Created in response to the HIV epidemic, in 1991 Children’s Place opened the Midwest’s first residential facility providing 24-nursing care for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Today we serve nearly 400 Chicago-area children and caregivers each year who struggle with a wide variety of conditions including cancer, epilepsy and autism as well as HIV – we remain the Chicago area’s leading provider of programming for children in families living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to serious health issues, the common link among our clients is poverty. Our clients struggle with multiple barriers to meeting basic needs, including unemployment, hunger, homelessness, neighborhood violence, disrupted families, serious health concerns, isolation and stigma.

Children’s Place intervenes at critical points in a child’s development with holistic, integrated services that address the needs of children, caregivers and the entire family. We stabilize vulnerable children and families, design personalized service plans and deliver intensive support in four key areas of impact: health, education, family stability and financial stability. Current programs include a group home with 24-hour nursing for medically complex children, early childhood education with onsite nursing, mental health counseling, Chicago’s only summer day camp for HIV-affected youth, case management, foster/adoptive care and supportive housing. For 26 years we have provided Chicago’s most vulnerable children and families with the care and resources they need to overcome obstacles and break the cycle of poverty and illness.