Following community rumors of a possible merger between the Chicago House and Center on Halsted, officials from both organizations denied such a merger was in the works.
Rev. Stan Sloan, CEO of Chicago House, acknowledged that "informal discussions" had taken place in the past, but said that nothing was planned.
Sloan told Windy City Times that, since some work that each organization was doing overlapped, there had been discussions "to see if our donors would be better served if we joined together."
But those discussions were inconclusive, he said.
"We thought, if this is results in something happening two years from now, great," Sloan added. "Or if it results in something happening five years from now, great. But at this point we would be just as likely to merge with any other agency in Chicago as we would be with Center on Halsted."
In an email, Center on Halsted CEO Modesto 'Tico' Valle noted collaborations between the two organizations but concurred with Sloan.
"Center on Halsted and Chicago House are close community partners with missions and visions which complement each other," Valle said. "Therefore the organizations work synergistically and in tandem. Just this past year, Center on Halsted recognized the TransLife Center, a program of Chicago House, with a Human First Community Spirit Award and the two organizations are joining forces again in the 46th Annual Pride parade for a unified float. This is all in addition to cross-programming the organizations participate in. With this being said, there are no established or official plans for Chicago House and Center on Halsted to merge."