Homelessness & Poverty
![Homelessness]()
Local and Statewide Assistance
- Catholic Charities/Diocese of Joliet Shelter and support services Phone: 815.723.3405
- Hesed House Helps with shelter and food for the homeless (Aurora) Phone: 630.897.2156
- Homeless Shelter Directory/Illinois Directory of homeless shelters throughout Illinois
- Illinois Department of Human Services Housing, shelter, and homelessness resources
- Interfaith Food Pantry of Plainfield Local food distribution Phone: 815-439-8394
- MorningStar Mission Homeless shelter (Joliet) Phone: 815.722.5780
- Plainfield Public Library District Pantry: food/supplies for those in need (located on the east side of our library)
- Wayside Cross Ministries Help for the homeless (Aurora) Phone: 630.892.4239
- Will County Center for Community Concerns Broad range of support services Phone: 815-722-0722
- Will County PATH (Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness)
Books
- Dignity : seeking respect in back row America by Chris Arnade (available in print)
- High-risers : Cabrini-Green and the fate of American public housing by Ben Austen (available in print)
- Invisible Americans : the tragic cost of child poverty by Jeff Madrick (available in print)
- The Librarian’s guide to homelessness : an empathy-driven approach to solving problems, preventing conflict, and serving everyone by Ryan Dows (available in print)
- Maid : hard work, low pay, and a mother’s will to survive by Stephanie Land (available in print, as an eBook and as eAudio)
- The prosperity paradox : how innovation can lift nations out of poverty by Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon (available in print)
- You can’t go wrong doing right : how a child of poverty rose to the White House and helped change the world by Robert J. Brown (available in print and eAudio)
National/Global Organizations
- Borgen Project
- Feeding America
- Habitat for Humanity
- Housing and Urban Development
- Institute for Research on Poverty Research institution whose goal is to combat poverty and inequality
- National Alliance to End Homelessness
- NAEHCY National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
- National Coalition for the Homeless
- OPAD Organization for Poverty Alleviation and Development
- OXFAM Oxford Committee for Famine Relief
- Salvation Army
Movies
DVDs:
- The American Nurse
- The line: poverty in America
- Poverty, Inc.
- Poverty, politics & profits: the housing crisis
Streaming:
- Growing Up Poor in America | Frontline (PBS)
- What’s Behind Rising Homelessness in America? (PBS)
- Why is There Still Poverty in America? (The Economist)
- Why the US Can’t Solve Homelessness (CNBC)
Websites/Articles
- US Federal Poverty Guidelines 2022
- Getting stimulus payments to homeless communities (Federal Trade Commission)
- Frequently Asked Questions About Homelessness (National Health Care for the Homeless Council)
- Homelessness in America (National Coalition for the Homeless)
- Homelessness Statistics by State (US Interagency Council on Homelessness)
- How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty (US Census Bureau)
- Poverty Overview (The World Bank)
- State of Homelessness 2021 Edition (National Alliance to End Homelessness)
- HUD Releases 2021 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
