top of page

Building a Healthier Community Together

20240920-20240920-BAB_3951-Edit-Edit_web_edited.jpg

West Garfield Park on Chicago's West Side is an area full of beauty and strengths, as well as its own unique challenges. Some people are struggling with substance use disorders, homelessness, and mental health issues. Edna’s Circle seeks to support people in meeting these challenges and achieving the goals they want for their lives, so they can and will grow into the person they were meant to be. Our recovery space provides a base for street outreach to reduce overdoses; peer-led mutual support groups; and enhanced recovery home services with individualized medical, behavioral health, social, and spiritual supports. Our buildings are now undergoing renovation, and we look forward to welcoming you soon!

Our Mission

To improve our community by increasing access to recovery services

Person Centered

We seek to provide loving, empathetic, Spirit-led care molded by essential input from persons in recovery

Data Driven

We focus on evidence-based recovery components and rely on continued research & feedback to determine program structure

Intentionally Located

Backed by research on the importance of proximity, we provide care in the physical location that is of greatest use to those we are serving

Community Focused

We seek to be a good and respectable neighbor, working with and supporting existing community assets

20240920-20240920-BAB_3987_web_edited.jpg
  • What kinds of services does Edna's Circle provide?
    Guided by research about the holistic range of determinants that support recovery, Edna's Circle will provide: Housing Enhanced recovery home services are available for 15-18 men in three 3-bedroom apartments, with 1-2 men to a bedroom Medical Care On-site mobile health services for primary care, wound care, foot care, and mental health care Medications and other recovery supports for substance use disorder Links to higher level substance use disorder care and mental health care as needed Practical Needs Legal and social service support Lockers, laundry, food Employment opportunities Positive & pro-social activities Clean, healthy blocks and neighborhoods Connections Peer support Recovery meetings Connections to social and spiritual support institutions to create community Community street outreach including prevention of overdoses, education about options for recovery, and hospitality and an invitation to pursue recovery for potential participants Continuing support for alumni
  • What is an enhanced recovery home model, and why is it important?
    Enhanced means more structured pro-social activities, including peer-led support; more access to any needed medication such as buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) or methadone; and more access to treatment for other mental health or physical health issues. Peer refers to other persons who are in recovery who are further along in their recovery and have achieved some time of not using substances. In achieving the goals that they are working towards, they can help be a sounding board and support for those who are earlier in their recovery, and will be company for the person when going out of the buildings for appointments. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, people who have worked with peer recovery coaches provide strong testimonies of the positive impacts of peer recovery support on their own recovery journeys. The research supports these experiences. While the body of research is still growing, there is mounting evidence that people receiving peer recovery coaching show reductions in substance use, improvements on a range of recovery outcomes, or both. Learn more about the importance of peer supported recovery: Science Advances Article: Reducing opioid use disorder and overdose deaths in the United States: A dynamic modeling analysis Podcast interview with one of our patients that demonstrates the power of peers: Voices of Recovery: Benefits of Peer Recovery Services in Primary Care Slides on peer recovery support services & their impact:
  • Why start work at Jackson & Pulaski?
    The corner of Jackson Boulevard and Pulaski Road on the West Side of Chicago is one of the centers of the current opioid overdose epidemic (see maps below), among other social and economic challenges in the area. On-the-street work with the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force (as convened by state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford) and seeing patients at this corner has confirmed the need. The July 30, 2021 Peace Walk at Jackson and Pulaski with Alderman Ervin, City Treasurer Conyears-Ervin, Pastor Brooks, Pastor Eaddy, Rev. Jones, other pastors, West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, Lawndale Christian Health Center, and other organizations and community members created a spirit that moved to action. Being proximate at Jackson and Pulaski: Unites people seeking and people providing recovery services; Honors people in the area by recognizing their roots and the strengths the area has given them Helps those who desire to advance in recovery to reduce or eliminate substance use that may not be helping them achieve their self-determined goals Lets those in recovery be blessed by their roots and then receive new spirit and resources for their on-going recovery process In addition, research shows that clients who traveled less than 1 mile were 50% more likely to complete treatment than clients who traveled more than 1 mile. Residents successfully coped with the substance use cues they encountered in their neighborhoods, with some of them asserting that these cues were actually opportunities to strengthen their ability to overcome the phenomenon of craving.
  • Why Edna?
    The name Edna is respected and should never be forgotten on the West Side of Chicago in memory of the well-known but now-closed West Side institution of Edna’s Restaurant, a place for breakfast and hospitality. A place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other leaders ate and had meetings, Edna’s Restaurant became a symbol of the spirit of the civil rights movement. Edna's Circle honors all of this history in memory of both Edna Stewart of Edna’s Restaurant and Edna Huggett, the deceased mother of one of the founding directors - both provided hospitality in thoughtful ways to the community, friends, and family. Edna's Circle strives to extend similar hospitality to all.
  • Why Circle?
    A circle is a symbol of God, wholeness, timelessness, the infinite, and the cyclical movement that typifies an honest recovery process. A circle implies not only a place but movement and change. Those gathered in a circle gain respect of all who are in the circle, and circles are vehicles of transformative change in recovery, restorative justice, and healing. A quilter, Edna Huggett often worked on projects in a circle with other quilters.
  • How can I learn more or get involved?
    We are still doing construction and renovation of our buildings, but we plan to continue street outreach, Leadership Council meetings with those in recovery to form our programming, and hearing from you! We are humbled to work with our partners in this venture. Depending on the progress of construction and funding, we hope to welcome guests to stay at our enhanced recovery home soon! The need is so great! To get in touch, please email us at welcome@ednascircle.org. We would be happy to hear from you and to hear what you have to say! To make a donation, click here or scroll down to the bottom of this page.
20240612-20240612-BAB_3451_web.jpg

Need help now?

Life-saving resources are available for you and your neighbors.
Immediate Medical Attention

To receive medication over the phone or a same-day treatment appointment, call the the IL helpline 24/7 and ask for MAR Now:

833-234-6343

 

Available regardless of ability to pay, insurance status, or documentation. More Info

How to Use Narcan (Naxalone)

Narcan is a medicine that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses. It is safe to use in both known & suspected emergencies.

Partners

LCHC_logo.png
Phoenix Recovery Support circle logo.JPG
Seal_of_Illinois.svg.png
94prsGX4_400x400.jpeg
20240612-20240612-BAB_3473_web.jpg

Contribute to Edna's Circle

To make a donation with minimal processing fees, checks may be mailed to Edna's Circle at:

5728 W. Lake St, Chicago, IL 60644 (our mailing address while under construction).

To give online, please use the following form.

Thank you for your interest in supporting our mission.

Contact

Contact Us

Current Mailing Address

5728 W. Lake St.

Chicago, IL 60644

Email

Building Location

Edna's Circle is a 501c3 tax-exempt not-for-profit organization, EIN 87-2810958. All donations are fully tax-deductible when given in accordance with IRS regulations.

4000 West Jackson Boulevard

Chicago, IL 60624

YouAreLovedtagline_rev.png

© 2022 Edna's Circle

bottom of page