ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES

Articles/Research

Activities

  • The 30-Day Challenge

    The 30-Day Challenge offers a daily activity to start the conversation, shift your thinking, and motivate you to get involved in ending homelessness!

    30-Day Calendar

    ​Volunteering:

    Families can volunteer by preparing bagged lunches or coordinating donation drives. For more information and to get involved visit our volunteer page.

    Recommended Reading:

    Click here to download a list of children's books about homelessness and giving back.

    Recommended Videos:

    In 2018, Sesame Street introduced Lily, a seven-year-old experiencing homelessness. In the short videos below, Lily and her new friends talk about the impact of being homeless.

    Dot to Dot

    Rainbow Kind of Day

    Home is...

  • Activities & Resources

    ​This guide includes activities, videos, articles, and opportunities to learn, do, and give back!

    Activity Guide

    Recommended Films & Videos:

    The Homestretch: 1.5hr 2015 documentary following 3 Chicago teens as they face homelessness.

    The Way Home: 4 short episodes 2020 docuseries about the homelessness crisis in California

    United States of Tents: 1.5hr 2019 documentary about the homelessness crisis in the U.S.

    All Together Now: 1.5hr film based on a book about a homeless teen.

    ​The Pursuit of Happiness: 2hr film starring Will Smith about a single father experiencing homelessness.

    ​Priced Out: LA's Hidden Homeless: 25min 2019 CBS News piece featuring the stories of residents navigating the housing crisis and homelessness.​

    Interactive Tools:

    Take the Poverty Quiz to test your knowledge on poverty in the U.S.

    Take the​ Homelessness Simulation Game to gain understanding about the options available to people experiencing homelessness.

    Volunteer Opportunities:

    Drop-in support at Hilda's Place and Dewey Avenue

    Making bagged lunches or dinner

    Organizing an in-kind donation drive

    And more opportunities!

    ​For more details about how to become a volunteer, please visit our volunteer page.

  • Listen:

    According to Need is a 5 chapter documentary podcast that asks: What are we doing to get people into housing?

    Listen now!

    ​Listen to this 8-minute segment from New York Public Radio answering the question, "Why Do Black Americans Suffer the Burden of America's Homelessness?"

    ​Listen now!

    This 35-minute segment of Fresh Air features a discussion on the history of segregation and its impact on today's housing crisis with author Richard Rothstein.

    Listen now!

    Curious City answered the listener question, "How many homeless kids are there in Chicago, and what can I do to help?" in this 9-minute clip.

    Listen now!

    Watch:

    The Homestretch: 1.5hr 2015 documentary following 3 Chicago teens as they face homelessness.

    The Way Home: 4 short episodes 2020 docuseries about the homelessness crisis in California

    United States of Tents: 1.5hr 2019 documentary about the homelessness crisis in the U.S. ​​

    ​Priced Out: LA's Hidden Homeless: 25min 2019 CBS News piece featuring the stories of residents navigating the housing crisis and homelessness.​

    ​Volunteer:

    ​Learn about our many volunteer opportunities by visiting our volunteer page.

    Read:

    The 12 Biggest Myths about Homelessness in America from NYU News by Robert Polners

    We Can End Homelessness in Our Cities from The ​​New York Times by Binyamin Appelbaum

    CityLab University: Understanding Homelessness in America from CityLab by Benjamin Schneider

    Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

    Evanston's Road to Reparations in Chicago Magazine by Bryan Smith

    We Could Solve Homelessness if We Wanted in Slate by Henry Grabar