Lazarus House
Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Crisis
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Many diverse factors cause homelessness and put people at risk, including “systemic issues" of unemployment, low wages, expensive housing, lack of health insurance, coupled with “personal issues," such as divorce, domestic violence, alcohol and substance abuse, serious mental health issues, physical illness, and poor money management. Lazarus House serves the diverse populations impacted by these issues and works with over 50 social service agencies to provide support to address the underlying cause(s).
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Homeless Shelter, Transitional Housing and Homeless Prevention
Lazarus House offers three comprehensive programs: Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing and Outreach/Homeless Prevention services to the homeless or those in crisis in central Kane County, Illinois. The majority of those served within the three programs are from households without income or low wage paying jobs, many with physical and mental health issues, substance abuse, domestic violence and/or a variety of other issues. We are also help line to link people in need of support services and a life-line for the food insecure within the community who can receive 3 meals daily/365 days a year. Case management, education & employment coaching are essential pieces of the services that Lazarus House provides. Within these, self-esteem and empowerment are integrated concepts. These vital services often become the stepping stones used to improve guest’s ongoing learning, self-sufficiency and successful employment. Lazarus House does not duplicate the efforts of other providers. We are the only emergency shelter and transitional living facility serving men, women, and children in the central Kane County area.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of guests that have increased their income, if their income had been insufficient to afford housing.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Homeless Shelter, Transitional Housing and Homeless Prevention
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of guests that have acquired new or increased existing employment/income, started new training or education to increase employment, and/or have acquired benefits.
Number of personal development plans in place
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Homeless Shelter, Transitional Housing and Homeless Prevention
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of guests that have actively engaged or participated in weekly, in-depth case management meetings to identify and address their barriers to housing.
Number of bed nights (nights spent in shelter)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Homeless Shelter, Transitional Housing and Homeless Prevention
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This metric counts the total number of nights Lazarus House has provided it's community. 20 people sheltered in one night=20 nights
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?
Lazarus House's mission is to offer guests connected to our communities, who are homeless or in need, hope for the future by providing hospitality, food, safe shelter, and education – tools for life.
Goals are to:
• Help the homeless return to independent living with the skills and habits needed for long-term success.
• Offer services and referrals to help those in need in our community in order to prevent homelessness and support the well-being of individuals and their families.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Lazarus House supports its neighbors in crisis. We accomplish this in many ways:
• Safe shelter, food, personal hygiene items and shower and laundry facilities, access to clothing and healthcare
• Assess, coach and link to needed services in the community and to federal and state programs as they begin to rebuild their lives.
• Provide professional employment coaching and assistance in finding living wage jobs; resume writing/interviewing skills; identifying training needs to improve employability; GED tutoring.
• Enhancing income, financial stability, employment and skill development.
• Provide classes that support successful living issues such as: employment, self-esteem, healthy relationships, financial literacy, parenting and domestic violence support.
• Help households attain and retain housing via financial and referral support.
• A “Food Only” program which is a life-line of up to 4 meals daily for over 60 guests each year.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Just as Lazarus House has grown physically in the past 26 years, we continually strive to maintain, yet also grow and continually adapt our programs to provide essential services needed to those served in our area. To accomplish this we strive to: acquire qualified, compassionate Board Members & staff, develop/expand partnerships with service agencies, cultivate volunteer relationships & utilize their specific strengths, provide ongoing pertinent training, and increase issue awareness.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Last fiscal year, Lazarus House provided 147 individuals were provided 13,645 nights of service within our shelter. Nineteen of those served were children, 49 were women and 79 men were served. Within Homeless Prevention Services, 80 unduplicated individuals/40 households were provided with rental/utility assistance. The majority of those served within the three programs are from households without income or low wage paying jobs, many with physical and mental health issues, substance abuse, domestic violence and/or a variety of other issues. We are also help line to link people in need of support services and a life-line for the food insecure within the community who can receive 3 meals daily/365 days a year.
Lazarus House is working toward completing affordable, shared housing units for those within the shelter returning to independent housing.
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 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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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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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, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
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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- 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.
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.
Lazarus House
Board of directorsas of 02/06/2024
Bob McDowell
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 ? No -
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? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/06/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.