CIRCLE URBAN MINISTRIES

Circle Urban Ministries' mission is to help create safe and productive neighborhoods where people have access to opportunities to thrive. For over 50 years, Circle Urban Ministries has been a cornerstone of transformation in Chicago’s Austin community, home to nearly 97,000 residents. Our mission is to break cycles of systemic poverty by enhancing educational opportunities, fostering social and vocational growth in at-risk youth, and providing critical resources to stabilize low-income families. What sets Circle Urban Ministries apart is our holistic, long-term approach to community development. Unlike traditional service providers, we integrate direct support with strategic community redevelopment, reinvesting in sustainable initiatives that generate lasting change. A defining feature of our model is our decade-long systemic initiatives addressing major community challenges. In the 1980s, we created a federally qualified healthcare facility. In the 1990s, we founded a school that is now a Level 1 charter school with a graduation rate exceeding 90%, boosting graduation rates across Austin by 10%. In the 2000s, we tackled housing, building and renovating over 500 units. From 2010 to 2020, we established the St. Josephine Bakhita Recovery Home, which supports 50 individuals annually in overcoming substance abuse while providing housing and services specifically for women and their children. Our 2020-2030 Initiatives are centered on food security, housing security and job creation. Each of these initiatives are grounded in providing economic opportunities to create generational wealth in our community to lift our neighbors from poverty. Today, the Circle Campus serves more than 13,000 individuals annually. Since our inception, we have distributed over 2.5M pounds of food, provided healthcare to over 80,000, assisted over 15,000 with housing and employment, and offered outreach and crisis intervention services to more than 65,000 people.