La Casa Norte’s programs provide an invaluable resource for our callers who are in the Chicago area. These services include permanent, transitional, and emergency housing options to help youth and their families work towards long-term stability. They also have life-skills and technology training, educational support, employment-readiness, case management and many other services available to youth and families in need.

Keith Decker and Peter McQueen founded La Casa Norte in 2002 after volunteering at homeless shelters through the Chicagoland area for several years. Decker and McQueen noticed a gap in services available to males from the ages of 16-21.  La Casa Norte was then born as a concept to improve the lives of young men and women and to help them become self-sufficient. They then named Sol A. Flores as their founding Executive Director to lead LCN.

La Casa Norte was recently featured in an article by Chicago Tonight for providing lockers to Chicago’s homeless youth in the Logan Square area. A program started by the Pierce Family Foundation called the Chicago Youth Storage Initiative provided storage lockers to La Casa Norte for young people who need a safe place to store their belongings. This program significantly improves the quality of life and eases some daily stressors in young people experiencing homelessness.

La Casa Norte is one of nearly 7,000 resources in the National Runaway Safeline’s database. NRS is proud to be a partner in their mission. If you are a youth in crisis or a family member whose child has run away, call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us online at 1800RUNAWAY.org.