Matthew House Celebrates 25 Years of Service

Matthew House, a nonprofit community-based organization, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary of providing for the homeless on Sept. 16 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Hotel. Photo Credit: Matthew House
Matthew House, a nonprofit community-based organization, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary of providing for the homeless on Sept. 16 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Hotel. Photo Credit: Matthew House

Matthew House Celebrates 25 Years of Service

By Christopher Shuttlesworth

Matthew House is a nonprofit community based organization that will celebrate 25 years of providing food, shelter, housing and support services to men and families who are homeless in the Chicagoland area on Sept. 16 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Hotel.

The 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration entitled “Still We Rise” will honor twenty

members of Chicago’s business, civic, faith and philanthropic community.

During the Gala, NBC 5 television personality, Art Norman will serve as the Master of Ceremony and there will be a special performance by Junius Paul Quartet featuring

the incredible jazz songstress Dee Alexander, according to a Matthew House press release.

Dr. Sanja Stinson, who is the founding executive Director for Matthew House, said the organization decided to conduct a huge 25th year anniversary because 25 represent the silver jubilee celebration.

“We’re grateful that we are still here,” Stinson said. “Forty percent of our staff comes from our population that has been homeless.

Many of them have positions as coordinators, food service managers and program service workers who have served for seven to 25 years.”

Matthew House served as the only safe haven on the South Side of Chicago and

addresses emergency needs such as food, clothing, showers and overnight shelter.

Approximately 70 percent of the population served by Matthew House is homeless with 50 percent having been homeless for 5 to 10 years, according to matthewhousechicago.org. Stinson said as a child her parents taught her to always give back to less fortunate people.

“Throughout my childhood, I saw my parents serve and provide for homeless people,” she said. “My father has eight girls and two boys but he adopted four additional children, which taught me to take care of the less fortunate.”

Stinson said during her early years of service, she noticed a strong need to help

Chicago’s homeless. “My question was what happens to them in the day time? When I would pass them by, I would see them sitting down with having no place to go. In the dead of the winter they would go into McDonalds and be put out and that’s when I realized we needed somewhere for [homeless individuals] to go.”

Matthew House also provides case management services, supportive housing

services and placement, job training and placement and veterans assistance, according to matthewhousechicago.org.

Tickets for the Gala celebration are $100 and are available by calling (773) 536-6628.

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