A Chicago tradition since 1909
The Chicago Christian Industrial League serves homeless men, women, and children of all religions across metropolitan Chicago. We meet people where they are and walk with them toward stability.
“Two bottomless chairs, a three-legged kitchen table nailed to the wall for support, and an old horse and wagon.” And a conviction that work is the way out of poverty.
Rev. George Kilbey, Skid Row, Chicago
Who we serve
We serve homeless men, women, and children of all religions across metropolitan Chicago — without precondition and without judgment.
Our work is rooted in a conviction Reverend Kilbey carried into a small warehouse in 1909: dignity through work, and a path from alienation back to community. More than a century later, that conviction still decides how we spend every dollar and every hour.
We open the door, hand over the keys, and stay alongside.
Our story
In 1909, Reverend George Kilbey opened a mission in a rented warehouse at 12 East 12th Street, in the heart of Chicago’s Skid Row. He had almost nothing but a belief that work is the way out of poverty. That belief built CCIL into one of the oldest social service agencies in Chicago.
Rev. George Kilbey founds CCIL as a Skid Row mission.
Decades of direct service: shelter, meals, job training, and recovery support.
Relocation to a purpose-built West Side campus, with hundreds of housing beds and wraparound services under one roof.
A dual mission: direct service to clients, and financial backing for partner agencies across Chicago.
What we do
CCIL supports housing operations through our partner organizations. We open the door, hand over the keys, and stay alongside.
For single men and families navigating homelessness — a stable place to stand while the next step is built.
For single adults at locations across Chicago, with support that does not expire when the lease is signed.
Counseling, life skills, and case management, coordinated around the person rather than the program.
Grounded in Rev. Kilbey’s founding belief that work builds stability and restores standing in the community.
For clients living with substance use disorder, delivered alongside housing instead of as a condition of it.
Housing isn’t the finish line. It’s the foundation everything else is built on.
Multiplying impact
One agency cannot solve homelessness alone. CCIL extends its reach by working with organizations doing this work alongside us — providing grants and program-related loans to mission-aligned partners across Chicago, with a focus on agencies serving people experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder.
Direct funding to partners delivering housing, recovery, and human services.
Flexible capital that gives agencies room to scale what already works.
Built on a century of operational experience in this field, not theory.
Get involved
Donate. Volunteer. Partner. Every gift moves someone closer to housing, recovery, and self-sufficiency.
618 S. Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60605
Donate, volunteer, or partner with us. Every gift moves someone closer to housing, recovery, and self-sufficiency.
Mission-aligned organizations serving homeless and substance-affected populations are invited to inquire about grants and program-related loans.
Your support keeps the door open, the keys moving, and someone alongside for the part that comes after.
Chicago Christian Industrial League
Help, Hope, and a Home. Serving metropolitan Chicago since 1909.
Chicago Christian Industrial League is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
© 2026 CCIL