The Harbour FY23 Annual Report

Dear Friends

During the past fiscal year, The Harbour continued our 50-plus year legacy of working to end youth homelessness by providing shelter and support to young people. In April, we marked the one year anniversary of our new shelter opening which reimagined how we house homeless youth.

We focused on three key program areas; relationships, healing and empowerment. Relationship building with youth, staff and community partners were a primary focus in FY23. We built strong relationships with youth through our case management and support staff who helps connect youth to education, employment and permanent housing solutions. Our staff is so key to the work that we do – and we have many veterans of 15 plus years. We quadrupled our community outreach through presentations, displays and participation in community events and increased occupancy across our programs by building relationships with landlords to strengthen long-term housing options. Healing, and creating healing spaces was another area of focus and growth. We redesigned spaces for our transitional living programs, and rebuilt our

pregnant and parenting teen program by providing hotel vouchers for emergency shelter, and obtaining leases to house young mothers. Working with youth who are dealing with complex trauma is difficult for staff, and we introduced restorative care circles for the program team.

We prioritized youth voices, implementing new strate gies to obtain their feedback on organizational policies and house-specific needs. We also held trainings and information sessions with partners who trained youth in health topics and fair housing law. Youth were engaged in helping assess our approach to social media – they are truly the experts!

Our daily work to help end youth homelessness would not be possible without the generosity of our donors and partners, and we are so grateful for your help! Together we are building a strong organizational future that will allow us to continue serving homeless youth by providing shelter and support services – thank you!

In gratitude,

Melody Rose, Executive Director

The impact of The Harbour extends far beyond four walls and a roof. It provides a foundation for the well-being and potential of our youth —

our mission

The Harbour provides emergency housing and services to youth experiencing homelessness to promote their safety, stability and personal growth. Every day we empower young people to be self-sufficient through safe housing and support services to prevent and break the cycle of homelessness.

IMPAC T POINTS

100% of youth placed in our emergency shelter did not miss a day of school while in our care

100% of our Successful Teens Ef fective Parents program par ticipants have a health plan and access to medical care

90% of our youth in the transitional living program par ticipate in educational and/or employment activities , training programs, or employment

Over 100 youth last year - and over 5,000 over 52 years.

19

47% AFRICAN AMERICAN

25% H ISPANIC/L ATIN A

15% WHITE

8% ASIAN

5% OTHER

32% ARE LGBTQ

11 MONTHS AVER AGE STAY IN COMMUNITY TR ANSITIONAL HOUSING

healing spaces

The Harbour’s housing and support services work in tandem to create healing spaces for youth who are experiencing homelessness by providing emergency shelter, transitional housing and supportive services.

In 2023 The Harbour:

Opened a new transitional housing site in Skokie Brummel House is a three-bedroom home that houses four youth in care of the state until their 21st birthday with on-site staff 24 hours/day.

Added three new apartments in the STEP program (Successful Teens/Effective Parents). Each apartment is fully furnished and accommodates a single mother with children.

Was awarded a Community Development Block Grant from the city of Schaumburg that was used to upgrade and renovate Staffire House, a fifty-year old four-bedroom home that we own. This transitional housing program houses four youth with on-site staff.

The best thing about the shelter is it doesn’t feel like a shelter. It feels like a home.

harbour highlight

Emma is a 17-year-old immigrant who left her home country to seek asylum after being trafficked in her small hometown. Upon arrival in Chicago, she began working with a partner agency who referred Emma to The Harbour to provide shelter. She was admitted to The Harbour’s Human Trafficking Transitional housing program where she has lived since 2022.

Through all of her transitions, Emma continued to prioritize education. She traveled over an hour each day to attend high school where she had enrolled upon arrival in Chicago. After 18 months in our transitional program, Emma was not only a high school graduate, but had been awarded several scholarships at a local college. We were so proud to attend her high school graduation and cheer her on!

Emma has been working full-time in the food service industry since graduation and is looking forward to the future. While she continues to work on educational and employment goals, we are proud to offer her the supportive services and housing she needs to achieve them. With The Harbour’s help, her next step is to live independently.

Brummel House

The Shelter Patio

supportive services

Across programs, The Harbour supports youth through ongoing therapeutic case management support, intensive life skills training, sexual and general health education, clinical support groups, budgeting and financial literacy, employment skills training, educational support, and parenting education and support when needed. Our staff builds positive relationships with youth to develop youth-centered plans for achieving permanent and stable housing.

In 2023 The Harbour:

100% set individual goals

21,500 meals served

10,000 hours of case management

95% engaged in support networks promoting health

All youth in our transitional living programs developed individual goals with their Case Manager. These goals were tailored to their individual needs and regularly updated based on successes and challenges along the way.

Across all programs, The Harbour provides three nutritious meals daily informed by youth dietary needs. Youth work regularly with their Staff Support Team to select and plan food each week.

The Harbour employs three full-time Case Managers who engage our youth in active case planning and life skills training related to education, employment, healthcare, and housing.

95% of youth in the Youth in Transition Program engaged in support networks and services that promote positive health. The Harbour Team works diligently to build external networks of support with our youth because we know those connections promote long-term housing stability.

youth engagement and enrichment

The Harbour’s vision is to provide program opportunities that guide and empower youth to their fullest potential. We engage youth by linking them to health and wellness services, providing educational and enrichment opportunities, and connecting to employment and job training.

In 2023, youth in our transitional housing program exceeded our goals in two critical areas;

100% of youth participated in educational/vocational activities, job training programs and/or employment AND

100% of youth improved global functioning skills in the areas of life skills, social skills, cooking and meal planning.

In 2023 The Harbour:

Entered into a partnership with Lurie Children’s Hospital Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine to support the sexual and reproductive health of young people. Five sessions covered a variety of topics from LGBTQ Youth Supports and Inclusion, to Contraception and Healthy Relationships. The programs were offered to all Harbour participants in collaboration with our staff. Having familiar staff participate provided an important opportunity to connect with individuals and follow-up personally. Numerous participants shared that they had not received sexual health education in school, making this all the more essential.

Over 350 hours of financial literacy training were provided across all programs. This curriculum provides information about budgeting, a skill that is critical to planning for future independent living. Young women in our STEPS (Successful Teens/Effective Parents) who live independently all own a checking and/or savings account and maintain the minimum balance.

Youth engaged in a variety of enrichment opportunities including field trips to museums and participation in community events. They participated in regular breakfast and dinner groups, visited Starved Rock and the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Skokie Festival of Cultures.

My hope is that in the future, all youth serving agencies and systems center youth voice and leadership from those of us directly impacted. Our voices are critical to ensuring that systems that serve youth are actually helping us rather than creating further harm. RACHEL LITCHMAN , Recipient of the 2023 Harbour Youth Leadership Award

Her remarks underscore one of our key tenets; that youth are the experts in their own lives and contribute to a youth-led program model.

building culture

In 2023 The Harbour emphasized building a strong staff culture through a variety of initiatives. We recognize that well trained, well compensated, and supported staff are crucial to achieving youth success. To that end we instituted a variety of programs to build organizational culture.

In 2023 The Harbour:

Increased compensation to become more equitable and competitive within our field. We introduced new pay ranges for every role while prioritizing compensation of front-line staff.

Recognizing that staff needs support working with traumatized youth, we introduced restorative practices led by Dr. Gilo Logan, a DEI consultant. These restorative circles helped our program teams address staff communication, strengthen relationships among staff and focus on building solid cultures in each of our living sites.

Increased staff training capacity through creating training rubrics for each role. This allowed staff to identify what trainings were available and how they could access both internal and external opportunities.

Our Employee of the Year was Britt Unger. She joined the Harbour team in 2022 after many years of working in youth residential settings. In her nomination, colleagues noted her readiness to help in any situation and characterized her as a great listener and communicator. She was noted for her positive attitude and calm demeanor when interacting with youth.

37%

16%

Staff retention is high. Thirty-seven percent Harbour staff have been employed by us for three years or more and 16% have been employed for more than ten years.

Staff Employee of the Year Britt Unger on the left

Staff focused on wellness at the Winter Staff Retreat

community outreach and awareness

Our efforts expand awareness of youth homelessness and create community-based access points for youth to obtain housing resources and referrals.

In 2023 The Harbour:

Made 105 presentations in the north/northwest suburbs and Chicago, reaching nearly 2500 adults and making nearly 1200 youth contacts.

Organized the first Night the Light event to highlight awareness of youth homelessness. This first effort was nominated for a national award in the category of Outstanding Commitment.

OUR GEOGRAPHIC REACH:

20 Townships across the North/Northwest suburbs & Chicago

Created hygiene kits for distribution at suburban libraries. Libraries are one of the few safe spaces for youth and are a primary access point for reaching youth experiencing homelessness.

Was the recipient of funds from the Niles West Township High School Dance Marathon. This was particularly significant because we have served many youth who attend school at this location.

Harbour supporters gathered in downtown Park Ridge to mark Night the Light, the annual national awareness campaign to highlight youth homelessness.

Sabrina Conti Erangey and Millie Frawley participate in The Harbour’s benefit Call to Action.

financial report FY23

The Harbour spends 75% of funds on program

$25,000+

Anonymous

Chicago Community Trust

D219 Dance Marathon

Tom and Millie Frawley

North Shore Exchange

Dave Studenmund and Joan Habinek

$10,000+

Andrew & Alice Fischer Charitable Trust

Anonymous

The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation

Edward and Wanda Jordan Family Foundation

Evanston Community Foundation

Frawley Family Foundation

Rachel and Edward Hayman

Million Dollar Roundtable Foundation

Village Treasure House

$5,000+

Aileen S. Andrew Foundation

Baird and Warner Glenbrook Sales Office

The Chicago Community Foundation

Ed and Karen Coyne

Entact, Inc.

George M. Eisenberg Foundation

Jack Miller Family Foundation

Andrew and Jackie Koglin

Rob and Karyn Malench

Nordstrom Cares

Northfield Community Church

The Reichert Foundation

Russell Johnson Foundation

Gene Servillo and Rosie Rees

Robert Shears and Kelly Nelson

Walter J. and Edith E. Best Foundation

The Webb Foundation

Winnetka Congregational Church Grant

$2,500+

4S Bay Partners

Jason and Michelin Abrahamsen

Blue Star Partners

The John and Susan Dewan Foundation

Dean and Laura Egerter

Facebook Fundraiser Donors

Finnegan Family Foundation

First Bank Chicago

Hagerty Consulting, Inc

Krista Hubbard and John Rossate

Savio Lobo

OKW Architects, Inc.

Omron Foundation, Inc.

Pajeau Children’s Foundation

Partnership Financial Credit Union

Dan Rennie

Eric Reside

Rose F. And Alice M. Koffend Foundation

Martha Spatz and Paul Knight

Sean and Lauren Willett

Women for Evanston Youth

Mark and Marjorie Zivin

$1,000+

Arthur J. Gallagher Foundation

The August Foundation

Baird and Warner Goodwill Network

Bank of America

Gina and Nick Bertolini

Sergey Chernov

Christ Church, United Church of Christ

Catherine Collins

Mary And Adam Davis

Sabrina and Anthony Erangey

Chuck and Lynn Friend

June and Richard Gilchrist

Kimberly and Michael Gruber

Lisa Altenbernd and Steve Hagerty

Herman and Katherine Peters Foundation

Sandra Hubbard

Jennifer Jackson Luth

JX Gives Back Family Foundation

Kendra Scott

Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines

Kiwanis Club of Park Ridge

Martha Lannert

McGrath Family Foundation Fund

Sheila Merry and Tom Pitt

Marianne and Tom Moberly

Harish Natarahjan

Nicholas and Associates, Inc

Linda Nickels

Park Ridge Community Fund, Inc.

Park Ridge Presbyterian Church

Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses

Lesley and Chris Prestegaard

Rose Construction Company

Katherine and Robert Royce

Laura Smilingyte

Starbucks Foundation Neighborhood Grant

Roberta Stevens

Steve and Julie Telkamp

Judy Tolan

Rebecca & Robert Weisheit

Weiss Properties

$500+

Lee Berman

Elizabeth and Richard Bump

Frank and Dorothy Chao

Chapter FP of PEO

Chapter GZ PEO

Danielle DiMenna

Joanna Gianopoulos

Christine Green

Ramona Jablon

Kyla Jackson

William Janulis

Kelly Kaiser

Nilesh Khot

Kirkland and Ellis Matching Campaign

Larry and Charlene Kulman

Stefan LaFloer and Bobbie Lamonica-LaFloer

Katie Lambert

Kathleen Leslie

Mark Leverone

Millie and Patrick Manno

Anthony and Cara Manno

Nancy and Mark Mathyer

North Shore Unitarian Church

Maureen O’Donnell

Karen Patterson

Jeff and Cassie Richards

Melody Rose

Elizabeth Sawyer

Jacob Sitati

Arthur and Margaret Stephens

Carol Stieve

Emily Studenmund

Jane Trueheart Huels

Jay and Jill Twery

Caroline Vullmahn

Steve and Leslie Warner

Timothy Washburn

Jonathan Webb

$100+

Ilene and David Abrahams

Amazon Smile

Elizabeth Andrews

Anonymous

Anonymous

Barbara Arango

Don and Patrice Baker

Lynn Barone

Bridget Bean

Richard and Erin Bend

Ira Berman

Julie Berthold

Jeffrey Boarini

Gregory D. Braid

Martuice Brooks

Susan Burzawa

Chuck and Patty Carrington

Scott Chafin

Lynn Chamberlin

Kristine Checea

Kathryn and Petru Checea

Kristine and Jim Cichowski

Lin Classon

Hedy Cohen

Congregational Women’s Fellowship

Dan Conroe

Gabriel Conroe

Martha Coyne

Rhonda Cracco

Mary Cronin

Tim Dadabo and Mary Kay Thill-Dadabo

Judith Donovan

Randal Doty

Adellie Drillock

Felicia and John Dudek

Jeff Eichinger

Lorraine Fox

Zack and Becky Friedman

Karen Gaetano

Lisa Ginet

Thomas and Mary Gnadt

John and Linda Goad

Thomas and Gretchen Golebiewski

Scott and Cindy Grau

Joanne and Joseph Griffin

Ed Hanlon

Jack Heller

Barbara Hiller

Agnieszka Iwaszczyszyn

Debbie Jackson

Maria Jones

Shara Kamal

The Keeters

Kristen Kennard

Carol Kindle and Richard Bruno

Kathleen Best and Erik Knight

James and Judith Kosick

Pamela Kowalski

Matthew Lemberg

Neil Leslie

Dena Lichterman

Linda and Paul Lopata

Marty and Lauren Maloney

Kelly & Thom Mannard

Tom Manno

Leonard Marchese

Benjamin Marnik

Linda McDougall and Fred Weissgerber

Therese McGuire

John Meyer

Benjamin Moberly

Caroline Moberly

Jonathan Moberly

Richard and Loretta Mole

Klaren Mueller

Niles Township Federation of Teachers and Support Staff

Dennis and Linda Nilsson

Courtney Olson

Cathy Olstad

Cindy and Greg Pagliuzza

Amy Peterson

Nancy Philbin Liston

Anna and Robert Piotrowski

Heidi and Michael Raia

Lisa Ravenna

Katherine Reamon

Quinn and Val Reynolds

John Rich

Jeremy and Sheri Roche

Kevin Rooney

Susan and Jack Rossate

Karin Ruetzel

Anders Rustin

David Sak

Susan Salzinski

Kent and Sara Scharringhausen Foundation

Paul Schnitz

Leah Seligman

Adrienne Shaeffer

Danielle Shaeffer

Mary Jane Shaw

Samantha Siegel

Frederick Wood Stanton, III

Allison and Tom Stettner

Nicholas Suizzo

Shelley Sutherland

Mark Sweetin

Judith Thompson

Gregory and Gail Till

Thomas Tolan

Corey Tolan

Jasen and Elizabeth Toussaint

Barbra Twery

United Methodist Women of Park Ridge

Linda and Craig Walker

Steven and Leslie Warner

Siobhan Wee

William Blair and Company Charitable Matching Gift Fund

Michelle Wyszomirski

Stacy Yang

Jay Abrams

Lesley Arca

Diane Bahrt

Karyn Ballard

Angela Becker

Stephanie Benic

Tom and Jean Bouslog

Ann Bresingham

Mary Burke-Peterson

Jennifer Byrne

Maya Caballero

Capt. Marquez and Maricela Campbell

Ann Carlson

Nat Carmichael

Kelly Catalano

Sarah Chacko

Nathan Chamberlain

Sheila Chapman

Unnamalai Chidambaram

Ruth Coffey

Jana Conover

Rochelle Corso

Lindsay Cotter

Sandra Davenport-Belushi

Alice Dobrinsky

Larry & Ethel Doyle

Christine Dulaney

Amy Etnyre

Alyssa Fitzgerald

Tess Frawley

Maria Giamarusti

Eric Graunke

Ewa Greenier

Kathleen Hannigan

Nancy Herman

Laura Honda

Bridget Igiehon

Luanne Irvin

Ashley Jackson

Nicholas Jones

Lorraine Jordan

Judy and Bob Kemp

Linda King

Lisa Kiska

George Kutsunis

Nancy LaBreacht

Janine Langer

Yvonne LeBourhis

Sallee Lowery

Susan and Ronald Luif

Ryan Mack

Lyla Marder

Jonathan Mason

Erica McCallum

Marlene McDowell

Brett Morgan

Maryann Murphy Jankowski

Yashna Naidu

Michael Nameche

Samyu Neera

Josie Nowak

Sarah Nugent

Eric O’Connor

Barbara O’Malley

Nancy Pecoraro

Nomi Perez

Sam Rodriguez

Alyssa Rojo

Richard Rosenberg

Deborah Ruegger

Naomi and Peter Saladin

A family friend introduced us to The Harbour and their amazing mission. It fit perfectly with our real estate business and interest in providing shelter. We now are a partner and donor –renting to The Harbour and supporting them through our giving. Being able to extend our services and resources to support an organization that helps others fulfill that basic human need of shelter is such a blessing.

- Sabrina Conti Erangey

Julie Sass

Mary Scheuermann

Sara Schroeder

Sandra Segura

Blake Stepanek

Barbara Studenmund

Linda Tam

Sherry Tam

Alan Tinker

Jake Tolan

Robbin Tolan

Steve Vaughan

Anna Maria Virga

Patrick Vokaty

James Walker

Betina Wemken

Melanie West

Jane Wisdom

James Yelen

Jennifer Zales

Chelsea Zilinger

Luan Zoellner

Every effort is made to list donors accurately. We sincerely apologize for any omissions or errors in spelling.

THE HARBOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Melody Rose, LCSW, Executive Director

Kelli-Ann Alcott, Operations Director

Jessica Wright, LCSW, Program Director

Mary Burke-Peterson, Grants and Donor Relations Manager

Christian Campoverde, Accounting Manager

Sandy Godinez, Community Manager

Terri Szewcyk, Government Grants Manager

Lisa Untch, Staff Support Manager

Liz Werner, LCSW, Clinical Manager

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Savio Lobo, Co-Chair

Martha Spatz, Co-Chair

Eric Reside, Vice Chair

Sean Willett, Treasurer

Elizabeth Toussaint, Secretary

Martuice Brooks

Krista Hubbard

Shara Kamal

Jennifer Jackson Luth

Rob Malench

Harish Natarahjan

Lesley Prestegaard

Jacob Sitati

Laura Smilingyte

Alyson Stewart

Dave Studenmund

We thank the following donors who made in-kind donations to The Harbour

Eric Anderson

Anonymous (5)

Dan and Kim Armentrout

Ash & Willow Salon

Jennifer Beckwith

Beer on the Wall, Park Ridge

Julia Bolotin

Brittnee

Jennifer Burger

Abby Burtelow

Jennifer Capano

Cards Against Humanity

David Castillo

Chapter GZ PEO

Chicago Architechture Center

Chipman Design Architecture

City Lit Theater Company

City Winery

Clean Juice

Jordana Cohen

Bianca Colmenares

Crafting for Charity, Morton Grove Public Library

Cynthia Cycon

D4 Irish Pub and Cafe

Daniel’s Charcuterie

Heather Decker

Designs for Dignity

Martin Duda

Durty Nellies

Bee Eaton

Edzo’s Burger Shop

Heather Field

Fitness Formula Clubs Park Ridge

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

Millie and Tom Frawley

Chuck Friend

Ladimir Geake

Caleb Granner

Alexandrea and Owen Hanba

Kate Hannigan

Harp and Fiddle

Emily Heffelfinger

Krista Hubbard

Katie Ites

Jennifer Jackson Luth

Lisa Jebsen

Ember Jesunas

Matt Bauer and Kelly Kaiser

Gemma Kelly

Kendra Scott

Steph Kenny

John Kerin

Matthew Kern

Kindred Global Trading

Adrienne Knight

Linda Kluver

KOVAL Distillary, Ravenswood

Cherie Kozak

Jenna Kramer

Rafael and Milagros Lara

Jerome and Dorothea Lattyak

Jill Lending

Lettuce Entertain You

Yaron Leyvand, Zynga

Gilbert Lifton

Lincoln Park Zoo

Lou Malnati’s

Lance Macon

Madcats

Marilyn - CDA

Mario Tricoci

Mary McGrath

William McGuire

Mel’s BBQ

Tom and Marianne Moberly

A.J. Mortega

Music of the Baroque

Harish Natarahjan

National Roofing Contractors Association

Paula Neves

Ryan Norgren

Northlight Theater

Old Town School of Folk Music

Faye Perola

Michael Pizzimenti

Mary Plaisted

Lesley Prestegaard

Purre Barre Park Ridge

Melanye Reid

Eric Reside

Revolution Brewing

Orion Richardson

Rivers Casino

Royal Brush Manufacturing Inc

Alex Samuel

Sew Fun Ladies

Heather Shawaluk

Sketchbook Brewing

Martha Spatz

St. Andrews Lutheran Church

Starbucks Park Ridge

Renee Stockwell

Dave Studenmund

TeaLula

Tomasa Teliz

The Period Collective

Leah and Charles Tremblay

Austin Tuestad

Sara Ventura

Vera Bradley

Caroline Vullmahn

Becca Weisheit

Brody Wilhelmi

Sean Willett

Matthew Wilson

WineStyles, Park Ridge

Winnetka Congregational Church

Bernice Wong

Jessica Wright

Jessica Wu

Linda Yeager

Allie Ziolko

Zynga

At intake, all Harbour youth receive a start-up kit that includes a complete set of new linens

and

towels and a personal hygiene kit. They select these items and are free to take them when they transition from The Harbour to independent living. Many of these items are generously donated. These donations are greatly appreciated by youth and give our youth encouragement, hope and strength to achieve life-long stability.

JESSICA WRIGHT, Program Director