcomes and overall stability.

Families will also continue to have access to case management, housing support, youth programming, employment and workforce development, and other services designed to help them move toward long-term stability.

An investment in better shelter, grounded in care

For Cornerstone, that investment is about much more than renovating an old building. It is an opportunity to create a shelter environment that better reflects how families experiencing homelessness deserve to be welcomed and supported: private, accessible, healthy, dignified, and connected to care.

The Sylvia Center Transformation is an investment in the building, the services inside it, and most importantly, the families who will call it home while they work toward permanent housing.

We are grateful for everyone’s support in bringing this vision to reality. We couldn’t have done it without the municipal partners leading the opportunities to make these changes, the team working with Cornerstone to move it forward, and you, our supporters.

To learn more about this project and share your support, email Andrew Winter, Executive Director, at awinter@ccolife.org.
You can also contribute to the project’s ongoing shelter programming by donating today and considering becoming a monthly supporter through a financial donation!

Info Flyer V1

Download PDF Version here

Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry and Missing Sex Offender Database
https://sor.isp.illinois.gov/sorpublic/

National Sex Offender Public Search
https://www.nsopw.gov/

Printable Form
https://ccolife.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SOR-Offender-Registry-Check.pdf

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Calling Covenant Pastors & Churches!

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.

Reach out to JP Group Missions, or email us at Cornerstone to explore next steps!

Look for this flyer at Gather and MidWinter at the Jesus People Table and get a discount!

IMPORTANT HEALTH COVERAGE TAX DOCUMENTS

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.