Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Homelessness is caused by two things: lack of affordable housing and the complex array of deficits generated by poverty, limited education and poor health. For people whose housing costs exceed more than a third of their income, homelessness is one medical crisis or job loss away. What most people don't realize is that more poor people live in suburbs than in cities today. Suburban homelessness is on the rise. BEDS Plus Care offers shelter for people who are literally homeless, giving them a warm and safe place to stay, meals and the opportunity to work with a case manager to address the problems that led to homelessness. BEDS provides housing assistance and safety net support to help them back on their feet. BEDS helps people who face the immediate threat of homelessness to keep their homes and avoid the downward spiral of becoming homeless. And BEDS provides permanent supportive housing to those who are simply unable to live independently.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Emergency Overnight Shelter
BEDS Plus operates a low barrier, rotating shelter system with a capacity of 80 beds per night at 14 locations in Southwest Suburban Cook County.
Where we work
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Average number of service recipients per month
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Count of all clients served, regardless of services.
Number of people no longer couch surfing or doubling up with others as a result of the nonprofit's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Homeless people
Related Program
Emergency Overnight Shelter
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of individuals who entered emergency shelter and exited to housing
Number of people using homeless shelters per week
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Homeless people
Related Program
Emergency Overnight Shelter
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Larger shelter sites available in 2019 that expanded the number of beds available on any given night to 80 from 70.
Number of households that obtain/retain permanent housing for at least 6 months
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2017 increase reflects strategic investment of greater case management and financial assistance resources in Fiscal Year 2016-17, based on response to client needs.
Number of homeless participants engaged in mental health services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of clients receiving services and referrals for mental health and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. 2017 increase driven by shelter system expansion from 35 to 70 beds/night.
Number of bed nights (nights spent in shelter)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Homeless people
Related Program
Emergency Overnight Shelter
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Increase in 2017 reflects expansion of emergency overnight shelter system in Fiscal Year 2016/17
Number of emergency meals provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Homeless people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
BEDS provides lunch and snacks at two Daytime Support Centers, provides hot dinner, breakfast and bagged lunch to shelter clients, and participates in food rescue to address needs of housed clients.
Number of homeless participants engaged in housing services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Homeless people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our MISSION is to help vulnerable individuals stabilize their lives through housing and supportive services.
We provide a comprehensive range of services, which include emergency overnight shelters, daytime support centers, rapid rehousing services, and transitional and permanent supportive housing facilities, and partner with a range of healthcare and social support service providers to meet our clients’ individual needs.
Our GOALS are to:
• Reduce and end homelessness in Southwest Suburban Cook County
• Connect our clients with affordable housing and successfully reintegrate them back into the community.
• Make our communities stronger and safer for everyone
Our OBJECTIVES are to:
• Successfully and efficiently deliver services that stabilize individuals and families who are at risk of homelessness or literally homeless
• Reintegrate homeless individuals and families back into their communities as contributing members.
Our VISION is to end homelessness.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
BEDS Plus Care follows the proven strategies identified by decades of research conducted by HUD and independent research conducted by housing advocates and academics.
In 2012, BEDS adopted a Housing First strategy, transforming the agency from primarily a local provider of emergency overnight shelter to a regional partner delivering the entire spectrum of services to reduce and end homelessness. These include Rapid Rehousing, which emphasizes housing as the first step in treating homelessness, accompanied by safety net supports, to move people to independence. Permanent Supportive Housing recognizes the needs of highly vulnerable homeless who cannot live independently and rely disproportionately on emergency services for their needs. Transitional Housing helps people, such as victims of domestic violence, who need a year of intense support before they are ready to succeed in Rapid Housing. Homelessness Prevention stops the harm caused by homelessness before it starts.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have successfully secured a healthy mix of public and private support to strategically add staff and implement best practices in ending and preventing homelessness. As a result, BEDS has been able to help more clients each year; the number of clients served annually has grown exponentially since 2012 when BEDS was still primarily a homeless shelter organization. In our last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2018, we served 920 clients and secured permanent housing for 152 households.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Expansion of our Emergency Overnight Shelter System in 2017 from 7 to 19 shelters and capacity to shelter 60 guests per night - twice our prior capacity.
Opening of a purpose built permanent supportive housing unit, Ogden Avenue Supportive Housing, with 20 single occupancy units for chronically homeless, highly vulnerable adults.
Acquisition of transitional housing stock, LaGrange Area Transitional Housing, dedicated to low income, housing insecure families with a child who has a disability.
Acquisition of a new single site permanent supportive housing building that will add 13 units to the current stock of 50 single and scattered site housing units.
In all, our efforts have meant that 920 clients, the largest number to date, are benefiting from shelter services, safety net supports, and housing assistance and individualized case management - a substantial contribution to reducing and ending homelessness in Southwest Suburban Cook County.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email, Program exit interviews,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
The need for readily accessible mental health services was identified by clients. In 2019 the agency launched a partnership with The Cognitive Clinic, a small, socially-conscious practice in one of our communities to provide individual and group services at a shelter location. During COVID19 the Clinic arranged telehealth appointments for counseling.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
BEDS, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 11/30/2020
Mr. Mark Laubacher
Silver Birch Living - Affordable Housing
Term: 2018 - 2019
Susan Valentine, J.D.
Valentine & Bueschel
Janet Dahl, J.D.
Community Activist
Richard Hillsman
Managing Director, Debt Capital Markets, Fifth Third Bank, Retired
Nick Furio
Marketing Consultant, James Hardie Company
Bonnie Hampton
Owner/Managing Broker, Berkshire Hathaway Home Service
Isabel Noth, PhD
Adjunct Professor of Public Health, UIC
Meredith Onion, M.Div.
Associate Minister, First Congregational Church of Western Springs
Rick Rius
Senior Business Development Officer, Radiant Logic
David Schwartz, J.D.
Partner, PFS Attorneys at Law
Gilbert Vega
Operations Manager, SpringCM
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data