North Suburban Mennonite Church| Libertyville, Illinois

Providing Advocacy, Dignity, and Shelter (PADS) provides emergency shelter and supportive services to individuals and families with children experiencing homelessness in Lake County. We offer a safe environment with a comprehensive and proven approach to enhancing the quality of life for those experiencing homelessness and those living at risk of becoming homeless.

As the only non-restrictive, nighttime emergency shelter program in Lake County, PADS shelter sites are housed in fifteen different churches every night of the week on a seasonal basis (October 1st through April 30th). PADS also has one year-round fixed site emergency shelter in Waukegan. Staff and volunteers provide dinner, breakfast, and a bag lunch. Depending on distance, clients either walk or are driven to the sites at 7:00 p.m. and picked up at 7:00 a.m. by PADS buses. The nighttime shelters are staffed primarily with volunteers, and each shelter has a staff member present or on call at all times during the hours the shelters are open.

NSMC volunteers at two of the Libertyville shelters—a family shelter at the United Methodist Church, and a men's shelter near St. Joseph's Catholic Church sponsored by First Presbyterian Church—by taking early morning shifts, which involves serving breakfast, handing out lunches, and helping with some cleanup. The NSMC youth group has also prepared lunches and delivered them to a shelter.

Some things we can all do to make a difference:

• Learn about homelessness and educate others.
• Support the development of affordable housing.
• Volunteer at a local shelter—no matter what you do for a living, you can help the homeless with your on-the-job talents and skills.
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
• Donate groceries, extra food and paper products.
• Become a landlord to a family that is transitioning out of a homeless shelter.
• Help a family move or provide “house warming gifts” such as linens, dishes, pots and pans, small appliances and lamps for children, youth and families who are moving out of the shelter and into their own homes.
• No matter how large or small, donate money to help those in our backyard who need help the most!