The Institute of Medicine of Chicago Addresses Homelessness with Ms. Sendy Soto, Chicago's First Chief Homelessness Officer

CHICAGO, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of Medicine of Chicago is excited to host a forum with Ms. Sendy Soto, Chicago's First Chief Homelessness Officer. The virtual program is on Sept. 27, 2024, at 12:00 PM CT. It is open to all. Pre-registration is required. For more details and to register, visit this page.

Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the appointment of Sendy Soto as the City of Chicago's first Chief Homelessness Officer (CHO) in April 2024.

Soto is coordinating efforts across City departments and sister agencies and developing a five-year plan to address the homelessness crisis in Chicago. There is a call to reimagine the current model of care for people experiencing homelessness.

• Chicago Public Schools (CPS) identified 17,700 students as homeless during the 2022-23 school year, and that number rose to 24,157 as of February 2024.
• In August 2023, the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness (CCH) released its annual homeless estimate report, showing that 68,440 people were experiencing homelessness in Chicago in 2021.
• Bring Chicago Home advocates state there are 68,000 homeless Chicagoans.

Soto will align with the county, state, and federal government, particularly the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the White House ALL INside initiative.

Soto's leadership has been recognized with the Women Who Dared Award from the Chicago National Organization for Women. Governor J.B. Pritzker appointed Soto to serve on the Governing Commission for the Logan Square, Avondale, and Hermosa Expanded Mental Health Services Program, where she provided support to establish an affordable mental health service center for local residents.

The Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC), since 1915, is an independent non-profit organization of distinguished leaders in the health field who collaborate to improve the health of the public. Drawing upon the expertise of a diverse membership and other regional leaders, the IOMC addresses critical health issues through various interdisciplinary approaches, including education, research, communication of trusted information, and community engagement. With the public's health at its core, IOMC is building new programs and services to better meet the needs of its members, Chicago, its counties, and the State of Illinois community. 501c3 non-profit organization. Visit www.iomc.org.

For more information contact:
Institute of Medicine of Chicago
Deborah Hodges
312.709.2685
[email protected]

SOURCE The Institute of Medicine of Chicago