Unhoused Neighbor Support

Every winter, EMAN works to support our unhoused neighbors through the coldest days of the year with supply runs, food, and hotel stays. This year, in partnership with Liberate Ward 46 and Rogers Park Food Not Bombs, and with unprecedented financial support from our community, we were able to shelter more neighbors from extreme temperatures than ever — during cold snaps in both January and February, we helped more than 20 neighbors in Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, and Evanston to get out of the cold and into warm beds for a few nights.

Since then, we've expanded the scope of our work and have been making regular trips to distribute tents, snacks, camping gear, propane, personal hygiene products, and other items as requested. As the effects of climate change worsen and homelessness continues to be criminalized, living outdoors is more dangerous and difficult than ever. Continued support from our community allows EMAN to sustain check-ins and supply runs for our neighbors, no matter the weather.

We also accept donations of the following items specifically for our unhoused support efforts:

• 3- 4 season tents - Donor should provide dimensions/capacity and all other specs

• Clothing designed for extreme cold (long underwear, thermal layers, and outerwear meant for cold-weather camping or backpacking)

• Compact camping gear for cooking

• Portable heaters and small canisters of propane

• Body wipes - Must be new/unopened

• Small bottles of hand sanitizer - Must be new/unopened

For a more comprehensive list of the donated items EMAN accepts, please refer to the Free Store page.