Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants

We envision a just society in which everyone, regardless of national origin, has basic human rights including livelihood, family unity, self-determination, and physical and emotional safety.

ICDI provides housing, goods, and services to asylum seekers in Illinois to prepare them
for independent living.

1: ICDI promotes an end to poverty by helping to prevent homelessness and poverty for asylum seekers through our housing and case management programs.
3: ICDI promotes good health and wellbeing within the people we serve through our case management services. We facilitate participants medical, dental and mental health services through our Housing and Case Management programs.
16: ICDI promotes peaceful and inclusive societies through our Housing and Case Management programs by offering an alternative to unjust and inhumane immigration detention.

Our capabilities for promoting the three aforementioned sustainable development goals are established through our years of doing the housing work, a devoted staff including case managers, mentor teams to support our participants, community partnerships and of course, donors. For nearly 11 years, ICDI has offered housing for asylum seekers and mentor teams that support them. Mentors support residents in housing by driving them to doctor's appointments or taking them grocery shopping. Our case managers are also a lifeline for our participants by connecting them with medical, dental, mental health and job/school preparation services. We also have close relationships with The Chicago School, the Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture, Howard Brown Health Center, a local dentist and Cook County that allow us to help our participants. Financial support from our donors also make us capable of doing the work we do.

ICDI serves through three programs:  

1) ICDI’s Welcome and Essentials Team

“Sharing goods with newcomers, providing for their needs.”
This team meets migrants at: the Greyhound Bus Station, the Chicago police stations
where migrants must await shelter placement, at the tent cities that have sprung up
as the police stations are full, and in the city’s shelters.  This team provides essential
goods from two warehouses where clothing and personal items are gathered and
stored.

2) ICDI’s Housing Team

“Empowering communities to receive newcomers, providing safe places.”
This team works with the community to provide safe and healthy places to live. The
wrap-around care that ICDI housing offers is provided by community volunteers,
trained mentors, and ICDI’s Case Management Team.

3) ICDI’s Case Management Team

“Establishing a foothold for newcomers, providing support for self-sufficiency.”
This team provides trauma-informed care to all participants, and helps them: enroll in
public benefits, enroll children in public school, secure necessary appointments
(medical, mental health, educational, and legal etc.), provides access to all available
community resources including mutual aid and transportation.