More than just lacking essential resources: Early trauma and mental illness often lead to homelessness. “Not only is mental health a huge component in becoming homeless, but it can also be a huge component in remaining homeless.” Finding housing for our clients at Primo Center is just one part of the scope of services we… Read more »
News & Events
Heroes of The COVID Crisis: How Christine Achre of Primo Center helped provide shelter for homeless children during the pandemic
An Interview With Phil La Duke Originally published by Authority Magazine and Thrive Global Practice Active Listening. A large part of effectively supporting our community is by practicing active listening. We practice active listening every day with our families and learn a lot more about their needs, concerns, and general feelings about their situation. We… Read more »
Primo Center Partners with Global Gift Registry to Raise In-Kind Donations for Homeless Chicago Women and Children
Primo Center, Chicago’s largest and highest performing provider of services and shelter for homeless children and their families, becomes the first Chicago recipient and partner of Global Gift Registry. Created during the COVID-19 crisis, The Global Gift Registry, channels the resources of a diverse group of women to provide essential resources to expectant women and… Read more »
Taking care of Chicago’s most vulnerable during COVID-19 outbreak
Christine Achre, CEO of Primo Center, talks about the services and shelter they’re providing for homeless children and families in Chicago amid the coronavirus pandemic. View the video on FOX32 Chicago
A Note From The CEO – May 2020
It is hard to believe that it has been three months since the pandemic upended life in this country. While many people have been sheltering in place, our frontline staff has been working tirelessly to serve our homeless families in this difficult and ever-changing situation. Primo Center’s community of supporters has stepped up in ways… Read more »
Kids Connected: Breaking the cycle of poverty through integrated healthcare
COVID-19 is exposing Chicago’s deep economic and health inequities that have plagued Black and Brown communities on the South and West sides of the city for generations. There is a 30-year life expectancy gap between residents living in the North and South and West sides of Chicago. This disparity can be attributed to social determinants… Read more »
Combatting COVID-19 Through Community Collaboration
Every person, family and business is affected today by COVID-19. Families with unstable housing feel the effects even more severely. At Primo Center, we feel the pandemic’s impact throughout the organization and on the lives of the children and families we serve. The pandemic has intensified our clients’ challenges and created new obstacles for us…. Read more »
Chicago Tribune Letter to the Editor: No child should be homeless
(Originally Published by the Chicago Tribune on October 16, 2019) You know the drill: young family, just starting out in the city. The oldest child turns 5 and off they go to the suburbs. Why? The schools. But not us. We are Chicago Public Schools parents. And let us tell you, it’s sometimes been a… Read more »
NBC5 Chicago Visits the ECK for a Lesson on Healthy Holiday Side Dishes
Englewood chef and entrepreneur, Jessica Holmes, stopped by the Englewood Community Kitchens at Primo Center to teach our mothers how to prepare healthier side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. https://www.nbcchicago.com/local/web-5pm-primo-center-thanksgiving-trotter-cc/2164518/
CEO, Christine Achre, speaks with Joan Esposito on WCPT-AM
Christine joined Joan in-studio to talk about Primo Center’s trauma-informed services and goal to end family homelessness in Chicago. Her interview starts at 21:37. https://soundcloud.com/chicagosprogressivetalk/joan-esposito-live-local-progressive-02132020