About Us

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights champions the human rights and improves the lives of men, women, and children who are threatened by poverty or danger. For more than 100 years we have been providing solutions—both through services and policy—that move individuals from crisis to stability and on to success.

Our work in housing, health care, legal protections, and economic security serves more than 100,000 people annually, helping them build better lives.

Our Comprehensive Programming

Economic Security: Providing skills to help individuals and families get ahead

Housing: Developing affordable housing that gives stability to individuals, families, and communities

Health Care: Offering medical, dental, mental health and addictions treatment services that help people survive and thrive

Legal Protections: Upholding justice for individuals in danger, particularly immigrants, refugees, and those fleeing violence

History

1888: Travelers Aid is founded to assist the many young and vulnerable people entering the city alone.

1908: The Immigrants’ Protective League was founded by residents of Chicago’s Hull House. Grace Abbott, the first director, grounded direct service in advocacy for broader social reforms for immigrants.

1967: Travelers Aid and the Immigrants’ Protective League merge to form Travelers Aid of Metropolitan Chicago incorporating the Immigrants’ Service League at the request of the United Way for funding purposes. The United Way saw the two organizations as a fit because they both served people in the “catch-all” categories – prisoners, travelers, the destitute, and immigrants.

1980: Although the two organizations had merged in 1967, they still essentially operated as two entities. In 1980, the two merged organizations incorporated as one, Travelers and Immigrants Aid or TIA. Shortly thereafter, TIA “reexamined its founding mission,” according to President Sid Mohn (then newly on staff). “We realized our founding purpose was to serve the poor and vulnerable. With that clarity of mission, we looked at our future in a new way.”

1988: Century Place Development Corp. is incorporated as Heartland Alliance’s housing partner.

1991: Chicago Health Outreach, health care partner of Heartland Alliance, incorporates after the success of a pilot program in the mid-80s to provide health care for people who are homeless.

1995: TIA changes its name to Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights to better reflect its growing portfolio of housing, health care, human services, and human rights protection services. Chicago Connections incorporates as Heartland Alliance’s human services partner.

2003: Heartland Alliance partners changed their names to be more closely associated with Heartland Alliance: Heartland Housing, Inc. (formerly Century Place Development Corp.), Heartland Health Outreach, Inc. (formerly Chicago Health Outreach), and Heartland Human Care Services, Inc. (formerly Chicago Connections)

Today: Heartland Alliance together with its partners provides a wide array of services that empower those in crisis to create change in their lives. We collaborate with elected officials, government agencies, and other nonprofits to create policies that advance the rights of all people.