The Eleanor Network | HOW's Center for Working Women

A network of resources to support economic self-sufficiency

Partnering for Success

Our grantee partners help single working female heads-of-households to achieve lasting economic independence. But that's not all. We're also meeting the growing need of employers in the Chicagoland region by helping them develop programs to gain and retain skilled workers. Read more about our partnerships here.

HOW's Center for Working Women

Share |

November 8, 2011

The average age of a homeless person in the United States is nine years old.

This heartbreaking statistic reflects the fact that many families across America are struggling to simply survive every day. And lower-income working women are a large percentage of those whose economic self-sufficiency will secure households and strengthen our communities. Securing housing for these women means success for their children.

Cynthia Young directs HOW's Center for Working Women—an Eleanor Network partner serving women throughout Chicago from the city's north side Rogers park community.

Since 1983, Housing Opportunities for Women (HOW) has sought to help women and families break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. HOW is the Eleanor Foundation's longest-standing grantee partner, a relationship dating back to a three-year pilot project launched in 2003 that sought to leverage HOW's "housing-first" model to meet the needs of single working mothers striving to achieve self-sufficiency. This relationship has deepened with the launch of a more ambitious program—HOW's Center for Working Women (CWW), funded with our support and now part of the Eleanor Network.

CWW runs from a storefront location in the Edgewater neighborhood that borders Rogers Park on Chicago's north side. But the program serves women from throughout the city. CWW's fundamental approach is to stabilize women's situations so that they can concentrate on education and their careers. It offers individualized support, including access to affordable housing, career resources, and financial coaching.

CWW connects single working women to affordable apartments through the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund—which awards the Eleanor Foundation up to $822,000 per year in rental subsidies for women served by Eleanor Network programs. CWW further leverages its own subsidized housing options, including federal stimulus funds made available through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program.

In its first 18 months, CWW has served 100 single working women. "Nine times out of 10, the women we talk to are facing some sort of crisis," says Cynthia Young, CWW's Director. "It's often housing or job-related, and women have heard we can help."

"Being part of the Eleanor Network lets us help these ladies focus on their careers and do better for themselves," notes Young. "We get them what they need, wherever they are—and help them get to the next point."

Many of the women in our target population are housing-distressed—that is, they pay more than 50% of their income on housing. This means they struggle to pay other bills, and often have bad credit as a result. Helping these women improve their credit is a major step to safeguarding their economic situations. So CWW works with another Network partner—Heartland's IDEA program—to offer monthly workshops showing them how to plan for expenses and to build savings.

Meanwhile, student loan debt keeps many women from going back to school to build their skills through reputable, accredited programs. Accordingly, CWW works with City College agencies to help women get out of default. "It's a tough, long haul and can take at least six months before women can register for classes," says Young.

Despite the challenges, Young and her team (which includes career coach Ruby Dorsey) find their work inspiring. "We help women achieve monumental things in their lives. It makes you happy to be a part of that."

Partnering for Success

HOW's Center for Working Women

Other Stories