Sarah’s circle Research ProjectChi UchenduDebbie GleasonJasmyne GorrelJessica Lundgren

Background/ context-Chi Homelessness since the 1980s has been a

dominant phenomenon that has caused several individuals to be displaced, unsheltered and in need for the basic necessities of life.

Studies have shown that women are the fastest growing group of homeless people in the Americas

In effect there is a need for a proper support and advocacy system

Causes and Dangers Domestic violence Rape Financial hardships Abuse (physical, emotional, etc) Lack of affordable housingIn order to address this issue Sarah's circle combines

community action with outside partnerships and alliances to address the immediate needs of the women. Therefore in order to create a safe space for these women and empower them, the community partner plays an important role in supplying the outside resources, and funding needed to carry out the programs. Popular items are toiletries, clothing, feminine products etc.

Brief facts about Sarah’s circle Created in 1979 Formally known as Harper House Located in the Chicago institute for

cultural affairs in Uptown Chicago Offer a range of Physical Services,

Permanent supportive housing, case management services, clinical services, and community space.

Research Questions-Chi Discover how we can use this project to make a

lasting impact on the organization, the people, and the community as a whole?

Also we need to figure out the impact our research will have on the service organization? Our aim is to make a positive difference.

More importantly we need to also figure out and determine a way to effectively communicate with organizations and businesses to create lasting partnerships with Sarah’s Circle, which will be beneficial to both clients?

Data Collection

Debbie

Creating Partnerships Relevant programs for clients Data collection:

Informal interviews Research (Formal) Emails, Phone calls, Visits

Spreadsheet Created spreadsheet

Kept track of yes’s, no’s, and maybe’s Seven different categories

Data Analysis

Debbie

Unexpected Pattern Religious Organizations

Biggest Trend: can’t help everyone! Already agreed to partner with

organizations Reached seasonal quota

Loyola community Toiletry and Clothing Drive Creating new Club/Partnering with others

Reach out before the holiday season! Spread the word: Positive outcome

Presentation of DataJessica

Data

Seven spreadsheets total Six categories for potential donations:

hotels, religious organizations, department stores, dentist offices, grants and other organizations

One category for educational programs

Potential Hotels For Community Donations

Name of HotelLocation( Neighborhood) Address Phone number Willing to donate?

The Westin Michigan Avenue

Near North Side/ Streeterville

909 North Michigan Avenue(between Delaware Pl & Walton St)Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 943-7200

Yes<-- Claudia Smith & Laura Kane. claudia.smith@westin.com

Hard Rock Hotel The Loop

230 N Michigan Ave(between Lake St & Wacker Pl)Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 345-1000

Unable to donate toilitries at the moment, but can help with fundraising efforts. Onya Chesser. ochesser@hardrockhotelchicago.com

Example of Data

Results & Findings Hotels

56 Contacted. One official partnership & one hotel willing to help with fundraising efforts

Most hotels prefer requests in writing as opposed to phone calls for tax purposes

Obstacles: Some hotels gave us invalid e-mail addresses to contact or take a long time to respond to letters

Religious Organizations 12 Contacted. One official partnership Mostly “maybe” answers due to unanswered

calls or the uncertainty of starting a collection.

Results & Findings Cont. Department Stores

Two contacted; no potential partnerships as of this moment Seemed more willing to help out since a group member

went and spoke with them in person Dentist Offices

One contacted; one willing to donate A group member asked their own dentist and she was

interested in the cause Other Organizations

Eight contacted; two official partnerships Obstacles: Mostly paper or online applications, so it takes

awhile to respond Some organizations only donate to affiliates , had to read

fine print of website

Results & Findings Cont. Grants

Unable to contact due to time constraints A list of recommended organizations that can

hopefully benefit Sarah’s Circle in the future

Educational Programs Unable to contact due to time constraints A list of topics that affect homeless women greatly(

suggested by community partner) due to the lack of feedback on educational programs by women

Did find that women would enjoy more recreational activities

What We Learned Harder to obtain donations than we

expected Easy to obtain personal donations from

friends or family as well as through the Loyola community

Some organizations do not place a great deal of emphasis on helping non-profits or take on more than they can handle

ImplicationsJasmyne

Implications Only 5% of those we

contacted are willing to help. Why?

The Earlier the Better. “We need the same type of

assistance.” Larger Corps only offer

assistance to organizations in the community of their headquarters. Or they give to orgs on a

National (NOT Local) Level. Current State of the

Economy Tourism is down. Church attendance is down.

Willing Not No Reply

Suggestions For Further Research Whole Foods Offers two programs to

Local organization:o One Dime at a Time

• Donates 10 cents each time a customer brings one bag back to the store.

o Community 5% Days• The store donates 5% of its

revenues on a designated day.

Possible partnership could be beneficial, especially with Fruits and Veggies Project.

Suggestions for Further Research Cont. Overall the women are satisfied

with the programs… However, more interactive

programs are requested. Future possible programs:

o Physical Fitness • Kickboxing• Zumba• Yoga

→ Improve physical and mental health→ Build self esteem→ Increase social and team building

activities Journal and/or Poetry Writing

• Increase creativity and individuality

• Build social skills• Helps written and verbal

communication skills.

Conclusion Women are the fastest growing group of

homeless individuals in the United States. Sarah’s Circle helps the women rebuild

themselves physically and emotionally. Our initial strategy was to contact religious

organization and hotels.• We reformed our initial strategy

Too much to accomplish in just one semester. Reaching out and/or implementing the

physical programs, educational wellness and corporations will see a positive response.