| Manny was born in Puerto Rico and has lived in Chicago with his family since he was two years old. After a decade of military service, he returned home to become his parents’ primary caretaker. After Manny fell and fractured his hip, he went to the hospital for a hip replacement. During surgery, doctors discovered he had cancer. His condition was further complicated by kidney disease that required daily dialysis treatments. While he recovered, Manny also suffered a major cardiac event, briefly stopping his heart until he was revived. Once stabilized, Manny was transferred to the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago’s main hospital-based facility for veterans, to recover. He spent eight weeks there. During that time, Manny learned his parents had kicked him out of their house due to a family dispute. He was now homeless. He planned to live out of his car until his VA social worker told him about The Boulevard of Chicago. "God sent me angels,” said Manny. “I still don’t know how to thank you guys.” |  Manny, former resident of The Boulevard |
When Manny arrived at The Boulevard in April 2025, he received medical respite care, counseling and care management support. Every day, he signed out at 4 a.m. to make it to his dialysis by 5 a.m. “I liked the fact that I had a bed, three meals a day [and] a shower," said Manny. “If there was anything I needed, all I had to do was ask.” |
The Boulevard of Chicago is here to provide care and support to our residents so they can gain the stability and confidence they need to rebuild their lives. Please help us make a difference holiday season! You can make a real difference in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors.
You can help! Join us by choosing one or more of the following ways to provide people with the hope and the chance they need to renew their lives.
Bridging the Gap Homelessness Prevention Crisis FundWho will this help?The Boulevard's clients, who are all experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. Contributions to our crisis fund will help cover critical needs that pose heightened risk of homelessness for our clients. |  |
How can you help?Make a monetary donation today! - A $1000 donation will keep a family housed for another month - A $500 donation will provide a family with a months' worth of groceries - A $250 donation will pay for a family's monthly utility bills - A $100 donation will pay for winter weather clothing for a family - A $50 donation will provide a tank of gas for a family car | |
Adopt-A-Family for the Holidays!Did you know? In addition to our Medical Respite Care program, The Boulevard provides wrap-around case management and rental support to nearly 400 households throughout Chicago through our Housing & Health programs. Many of these households include children. Help us provide gifts for the holidays for the children in our outreach programs. |  |
How can you help?Make a monetary donation today! - A $500 donation will provide a family with a weeks' worth of groceries + funds for gifts - A $250 donation will provide a family with new coats for the winter - A $100 donation will provide a family's children with new shoes - A $50 donation will pay for one child's holiday present Make a Purchase from our Adopt-A-Family Wish List on Amazon. Shop the wish list and purchase a holiday gift that will go to a child in our program! Make sure the purchase ships to our administrative office at 542 S. Dearborn, Ste 300 in Chicago. Check out the Adopt-A-Family Wish List here. |
 | Make a Donation: No gift is too small. Your donation will go to support the people we serve each day. Donate today! |
 | Organize a Clothing Drive: The Boulevard is in need of winter weather clothing this year! Items needed include: coats, hats, gloves, scarves, winter boots, long pants, sweatshirts, warm wool socks. Men's sizes are needed more then women's, in sizes L-4X. Contact s.edens@blvd.org about drop-off details and for any questions. |
| Donate Other Needed Items: Hygiene kits, water bottles, full size shampoo bottles, tampons and pads. Contact s.edens@blvd.org about drop-off details and for any questions. |
| Make a Purchase from our Amazon Wishlist: Don't want the hassle of organizing a drive? Purchase something from our Amazon Wishlist and have it shipped directly to our facility! Check out our Wishlist here. |
| Share-A-Meal: You can prepare a meal and serve it to our medical respite program residents. Or, you can have a meal catered. Find out more by emailing s.edens@blvd.org. This opportunity is usually best for a volunteer group. |
| Become a Peer-to-Peer Fundraiser: Take this opportunity to become a Winter Walk fundraiser and share the news with your friends, family and colleagues. It’s simple. We have everything you need to start peer-to-peer fundraising during this season of giving. Then you can join us in 2026 for Chicago's second annual Winter Walk! Find out more. |