About Chum
people of faith working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community.
Chum is a 501(c)(3) organization whose programs serve more than 8,000 low-income, homeless, hungry, isolated, or otherwise marginalized community members in Duluth, MN each year. Chum was founded in 1973 when 10 churches in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood pooled their resources to meet the needs of the neighborhood’s many low-income residents.
We are now the largest service safety net in Duluth, MN for those experiencing homelessness. We provide the basic needs that everyone has and help our guests move forward to begin to prosper.
Chum Is Made Up Of 4 Big Parts
Helping those in Crisis transition
Stabilization Services
Chum's stabilization services have many parts. The drop-in center/shelter is a place where anyone can stay. It also has a clinic where anyone can get the medical attention they need.
The backbone of our organization
Congregational Outreach, Advocacy, and Organizing
The congregations that support Chum are core to who we are. These 44 congregations reach out, advocate, and organize for justice for those who have no one to stand up for them.
Making sure everyone in Duluth stays fed
Food Distribution Services
Includes two emergency food shelf locations in Duluth, MN. In 2022 we delivered over 500,000 pounds of food to those in need.
This program also delivers food to those who cannot get to our locations.
Responding to the housing shortage in Duluth
Housing Services
We offer home-making services to those escaping trauma and crisis by providing a roof over their heads and a place of their own.
We help families at the Steve O'Neil Apartments break cycles of homelessness and provide support to prosper in life!
At the St. Francis Apartments, we provide a safe place for seniors to create a home and accomplish their goals.
What's new at Chum?
As the largest safety net for those experiencing homelessness in the Northland, we stay pretty busy. If you want to help us accomplish our mission, and stay connected with everything happening sign up for our newsletter!
Stabilization Services
Chum's stabilization services include the emergency shelter program for families and individuals, homeless street outreach, the Chum Drop-In Center, the Chum Clinic, family and individual case management, employment services, and benefits advocacy.
All of these programs are our way of responding to the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness in Duluth, MN. Each program meets people right where they are and gives them the tools, opportunities, and support to find housing and thrive in life.
Distributive Services
Chum's distributive services include two emergency food shelves (providing 572,000 pounds of food to 6000 households in 2022), and household start-up assistance for individuals and families moving from shelter to permanent housing.
We also have the program we call, Chum 2 GO, which provides food to those who do not have easy access to transportation. Now folks all over Duluth have access to good quality and healthy food.
Congregational Outreach, Advocacy and Organizing
This service focuses on faith-based organizing and advocacy at the state and local level, and volunteer outreach and coordination for all of Chum’s programs.
Chum’s member congregations and service population participate in Chum’s Outreach and Advocacy efforts to encourage policymakers to respond better to the needs of low- and no-income people, particularly those who are experiencing homelessness or hunger, or who experience racial inequity.
Housing Services
We have two buildings that are devoted to longer-term housing for individuals transitioning from homelessness.
The Steve O'Neil Apartments and the St. Francis Apartments are devoted to giving folks the comforts of being in their own space and working toward finding permanent housing. In these spaces, they have access to our huge support line to get them back to where they want to be.