In October 2006, Project HEALTH launched its newest pilot site in Chicago, marking the first step towards expansion in the Midwest.
Project HEALTH Chicago is currently partnering with undergraduate volunteers and physicians at the University of Chicago to implement a Family Help Desk in the waiting room at the Friend Family Health Center, a federally qualified health center affiliated with University of Chicago. Volunteers are connecting families from Chicago’s Woodlawn, Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Washington Park neighborhoods with information regarding food, housing, child care, and other critical government and community resources.
The Chicago site is rapidly expanding in response to the pressing health needs of families on the South Side. We expect to implement additional Family Help Desk sites in a number of clinics and community health centers over the next two years.
The time has never been more appropriate for Project HEALTH to begin work in Chicago. According to a 2004 U.S. Census Bureau report, more than one in five Chicago residents lives in poverty, a four percent increase since 2000. Chicago’s children are particularly at risk; nearly one-third of children under the age of five live in poverty.
In addition, the City’s housing crisis results in almost half of all Chicago-area renters spending 30% or more of their annual income on housing. Many families cannot afford housing at all. These issues are compounded by rapid gentrification, environmental stressors such as industrial pollutants and overcrowding, and a steep crime rate.
The Family Help Desk is a first step towards addressing the link between poverty and health care in Chicago. By providing families with the tools they need to negotiate difficult living conditions, Project HEALTH Chicago is taking the lead in improving the health and well-being of the city’s children and their families.
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