Making a House a Home
Over our history, the Chicago House logo has evolved to reflect the organization’s mission in each era. From fast-moving text that captured the urgency of our founders’ early activism, to a bold oversized abbreviation that mirrored the courage it took to support clients living longer with HIV, each version told a story about who we were becoming. Today’s logo—a simple outline of a house with a heart at its center—is more than a symbol. It reminds us that while a house may be only a collection of walls, a home is built on a strong foundation and the people who help you move forward.
When five residents in our housing program first arrived—at different times and from different circumstances—none of them expected to form a community. One had recently returned from military service, working to rebuild his mental health and sense of stability. Another had been navigating homelessness while managing health issues and the pressure of keeping a job. The others carried their own burdens: family rejection, legal or recovery challenges, chronic pain, or simply the exhaustion of having nowhere safe to land.
Their stories were different, but their paths ran parallel. Each had lived through periods of disruption and disconnection. Each arrived seeking safety and room to breathe. And in the shared rhythms of daily life—quiet conversations in the hallway, encouraging words before appointments, reminders to rest, shared meals—a chosen family formed. They didn’t need identical histories to understand one another. Their challenges overlapped in ways that created trust.
Healing looked different for each of them. For some, it meant reconnecting to medical care or building mobility. For others, it meant staying sober, maintaining employment, or learning to speak up for their needs. But together, they found what so many people spend years searching for: an authentic, loving community.
Now, after years of progress and growth, these five residents are preparing to move on from the program—not separately, but together. They’ve chosen to live in the same building, carrying forward the family they established under our roof. Chicago House will continue to support them through medical case management and ongoing services, but the next steps are theirs to walk, heart to heart.
A house becomes a home when the people inside are strengthened by connections that foster hope. This family—founded on shared resilience and care—is ready to step into the next chapter together, carrying the spirit of Chicago House with them.