Chicago Heights Community Needs and

Chicago Heights Community Needs and Services Demographics of Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a community whose members are substantially poorer than members of the state of Illinois, more generally. Chicago Heights median household income is substantially lower than that of other state residents. Some of the most significant social needs of the community relate to increasing employment potential of members of the community.

Various nonprofit social service organizations provide valuable assistance in connection with vocational training and placement, developmental disability, social problems linked to poverty, and to reducing inequities in health and disease in the community. Nonprofit Organizations Serving the Chicago Heights, Illinois Community Metropolitan Family Services Community Center Assistance for pregnant mothers & infants, elderly, mental illness & disabilities, teenagers, and victims of abuse. SouthSTAR Services Assists individuals (especially children) with developmental disabilities. Intended to improve vocational skills and maximize employment prospects.

Proactive Community Services Dedicated to providing health-related services to those at greater risk of communicable diseases and to resolve health and social inequities throughout the Southern Cook County community. Southwest Community Services Dedicated to helping children & adults suffering from developmental and physical disabilities, mental illness, hearing and vision impairments, and learning disabilities. Intended to increase the self-sufficiency of individuals in need by helping them secure the necessary training and related vocational opportunities.

Demographics of Chicago Heights, Illinois The community of Chicago Heights, Illinois comprises approximately 30,000 people, a population that has declined about 7% since 2000 (areavibes.com; city-data.com). The median age of the Chicago Heights population is 30.6 years, slightly younger than the statewide mean age of 34.7. As compared with the population of the state of Illinois, Chicago Heights is generally a community in greater need of social services and community assistance because its median household income of $38, 126 is substantially less than the statewide median income of $53, 966.

Similarly, the estimated mean property value in Chicago Heights is $130, 506 whereas it is $202, 200 throughout the state of Illinois (areavibes.com; city-data.com). The Chicago Heights population is 45.15% Caucasian, 37.52% African-American, and English is the predominant language, spoken by 75% of the population; Spanish is the next most commonly spoken language, relied upon by 20% of the population (areavibes.com; city-data.com).

Some of the most important needs of the Chicago Heights community are related to unemployment, vocational disabilities, and social issues commonly tied to low income communities, such as family dysfunction, spousal abuse, and teenage delinquency. There are several prominent nonprofit organizations that operate within the community and that provide essential support, developmental, and rehabilitation services intended to improve the living conditions and prospects of Chicago Heights residents.

Nonprofit Organizations Serving the Chicago Heights, Illinois Community Metropolitan Family Services Community Center The Metropolitan Family Services Community Center provides a wide range of social services for members of the Chicago Heights community. They include programs designed to assist pregnant mothers and infants, the elderly, individuals suffering from mental illness and other disabilities, teenagers, and victims of abuse (metrofamily.org).

More specifically, the organization maintains the following programs: Child and Youth Development, Counseling Services, Economic Stability Support, employee Assistance, Legal Aide, Mental Health, Older Adult Services, Parental Development, Public Policy Advocacy, and Violence Prevention and Intervention Programs (metrofamily.org). SouthSTAR Services SouthSTAR Services is a sixty-one-year-old nonprofit organization that is primarily dedicated to assisting individuals (especially children) with developmental disabilities to enable them to improve their abilities to become productive citizens and lead fulfilling lives that include maximizing their employment prospects (southstarservices.org).

SouthSTAR Services maintains a Day Services consisting of senior services, vocational educations, developmental training, and both adult and child home-based assistance services. The organization maintains Community Living Services, Employment and Volunteer Services, and a new Service Center in Indiana that provides community transition services, residential habilitation and support, workplace assistance, family and caregiver training, rent and food assistance for unrelated caregivers, and respite and transportation services for individuals in need. SouthSTAR Services employs more than 130 professionals with specialized training in providing developmental assistance to individuals in need (southstarservices.org).

Proactive Community Services Proactive Community Services is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing public health-related services to members of the community in need and to those at greater risk of communicable diseases (proactivecommunityservies.org). More specifically, the organization is intended to help resolve health and social inequities throughout the Southern Cook County community it serves and to provide the means to help individuals to improve their productivity and their opportunities in society.

Toward that end, this organization maintains programs dedicated to reducing susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy, addressing risk factor reduction in connection with chronic diseases, and to helping individuals overcome addiction and substance abuse. It also provides job training assistance and employment placement services (proactivecommunityservies.org). Southwest Community Services.