Providing the Right Combination of Business, Purpose and Service

The Chicago Lighthouse’s social business enterprises are a fusion of purpose and business, blending our mission of creating meaningful employment for our clients – so that they can build confidence and independence – and generating revenue for our social service programs.

They also provide a third, often unmentioned benefit – a service to the community. In the case of one of The Lighthouse’s new social business enterprise clients, the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, we are helping people who witness or experience acts of hate by connecting them with culturally competent and trauma-informed resources and support. The anonymized information from calls to this helpline – “Illinois v Hate” (877-IL-V-HATE/877-458-4283) – will be compiled to help inform the public, policymakers, government agencies and community organizations about the occurrences and prevalence of hate crimes throughout Illinois.

(It must be noted that the Illinois v Hate line is not a crisis line for victims of hate crimes, nor is it affiliated with any law enforcement entities.)