Inspiration Cafe

Been reading about the Inspiration Cafe in Chicago. They creatively assist over 2,500 people affected by homelessness and poverty each year.

The Inspiration Cafe was founded in 1989 by Lisa Nigro, a Chicago police officer who began searching for a way to respond to the homelessness she encountered in Uptown. She began by loading up a red wagon with sandwiches and coffee to distribute to homeless individuals on the streets.

Eventually she opened the first cafe serving meals in a restaurant-style setting where people are given the dignity to order from a full menu.

The Inspiration Cafe also provides career training and services, tuition subsidies, a community voice mail service enabling people to connect with family and employers, daytime social services such as laundry, showers and bag lunches, housing locators, and rent subsidies.

This is all done in a restorative community designed to help individuals on their journey toward self-sufficiency. 

There are approximately 5,100 homeless men, women, and children on the streets of Des Moines every night. Imagine the possibilities!