Our current initiative, the GLEAN Project, connects residents, students, families, sponsors, and community partners across 27 Chicago communities through civic learning, cultural engagement, financial empowerment, and neighborhood-based development. ICAAPS Mission ICAAPS is a mission-driven community development and emergency support organization committed to improving quality of life, financial stability, and access to opportunity for underserved residents and communities. Through our CHES Model — Community Integration, Housing, Employment, and School — ICAAPS helps individuals, families, students, and neighborhoods connect to the essential resources needed to move from crisis, disconnection, or limited access toward stability, participation, and long-term growth. The GLEAN Pilot brings this mission to life by creating a community engagement and sponsorship platform where residents can Give, Learn, Earn, Acquire, and Navigate resources that strengthen families, neighborhoods, and local community projects. ​ Who We Are ICAAPS — Illinois Community Action Agency Programs & Services, L3C — is a community-centered social enterprise designed to build bridges between residents, sponsors, service providers, schools, cultural institutions, workforce partners, and community organizations. We serve as a connector, organizer, and systems-builder for communities that often have strong local assets but limited access to coordinated funding, visibility, and resource navigation. Through the GLEAN Pilot, ICAAPS is launching a structured community engagement model that supports residents across 27 communities by connecting them to educational experiences, cultural activities, referral tools, community projects, and sponsor-supported financial development opportunities. ​ What We Do ICAAPS uses the CHES Model to organize community support around four essential pillars: Community Integration We help residents connect to local programs, cultural experiences, community projects, service providers, and neighborhood-based opportunities that increase belonging, participation, and civic pride. Housing We support pathways to housing stability by helping residents navigate resources, referrals, emergency needs, and long-term support systems that promote safety, dignity, and family stability. Employment We connect residents to workforce development, job readiness, training opportunities, local business engagement, and community-based employment pathways that support financial independence. School We promote learning, youth engagement, student exploration, educator participation, and family-centered educational opportunities through community-based experiences and digital access tools. ​ Through GLEAN, these four pillars are activated through a practical community platform where residents, students, families, sponsors, and partners can participate in measurable community development.