2024 Pathways Home Event

EVENT DETAILS

• Date: November 7, 2024
• Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Location: The Clubhouse at Dolphin Lake located at 2700 W 183rd Street, Homewood, IL 60430
• Event Type: Network and socialize with over 100 supporters and local organizations
• Ticket Price: $75 per person*
• Dress Code: Business Casual or Business attire
• Food & Drink: Please enjoy beer, wine, and a variety of gourmet appetizers

*Note: Each ticket provides an estimated $75 worth of event benefits. As a result, the IRS allows a tax deduction for each ticket that you purchase and utilize. If you sponsor the event, your ticket price will be $0 and you may receive more than one ticket. See sponsorship levels below.

SPEAKERS

Douglas Kenshol, Executive Director

Presenting Sponsor: Dennis Banks, Corporate Vice President, Sutton Ford

Former Client Speaker: Tewonna

SSPADS Board President: Gyata Kimmons

WHO WE ARE

South Suburban PADS extends its deepest gratitude to supporters like you who believe in our mission. Your support makes all the difference in the lives of the participants we serve.

South Suburban PADS (SSPADS) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization with a mission to prevent and end homelessness in the south suburbs of Chicago. Since 1990, we have provided nearly 700,000 nights of shelter and over 2 million meals to enable over 20,000 people to overcome homelessness. In fiscal year 2024, SSPADS served over 1,800 people, including people living with physical with disabilities, folks experiencing serious mental and/or behavioral health challenges, those with limited or no income, and working parents with children. Many folks we serve are fleeing domestic violence or struggling to overcome chronic illness. Whether employed or not, SSPADS clients struggle to access and maintain affordable housing, and the incredible need in the south suburbs continued to grow. SSPADS is the proud recipient of the 2018 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award, the 2019 National Good Neighbor Award, and a 2024 Yield Giving Award from MacKenzie Scott's Foundation in partnership with Lever for Change.

Your continued and increased support provides pathways home by helping people access shelter, preserve or access affordable housing, and access supportive services to address their physical and financial wellbeing each year. Our main programs include street outreach, emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, intensive case management, and advocacy. All programs are delivered with a compassionate, Housing First, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, Culturally Competant, and Trauma-Informed mindset.

We could never do this incredibly important work alone, therefore we collaborate with many wonderful organizations, donors, volunteers, municipalities, and community members. SSPADS is a proud member of the Suburban Alliance to End Homelessness, the South Suburban Council on Homelessness, and Housing Action Illinois. SSPADS, Cook County Health and Hospital Systems, Housing Forward, and Beds Plus collaborate to provide scattered-site permanent supportive housing to vulnerabl people with medical conditions. SSPADS collaborates with Cornerstone CDC to implement a 29-unit permanent supportive housing project. SSPADS partners with Housing Forward to implement the WISH Rapid Rehousing program. SSPADS co-founded and currently leads the Illinois Shelter Alliance (ISA), representing 60 homeless service agencies from every corner of the state. ISA is advocating for increased government funding to address the current shortage of 4,500 emergency shelter beds throughout the state. ISA successfully advocated for $5 million FY23 and $40 million FY24 increases in the state budget for the IDHS Emergency and Transitional Housing Program.

Despite the gains we have made in funding, the need for our services continues to increase due to a lack of affordable housing options coupled with increased economic distress. As a result, we currently serve 130-150 people in shelter per night but have over 200 others on a waitlist; the average household now spends approximately 300 days in shelter. Private funding is especially needed in the southern region of the County because other resources are scarce. Despite having approximately 50% of Suburban Cook County's homeless population, the region receives only 38% of Suburban Cook County's HUD-funded Permanent Supportive Housing. In addition, the region receives little philanthropic support. In the next fiscal year, we will strive to increase the number of affordable housing opportunities, help households exit shelter faster, and thus create the capacity to provide shelter to more households, however, we need help from supporters like you.

Please join us in partnership this year by sponsoring our event to help people escape homelessness and achieve better health, wellbeing, and economic security.

Sponsorship Categories

1. Presenting Sponsor: Your $15,000+ contribution could sustain operations that provide shelter, housing, and services for people experiencing homelessness. Sponsorship includes a logo on our website and in our program, opportunity to provide event welcome remarks, special mention at the event and on social media, and a table for 8 at the event.
2. Sustaining Sponsor: Your $10,000 contribution could sustain operations that provide shelter, housing, or services for people experiencing homelessness. Sponsorship includes a logo in our program, special mention at the event and on social media, and a table for 8 at the event.
3. Passion Sponsor: Your $5,000 contribution could sustain operations that provide shelter, housing, or services for people experiencing homelessness. Sponsorship includes a logo in our program and special mention at the event and on social media. You will also receive 6 tickets for the event.
4. Vision Sponsor: Your contribution of $2,500, could provide shelter, housing, or services for people experiencing homelessness. Sponsorship includes a logo in the program and special mention in social media and press releases. You will also receive 4 tickets to the event.
5. Mission Sponsor: Your contribution of $1,000, could provide shelter, housing, or services for people experiencing homelessness. Sponsorship includes your name printed in the program and special mention in social media and press releases. You will also receive 2 tickets to the event.
6. Supporting Sponsor: Your contribution of $500, could provide a shelter meal for 100 people or emergency rent or utility support to prevent a family from becoming homeless. Sponsorship includes your name printed in the program and special mention on social media. You will also receive 1 ticket to the event.

HOW TO DONATE

To sponsor this event, please reach out to Jestine Ware, Director of Development and Communications at jware@sspads.org and Douglas Kenshol, Executive Director, at dkenshol@sspads.org.

Confirmed Sponsors

THANK YOU for those of you who have already confirmed sponsorship so far this year! We appreciate your early commitments to our work.