EASE Homelessness Project: Seeing and Supporting Chicago’s Forgotten Population

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Betsy Carlson joined The Night Ministry in 2018 as the Director of Youth Programs.  She holds B.A. from Augsburg University and an AM in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.  Betsy has more than 17 years of experience working with homeless individuals in Chicago, both with youth and adults.  Throughout her career, Betsy has worked with non-profit agencies, including as the VP of Programs for an international youth development program and for a national literacy program.

Reverend R. Faith Miller has been the Outreach Services Manager for the Outreach and Health Ministry program at The Night Ministry for 14 years, as of October 1st, 2021. She is an Ordained Minister and Associate Pastor 2 at Greater Pleasant Green. Rev. Miller has been married for 24 plus years and has one son and 5 grandchildren.  A Retired Army Veteran with 31 years of service in the Army Reserves, Rev. Miller’s fields of expertise include Field Communications and Logistics, Operations and Battalion Safety Officer. She worked in Optical a total 26 years, as Retail Manager and wrote a training manual to cross train new hires. Rev. Miller’s former points of interest were eye health, in the optical profession pertaining to outreach for homeless adults and poverty-stricken children, as well as doctor assisted house calls for bed-stricken patients delivering and fitting eyeglasses. “I have always felt my call-in life was to help others and make a difference. Working at The Night Ministry has continued to offer me the privilege to do so without judging anyone for where they are, and being that listening ear whenever possible to find out who they are.”

Kathy Booton-Wilson is the Chief Strategy Officer for Deborah’s Place and joined the Deborah’s Place staff in 1987. In 1991, she received her Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University. Formerly serving in several staff positions, including as COO, Director of Supportive Housing and Clinical Director, Kathy is integral in developing innovative approaches to homeless services, such as the eviction prevention program, and creating new policies and procedures to enhance services. Kathy is also an Adjunct Faculty at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, where she teaches social work. She serves as Co-Chair for the Evaluation Instrument Subcommittee and is a member of the System Performance and Evaluation Committee for the Chicago Continuum of Care (All Chicago).

Betty Washington is the Residential Services Director at Deborah’s Place with 15 years of experience working with the disenfranchised populations in social service settings. Before becoming Director of Residential Services in 2014, Betty held several direct service and management positions at Deborah’s Place. She holds a Certificate in Addiction Studies from Harold Washington College and is an expert in the implementation of Harm Reduction principles in residential settings. She received her Bachelor’s in Applied Behavioral Science and her Master’s in Psychology from National Louis University.

Click here for information about NCJW’s EASE Homelessness Initiative.