Lutheran Social Services of Illinois

Award / $75,600

Priority / Social Determinants of Health / Health Equity

Location / Chicago, IL Cook County Focus

LSSI provides an array of behavioral health programs for individuals of all ages, which include mental health services, substance use treatment services, and therapeutic foster care. Last year, through these programs, they served 22,000 individuals, over 90% of whom have annual incomes under $25,000, causing them to have unmet needs beyond the services they receive from LSSI. In late 2020, LSSI launched partnership with NowPow, giving LSSI clinicians access to an ecosystem of over 26,000 providers in Illinois. Behavioral health is often influenced by social determinants of health, making NowPow necessary to provide individuals with referrals for services such as child care; dental care; education; employment; rental assistance; groceries; housing; and any other services they might need that LSSI cannot provide. LSSI is also listed as a provider, allowing other organizations using NowPow to refer directly to our programs, increasing behavioral health access for more individuals.