100K to Home Capital Campaign

Project Fierce Chicago seeks to create affirming transitional housing for LGTBQIA+ youth in Chicago that is responsive to the needs of young people. By mobilizing our communities, we provide pathways to independence.

PFC was conceptualized in 2012 in response to the founder’s years of work with young people in Chicago. The common denominator with many of these young folks was the need for safe, affirming housing in which to become stabilized, access resources and to heal and grow from lives often fraught with institutional and interpersonal violence. After working within institutions that were not always responsive to young people’s needs, PFC’s founder set out to create a program design that utilized the rich skills, talent, and resources from within the LGBTQ community. The organization publicly launched in April 2013, with a crowd-funding campaign to pay for 501(c)3 filing. The community gave over $8,000 more than what was requested, which indicated a broad interest in this issue and pointed to the moment being right to push the work forward. PFC acquired 501(c)3 status in the summer of 2013, and has been evolving ever since.

PFC has spent the last four years building a sustainable foundation, including cultivating community, small businesses, foundation and donor support. Through this work, we have also created a base of committed volunteers and board members, and established the infrastructure to provide community-based, youth centered, transitional housing. Due to your support and belief in our mission, in 2015 we were able to purchase a four flat apartment building in North Lawndale, on Chicago's West Side, for $79,500 cash. It is here where we will provide transitional housing and supportive services in a community sorely lacking in these services for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.

In order to begin operating by the end of the year, Project Fierce Chicago needs your continued support to complete the renovation by late fall/early winter. On May 30th, we are launching our 100k to Home Capital Campaign, with the goal of raising $100,000 by September 1st. 100% of funds raised will go towards the renovation of the home. Since the purchase of the house, we have been working diligently to begin the first phase of renovation, including completing the following:

• Basement, concrete flooring, and porch repair
• Fixing massive plumbing leaks & plumbing infrastructure
• General maintenance and security
• Insurance

This has brought us closer to our goal of getting the home up to code and safe for youth to live and thrive in. We are also working with Designs for Dignity to redesign the interior of the home to increase space so that we can safely house up to 10 young people. We have truly appreciated the tremendous amount of support we have received since our founding in 2013, and your continued support this year will make this long held dream a reality. We need you to achieve this goal! Your donation to our capital campaign will go toward the following one time renovation expenses:

• General contractor, $31,000
• Plumbing, $46,400
• Electrical, $12,000
• Unexpected building expenses and/or maintenance expenses and 15% contingency for the first six months of operation, $10,600