Community Programs Manual
Expanding our Mission
For nearly 40 years, the Chicago community has recognized H.O.M.E. as a leader in providing community-based support services for seniors with low incomes through our Upkeep and Repair, Moving, Shopping Bus, and Volunteer programs.
In 2020, H.O.M.E. worked closely with staff and volunteers to compile a how-to guide to help other nonprofits seeking to initiate their own supportive programs for seniors with low incomes. Full of practical advice, program budgets, and best practice, H.O.M.E. is proud to provide this guide free-of-charge.
Service to others is a universal value. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. encapsulated this tenet best when he said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Recipe for our “Secret Sauce”
Deep Respect
The way H.O.M.E. delivers the services of our community programs is just as important as the work itself. H.O.M.E.’s staff members convey their deep respect for seniors in the way that they treat them as equals, valued for who they are, and not by their needs.
Building Trust
Many seniors have learned to be wary of people who promise to help, but do not deliver. H.O.M.E. is keenly aware of this history and has developed a “person-first” approach to build trust with older people, so that we can effectively serve them.
Tangible Services
We start with tangible services for seniors: fixing a leaky faucet, carrying groceries into their homes, or giving them a lift to their new apartment. H.O.M.E. has a teachable process for successfully delivering these simple yet effective services