Imagine, for a moment, that the place you call home is suddenly no longer yours.
Maybe it begins with a job loss. A medical crisis. The end of a relationship. A chronic illness. An unsafe home. Or simply the cost of housing continues to climb faster than your paycheck. And no safety net.
No family member with a spare bedroom. No savings. No one who can cover the rent for a month. Where would you go?
Homelessness doesn't always look the way we expect it to. Sometimes it looks like a mother and her children sleeping in a car or moving from couch to couch—part of the "hidden homeless" population that may go uncounted because they never enter the shelter system.
Housing is the foundation beneath almost everything else. Without a safe, stable place to live, everything else becomes exponentially harder.
For nearly 40 years, Home of the Sparrow (HOS) has been working to interrupt that cycle for women and children throughout Northern Illinois.
HOS provides shelter, housing and supportive services designed not simply to put a roof over someone's head, but to help women and families build a path toward lasting self-sufficiency.
Each year, the organization provides more than 66,000 nights of shelter. And perhaps one of the most sobering statistics: half of those HOS serves are children.
I recently sat down with Executive Director Matt Kostecki and Director of Development Holly Dorn to learn more about the organization, the people it serves and a housing crisis that often remains hidden in plain sight.
Spend some time with Matt and it doesn't take long to understand why this work matters to him. He isn't the kind of executive who needs to command a room. He's just as likely to hang back, listen and take in what is happening around him—sometimes with a joke at the ready, but always paying attention to the people in front of him. He beams when he talks about the HOS team and their unwavering commitment to the mission. For the eight years he has been at the helm, he has led with his heart.
He credits his late mother with instilling in him a deep sense of compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others. He brings that genuine care to an organization serving women and children during some of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.
Although only with Home of the Sparrow for two-and-a-half years, Holly has become a true ambassador of the organization. She speaks candidly about her own childhood family struggles and how she sees her mom in many of the women who walk through the HOS doors. She is passionate about treating the homeless with dignity and empowering them to keep moving forward. And her deep concern for the needs in our county is palpable.
Throughout our conversation, Matt and Holly shared facts and statistics about homelessness in and around our county.
Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding homelessness is the assumption that having a job should be enough to prevent it. But more than 80 percent of HOS clients are employed. The problem is that employment doesn't necessarily mean earning enough to afford housing.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition's 2025 Out of Reach report, the fair market rent for a modest two-bedroom apartment in McHenry County was $1,761 per month. To afford it without spending more than 30 percent of income on housing, a worker needed to earn $33.87 per hour.
At Illinois' current minimum wage of $15 per hour, that's the equivalent of approximately 2.3 full-time jobs—more than 90 hours every week—just to make the housing math work.
And that's before groceries, childcare, transportation, utilities, medical expenses and all the other costs of raising a family. Then add in a crisis. For someone already coping with trauma, mental health challenges, chronic illness, domestic abuse or single parenting, the margin becomes even thinner.
Home of the Sparrow meets women and families at different points of housing instability. The Short-Term Transitional Shelter accommodates up to 30 people each night in dorm-style and independent living units, with an average stay of six to nine months.
At the 35 affordable housing properties throughout McHenry County, qualifying low-income women and their children pay no more than 30% of their monthly income toward rent. But 35 properties barely scratch the surface of the need. The current wait is approximately two and a half years.
Rapid Re-Housing programs provide rental assistance to help families and individuals stabilize their housing circumstances.
Through its Landlord Engagement Program, HOS partners with approximately 50 area landlords, and provides a security deposit and, in some cases, first month's rent, while clients sign and hold their own leases with the landlord.
All HOS clients receive support with finances, employment and other needs. Even after securing independent housing, HOS continues case management for six months.
Getting an apartment is just the first step. Moving into an empty one is another. Inside HOS headquarters is its Development Store, stocked entirely through community donations with the ordinary things—toasters, coffee makers, pillows, cleaning supplies, hygiene products and other household necessities.
Staff and volunteers currently "shop" the store for clients moving into homes of their own, but HOS hopes to secure a more spacious location where clients can stop in and choose what they need themselves. After circumstances have dictated so many of life's choices, there is dignity in choosing the things that will make a new space feel like home.
The Home of the Sparrow staff also have to take care of themselves. Helping families navigate housing loss, trauma and uncertainty can be heavy, making self-care and support among staff particularly important.
Whether it’s going out for a run, as Matt does, spending time with family and friends, or attending a lunch-and-learn where staff is guided through some self-care practices, Matt and Holly stress the importance of decompressing so they can show up everyday ready to help those in need. And celebrating the success stories keeps them motivated and focused on their mission.
HOS is a nonprofit, but as Matt and Holly point out, it still has to operate like a business—one with approximately 124 employees, multiple properties, housing programs and seven Sparrow's Nest Thrift Stores.
The stores provide an important source of funding, donating, shopping and volunteering–a way the community can support the mission.
Volunteers play a vital role at HOS. From staffing thrift stores and supporting events to painting rooms and maintaining properties, their work offsets an estimated $1.5 to $1.7 million annually.
Nearly four decades after HOS first opened its doors, much has changed. The organization has grown, its programs have expanded and thousands of nights of shelter are provided each year. But the need for safe, stable housing remains.
It's something many of us take for granted. We turn the key, drop our bags, make dinner and exhale, assuming home will be waiting for us at the end of each day. For too many families, that security isn't a given.
Home of the Sparrow isn't simply about sheltering someone for a night or finding an available apartment. It's about giving a woman and her children a safe place to land long enough to catch their breath, regain their footing and begin imagining what comes next.
Because sometimes the distance between losing everything and beginning again starts with a place to call home.
How You Can Help
November's Annual Appeal is one of the easiest ways to make a monetary contribution, but there are many ways to help.
Community members can donate to or shop at Sparrow's Nest Thrift Stores. Purchase household necessities from the HOS Amazon Wish List. Volunteer individually or as a group. Participate in the Giving Tree and Adopt-a-Family programs during the holidays. Find all the details on the website: hosparrow.org