Groups Working To Help Uptown Homeless Can Apply For Up To $50,000 In Grants

UPTOWN — Organizations helping people experiencing homelessness in the 46th Ward can apply for up to $50,000 in grant funding.

Ald. James Cappleman (46th) has opened applications for a city initiative giving Chicago’s 50 ward offices $100,000 to provide microgrants for groups working in the communities. Each ward can choose which initiatives or projects to fund.

The 46th Ward will focus on homelessness for the program, Cappleman announced Thursday.

Groups that assist and provide services for the area’s unhoused residents can apply for the grants. That includes non-profits, for-profits and faith-based groups, among others.

Grants will be$1,000-$50,000, Cappleman said. Applicants that place an emphasis on the most difficult cases of homelessness will be prioritized, as will project applications that allow for collaboration with other applicants, he said.

“The overall goal is to create a path that will lessen one’s time living outdoors, and my office is excited to hear from applicants about their innovative solutions, pilots, and ideas that can be implemented using grants from this program,” Cappleman wrote in his newsletter Thursday.

The 46th Ward covers much of Uptown, as well as portions of East Lakeview.

The issue of homelessness has been a hot topic in Uptown for years. In March, one of the neighborhood’s biggest encampments went up in flames after a tent caught fire, causing propane tanks to explode. Six people were displaced from the encampment, which was under the Lawrence Avenue viaduct of DuSable Drive.

Applications must come from organizations that are registered with the state and have an office in the city. The organization does not have to be based in the 46th Ward, but its proposal must cover the area, Cappleman said.

Recipients of the microgrants will be expected to communicate to the Department of Family and Support Services through the duration of their project.

Applications must be submitted through the city’s procurement website.

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