CHICAGO 18 July 2025 – Deborah’s Place is opening their doors to the public for a series of Open House events, where community members can tour the organization’s Permanent Supportive Housing programs, ask questions of staff members, and learn how they can get involved in ending homelessness in their community. These free events will be held at three locations on three separate dates: in East Garfield Park on July 25th, in Old Town on August 1st, and in West Humboldt Park on August 2nd.
While more Americans than ever before are experiencing chronic homelessness, at Deborah’s Place, 94 percent of residents maintain their permanent housing from year to year. Their approach supports women in getting off the street and into stable housing, reducing the need for tents in parks or viaducts and removing strain on hospital emergency rooms.
“We began with thirty mattresses on the floor of a church basement in 1985. But we quickly realized that shelter alone wasn’t enough to really address what these women were going through, and what they needed to get to a place of safety and stability,” says Katharine Booton Wilson, CEO of Deborah’s Place.
Deborah’s Place attributes its success to an evidence-based continuum of programs, with each designed to meet the varied individual needs of the women they serve. From health services to education and employment assistance, these programs “wrap around” the stable foundation of housing to ensure that clients are set up to succeed.
“Our goal” says Booton Wilson, “is that once a woman comes to Deborah’s Place, she will never be homeless again. We do that by not just providing housing, but by addressing the other factors that might be contributing to her instability, such as trauma, addiction, or health issues.”
To learn more about Deborah’s Place and its free summer events, visit deborahsplace.org
About Deborah’s Place
For forty years, Deborah’s Place has opened doors of opportunity for women who are homeless in Chicago. Permanent housing and supportive services give women their key to healing, achieving their goals, and moving on from the experience of homelessness.