The Chicago Bar Association ( CBA ) on LGBT rights and issues welcomed special guest speakers Jim Flosi and Allen Hailey of EdgeAlliance for a presentation on the organization's mission, new direction and initiatives.
Hailey, EdgeAlliance's vice president of advancement, kicked off the discussion with a visual, historical tour of EdgeAlliance, formerly known as AIDSCare. He said that the organization was originally founded in 1992 as AIDSCare, a nonprofit whose mission was to provide housing and services for disenfranchised and marginalized men and women who were dying of AIDS. In 2009, AIDSCare became EdgeAlliance and adopted a wider mission to decrease homelessness and offer support to those living with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities and Veterans. Hailey believed that the name change was a step in the right direction to better reflect a more all-encompassing mission.
"We changed our name to EdgeAlliance in 2009 to better reflect an organization that is continuing to evolve to a position to respond to the housing and service needs of other vulnerable populations, in particular Veterans and seniors," said Hailey.
Hailey went on to share with guests EdgeAlliance's building and service expansions. In an $18-million capital campaign, the organization plans to build five buildings on the West Side known as the North Lawndale Campus. EdgeAlliance has already erected three of the five buildings including: The Phoenix, a 32-unit apartment building with studios for adults; Sawyer Gardens; and Garden View, a 34-unit building with mostly single parent, female-led households ( with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ) . The Daniel R. Ruscitti Wellness Center and The Liberty are currently in the works to target and support veterans and seniors. The campus provides services for residents as well.
"We believe that housing and support services should be provided in combination to contribute to positive outcomes for our residents," said Allen.
According to EdgeAlliance's website, the campus offers residents permanent supportive housing and features the following services available to residents: property management and development, life progress services, finance development and social enterprises. In particular, the life progress services aims to develop residents into more socially and financially stable citizens. Residents can participate in support groups for sober living, health and wellness workshops that focus on proper food preparation and nutrition, tenant relations, as well as other life skills. Jim Flosi, founder, president and CEO of EdgeAlliance, said he trusts that the programs and services are great to not only continue to serve EdgeAlliance's original demographic but also new ones under the organization's revamped mission statement.
"We try to do our best in supplying the development of housing, the actual housing of people, the feeding of those people and the care of those peopleand in doing that we really realized that we needed to expand our services to other populations," said Flosi.
Flosi went on to share EdgeAlliance's long-term goal to become an umbrella organization that other similar non-profits can reach out to for assistance and guidance. He added that he surveyed and found that most nonprofits from his survey and observation are excited to carry out their programs but tend to dislike administrative work and fundraising.
David Amen, the vice president of the LGBT committee for the CBA, was delighted to host Flosi and Hailey.
"I thought that it was extremely informative. I learned a lot of what EdgeAlliance does, and how I could participate in the future," said Amen.