UNIV 291 Research Presentation

1. Sarah’s circle
Research
Project
Chi Uchendu
Debbie Gleason
Jasmyne Gorrel
Jessica Lundgren

2. Background/ context-Chi
 Homelessness since the 1980s has been a
dominant phenomenon that has caused
several individuals to be
displaced, unsheltered and in need for the
basic necessities of life.
 Studies have shown that women are the
fastest growing group of homeless people in
the Americas
 In effect there is a need for a proper support
and advocacy system

3. Causes and Dangers
 Domestic violence
 Rape
 Financial hardships
 Abuse (physical, emotional, etc)
 Lack of affordable housing
In order to address this issue Sarah's circle combines
community action with outside partnerships and
alliances to address the immediate needs of the
women. Therefore in order to create a safe space
for these women and empower them, the
community partner plays an important role in
supplying the outside resources, and funding
needed to carry out the programs. Popular items
are toiletries, clothing, feminine products etc.

4. Brief facts about Sarah’s circle
 Created in 1979
 Formally known as Harper House
 Located in the Chicago institute for
cultural affairs in Uptown Chicago
 Offer a range of Physical
Services, Permanent supportive
housing, case management
services, clinical services, and community
space.

5. Research Questions-Chi
 Discover how we can use this project to make a
lasting impact on the organization, the people, and
the community as a whole?
 Also we need to figure out the impact our research
will have on the service organization? Our aim is to
make a positive difference.
 More importantly we need to also figure out and
determine a way to effectively communicate with
organizations and businesses to create lasting
partnerships with Sarah’s Circle, which will be
beneficial to both clients?

6. Data
Collection
Debbie

7.  Creating Partnerships
 Relevant programs for clients
 Data collection:
 Informal interviews
 Research
 (Formal) Emails, Phone calls, Visits

8. Spreadsheet
 Created spreadsheet
 Kept track of yes’s, no’s, and maybe’s
 Seven different categories

9. Data
Analysis
Debbie

10.  Unexpected Pattern
 Religious Organizations
 Biggest Trend: can’t help everyone!
 Already agreed to partner with
organizations
 Reached seasonal quota
 Loyola community
 Toiletry and Clothing Drive
 Creating new Club/Partnering with others
 Reach out before the holiday season!
 Spread the word: Positive outcome

11. Presentation
of Data
Jessica

12. Data
 Seven spreadsheets total
 Six categories for potential donations:
hotels, religious organizations, department
stores, dentist offices, grants and other
organizations
 One category for educational programs

13. Example of Data
Potential Hotels For Community Donations
Location(
Neighborhoo
Name of Hotel d) Address Phone number Willing to donate?
909 North
Michigan
Avenue
(between Yes<-- Claudia
Delaware Pl & Smith & Laura
Near North Walton St) Kane.
The Westin Michigan Side/ Chicago, IL claudia.smith@west
Avenue Streeterville 60611 (312) 943-7200 in.com
Unable to donate
toilitries at the
230 N Michigan moment, but can
Ave help with
(between Lake St fundraising efforts.
& Wacker Pl) Onya Chesser.
Chicago, IL ochesser@hardrock

14. Results & Findings
 Hotels
 56 Contacted. One official partnership & one
hotel willing to help with fundraising efforts
 Most hotels prefer requests in writing as opposed
to phone calls for tax purposes
 Obstacles: Some hotels gave us invalid e-mail
addresses to contact or take a long time to
respond to letters
 Religious Organizations
 12 Contacted. One official partnership
 Mostly “maybe” answers due to unanswered
calls or the uncertainty of starting a collection.

15. Results & Findings Cont.
 Department Stores
 Two contacted; no potential partnerships as of this
moment
 Seemed more willing to help out since a group member
went and spoke with them in person
 Dentist Offices
 One contacted; one willing to donate
 A group member asked their own dentist and she was
interested in the cause
 Other Organizations
 Eight contacted; two official partnerships
 Obstacles: Mostly paper or online applications, so it takes
awhile to respond
 Some organizations only donate to affiliates , had to read
fine print of website

16. Results & Findings Cont.
 Grants
 Unable to contact due to time constraints
 A list of recommended organizations that can
hopefully benefit Sarah’s Circle in the future
 Educational Programs
 Unable to contact due to time constraints
 A list of topics that affect homeless women greatly(
suggested by community partner) due to the lack of
feedback on educational programs by women
 Did find that women would enjoy more recreational
activities

17. What We Learned
 Harder to obtain donations than we
expected
 Easy to obtain personal donations from
friends or family as well as through the
Loyola community
 Some organizations do not place a great
deal of emphasis on helping non-profits or
take on more than they can handle

18. Implications
Jasmyne

19. Implications
 Only 5% of those we
contacted are willing to help.
 Why?
 The Earlier the Better.
 “We need the same type of
assistance.”
 Larger Corps only offer
assistance to organizations
in the community of their
headquarters.
 Or they give to orgs on a
National (NOT Local) Level.
 Current State of the
Economy
Willing Not No Reply  Tourism is down.
 Church attendance is down.

20. Suggestions For Further Research
 Whole Foods
 Offers two programs to
Local organization:
o One Dime at a Time
• Donates 10 cents each time a
customer brings one bag
back to the store.
o Community 5% Days
• The store donates 5% of its
revenues on a designated
day.
 Possiblepartnership
could be
beneficial, especially with
Fruits and Veggies
Project.

21. Suggestions for Further Research Cont.
 Overall the women are satisfied
with the programs…
 However, more interactive
programs are requested.
 Future possible programs:
o Physical Fitness
• Kickboxing
• Zumba
• Yoga
→ Improve physical and mental
health
→ Build self esteem
→ Increase social and team
building activities
 Journal and/or Poetry Writing
• Increase creativity and
individuality
• Build social skills
• Helps written and verbal
communication skills.

22. Conclusion
 Women are the fastest growing group of
homeless individuals in the United States.
 Sarah’s Circle helps the women rebuild
themselves physically and emotionally.
 Our initial strategy was to contact religious
organization and hotels.
• We reformed our initial strategy
 Too much to accomplish in just one semester.
 Reaching out and/or implementing the
physical programs, educational wellness and
corporations will see a positive response.