Description: The CARA Program assists the homeless and at-risk in returning to a life of achivement through comprehensive training, job placement and critical support services.

Mission: According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, approximately 3.5 million people in the United States experience homelessness annually. The University of Illinois at Chicago has found that there are 166,000 people in Chicago who are homeless at some point during the year. These individuals are not only the visibly homeless, panhandling on street corners, or those living in shelters and recovery homes. They are also families who are past due on their rent, soon to be evicted but with nowhere else to go. These are men and women who are simply not able to support themselves and their families with day labor jobs, temporary assignments or jobs at fast food restaurants. Research from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition shows that nowhere in the U.S. is it possible to work in a full-time minimum-wage job and be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment at a fair market rate. One way our society has attempted to deal with the problem of homelessness is by providing training and job placement services. This traditional "job placement model" focuses on transferring new skill sets to the homeless and at-risk populations with the principal purpose of helping them find employment. This seems sensible since these individuals ultimately need good jobs, and with good j