Michell Mitchell has come a long way in one year. Last summer she freed herself and her children from a violent relationship, finding help at a family shelter. Shelter staff told her about Catholic Charities’ New Hope Apartments program. Last August, Mitchell began the application process, and by October was housed in a New Hope apartment in a northwest suburb. Now employed as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at a nursing home and taking classes at a local college to further her career, Mitchell credits New Hope with showing her a new way to live. “New Hope helped me gain the independence I have by giving me a place to live and showing me how to save money. I really appreciate that the most,” says Mitchell. 

Many other New Hope “success stories” joined Mitchell on June 29 at a Catholic Charities’ “Success Day” celebration held in the Englewood community. The event recognized achievements made by New Hope participants, from completing certification or degree programs to holding a job for six months or longer, to purchasing a home.

Catholic Charities’ New Hope Apartments program helps formerly-homeless families become self-sufficient through a 24-month process of goal-setting, budgeting, counseling, resource management and skill-building.  Over the course of the two years, families gradually pick up more of their housing expenses, which are subsidized through Catholic Charities, so that at the end of the program they can take on full payment of their rent.

Funded by a mix of public and private dollars, Catholic Charities’ New Hope Apartments program annually assists about 150 families across Chicago and its suburbs.  Parishes are key partners in this effort as they commit to paying rent on New Hope apartments and donate house wares, furniture, and other necessities to New Hope families.

 For more information about Catholic Charities’ New Hope Apartments program, please call (312) 948-6513.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the largest private, not-for-profit social service agencies in the Midwest, annually assisting 1.1 million persons in Cook and Lake counties without regard to religious, ethnic or economic background. Catholic Charities fulfills the Church's role in the mission of charity by providing compassionate, competent, professional services that strengthen and support individuals, families and communities.