Trusted Voices: Unity Fund Creates a Pathway to Well-Being

Addressing residents’ most urgent needs is at the heart of our work as the Chicago region’s community foundation. The Chicago Community Trust’s Unity Fund collects donations of all sizes to provide food, shelter, healthcare, legal services and more to fellow Chicagoans.

Unity Fund was created in response to the 2008 recession, when the unemployment rate in Chicago reached 10 percent and nearly one in 30 homes in Cook County were in foreclosure. Since its inception, Unity Fund has distributed more than $21 million in grants to nonprofits meeting our residents’ most critical needs. Whether it is a gift of $25 or $2,500, the generosity of donors has anchored our ability to respond to crisis and be there for our neighbors. Sixteen years later, Unity Fund continues to serve in an ever-changing landscape of needs. Currently, homelessness has been on the rise locally and nationally, a crisis largely attributed to a lack of affordable housing options. In 2023, Unity Fund granted $1 million to 20 organizations with a focus on preventing and ending homelessness.

Against this backdrop, there has also been a greater need to ensure residents at risk of housing insecurity, homelessness, or financial instability can receive wraparound supports like access to healthy food, healthcare, and other services. Many Unity Fund grant recipients are stepping up to address these complex, intersecting needs, and Unity Fund was able to increase grantmaking to $2 million in 2024.

“The power of collective giving means that donations can have an outsized impact for our neighbors. The generosity of Unity Fund donors enables nonprofits in our communities to support Chicagoans along their journey toward stability and well-being.”

Ayom Siengo
Senior Director of Critical Needs
The Chicago Community Trust

Access to Healthy Food

Research shows that Black and Latine communities are more likely to struggle with food insecurity and access to fresh produce, leading to higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. To address this issue, the Chicago Botanic Garden launched the VeggieRx program in 2016, in partnership with the Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC) and the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion, to provide LCHC patients with fresh fruits and vegetables and offer education on cooking, nutrition, and ways to make lasting changes in their diets. Today, it has expanded its program to Austin and Belmont Cragin residents, in partnership with PCC Wellness. The program works in tandem with the Windy City Harvest program, which has 10 farms on Chicago’s West and South sides and uses urban agriculture to create access to healthy food, job training, and small business development.

Since its inception, Chicago Botanic Gardens found through a survey of VeggieRX that participants experienced significant weight loss and a decrease of food insecurity by 31 percent. According to Carmen Vergara, Vice President of Community Partnership, Unity Fund grant dollars are critical to continuing this success.

“Our VeggieRX program provides fresh produce and nutrition education, integrated with clinical care, for patients who are food insecure. Access to nutritious food and developing healthy eating habits is essential to preventing and managing diet-related illnesses. Support from Unity Fund is enabling VeggieRx to address these pressing issues.”

Addressing Housing Insecurity and Mental Health Needs

Experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness can increase an individual’s risk of anxiety, depression and trauma. That’s why the Primo Center takes a holistic, client-centered approach to housing by also addressing the mental, emotional and physical health needs of the families residing in its shelters. Interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-informed services help children and parents reduce stress and have a more successful transition to permanent housing.

Through these evidence-based practices, 90 percent of families in Primo Center’s shelters were placed in stable permanent housing. Additionally, 75 percent of mothers and 67 percent of children experienced a decrease in clinical stress levels.

According to CEO Felicia Blakely, Unity Fund grants provide flexible funding for programs and services. She adds, “General operating support from Unity Fund is a critical source to help us bridge gaps and meet the needs of the families we serve.”