Donate to help residents of Chicago’s Austin community

 

“Without ACT’s help, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” Renay said. “The relationship they’ve built with me and people in the community, it’s a special bond.” 

Renay had lost her job and was struggling to find a new one. She eventually found Austin Coming Together. Our intake coordinator provided one-on-one support and referred her to the University of Chicago Medical Center where she was brought on as a permanent employee. 

Renay’s story is just one of the many successes we are proud of, and we ask for your support so we can continue to help others like her. 

Austin Coming Together exists to serve the people of Austin. We do that through our Community Hub, which connects residents like Renay to resources from childcare services to counseling or free legal aid provided by our many members. 

Our work is dedicated to enhancing the delivery of human services; community organizing and planning to attract new investments to Austin; and creating the capacity to address structural barriers that threaten the impact of community development efforts.

2019 was a monumental year! Our collaborative action has resulted in:

  • 1,257 Austin youth enrolled in quality early learning programs 
  • 95 residential properties stabilized in the Austin area 
  • 92 residents assisted into living-wage employment 
  • The Burnham Award for coordinating Austin’s quality-of-life plan ‘Austin Forward. Together (AFT)‘ 

Since 2010, Austin Coming Together has harnessed the power of collective impact to improve education and economic development outcomes in Chicago’s Austin community. Today, we are the backbone support agency for a network of more than 50 member organizations.

We envision a thriving Austin community, and together, we believe it can be achieved by 2025. Our strategic plan is called Thrive 2025, outlining how we will: 

  1. Enhance the quality of early learning programs for our children
  2. Increase opportunities for living-wage careers for our workforce
  3. Improve the safety of our neighborhoods
  4. Stabilize our housing markets

But in order for this vision to be realized, we need support from compassionate friends like you!

Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution of even just $20 — any amount is appreciated because it helps us continue our mission. Recently, our COVID-19 response efforts connected thousands of residents to everything from PPE, cleaning supplies, food, laptops, and even small grants for families and the organizations that support them.

To make a donation, please visit AustinComingTogether.org/Donations or mail a check to Austin Coming Together to 5049 W. Harrison, Chicago, IL 60644.