Heartland Human Care Services, a 138-year-old Uptown nonprofit, will close Dec. 31 after federal cuts

Heartland Human Care Services, a social service nonprofit based at 4822 N. Broadway in Uptown, will close on Dec. 31, Block Club Chicago reported Friday. The organization announced the closing on Oct. 27.

Why it matters: the group served about 20,500 people in fiscal 2024, Block Club reported. More than 10,000 of them were helped at Travelers Aid Chicago at O'Hare, which assists stranded or lost travelers. When a provider this size closes, the City, the County and other nonprofits have to decide which of its services to pick up, and how to pay for them.

Why it's closing

Heartland Human Care Services was founded in 1888 as part of what became Heartland Alliance, and was spun off as a separate organization in 2024, according to Block Club. It cited federal funding cuts and unexpected unemployment insurance costs. Layoffs had already cut more than half of its staff, and it said its limited reserves could not keep it going.

The federal shelters. The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement did not renew Heartland's contracts for its four Chicago shelters for unaccompanied immigrant children, Block Club reported. State layoff filings expect 337 layoffs from those closures.

The county youth shelter. Heartland's Manuel Saura Center, a youth shelter, closes Nov. 30. Cook County officials are looking for another provider, according to Block Club.

The final layoffs. A state layoff notice lists 40 workers to be laid off Dec. 31, citing a lost contract.

What our records add

The City has no vote on this. Heartland is a private nonprofit, and the contracts named in the closing are federal and county ones. The City Council doesn't approve them. The organization's headquarters is in the 46th Ward of Ald. Angela Clay.

Where the City's own money for services is decided. City grants to social service agencies run mostly through the Department of Family and Support Services, whose 2027 budget goes before the Council's budget committee on Friday, Nov. 6, according to the hearing schedule. That hearing is where members can ask whether the City expects to take on clients from closing providers, including any services at O'Hare, which the City's Department of Aviation runs.

What the City's budget proposes. The Mayor's 2027 budget adds about $15 million for homeless services and $13 million for rental assistance, among nearly $120 million in cuts elsewhere, as we reported Oct. 23. The Council can move money among programs before it passes the budget by Dec. 31.

What's next

• Nov. 6: Family and Support Services and other social service departments appear before the budget committee.
• Nov. 30: the Manuel Saura Center closes unless the County finds another provider.
• Dec. 31: Heartland Human Care Services closes.

Anyone who gets services from Heartland should ask their case manager where their services will move. Information on other City programs is available by calling 311.

Sources: Chicago Politics: Budget hearing schedule; Chicago Politics: 2027 budget cuts to libraries, homelessness and youth jobs.