About The Founder
Christopher Thomas, a lifelong Chicago resident, spent almost 20 years fighting addiction. For most of 1993, he was addicted and homeless, living under Lower Wacker Drive. He witnessed the suffering and death of numerous friends and family members fighting the same demons he was. In 1994, Mr. Thomas took the first small steps toward recovery. As he went through the healing process, he noticed a lack of resources dedicated to substance abuse rehabilitation programs, specifically those that helped women and children. After receiving his GED in 1997, Mr. Thomas began working with recovering addicts to help them get their GED’s. Soon, he was facilitating group sessions in recovery homes throughout the Chicago area.
By 2001, Mr. Thomas had built a network of community partnerships with local recovery houses and medical facilities. He was offered the peer mentor position at John Stroger Hospital as part of the Partners Reducing Alcohol & Drug Addiction (PRADA) program. After work each day, he would help those still battling addiction and homelessness by helping them get the resources they needed, providing transportation to appointments, and getting food. He received his Certified Reciprocal Alcohol and Drug Counseling (CRADC) certification and his Co-occurring Disorder Professional 1 (CODP1) endorsement to counsel patients suffering from minor mental illness.
In 2017, Mr. Thomas received his Medication-Assisted Addictions Treatment Professional (MAATP) certification and was promoted to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program Coordinator in the first MAT program of its kind at John Stroger Hospital. He also acted as both Recovery Coach at Cook County Health and Hospital Systems and as Service Director of The Medical Stabilization Unit (MSU) (Detox Facility) at Saint Anthony Hospital.
Although Mr. Thomas has met many personal and professional goals during his years of sobriety, his most gratifying accomplishment is seeing a person he helped get clean and sober, maintain sobriety, unify their family, and provide a safe environment that fosters the continuing love, respect, and understanding live fulfilling lives.
Our Vision
To end homelessness, substance abuse, addiction, and all the other negative consequences that come from it. Help those suffering, especially women and children, heal and build strong, healthy lives.
Our Values
Acceptance: We affirm the worth and freedom of all people with equality, open-mindedness, fairness, and respect for diversity. HIP collaborates with participants, employees, volunteers, and community leaders to utilize the talents and creativity of the community we serve.
Compassion: We embrace the whole person and respond to emotional, ethical, and spiritual concerns with empathy, appreciation, respect, and dignity.
Availability: We are committed to service that is unselfish and accessible to all in our community.
Accountability: We are all responsible for all that we are, have, and do.
Honesty, Integrity, and Humility: We strive for the highest ethical standars and truth in all circumstances, with the understanding of our shortcomings.
Excellence and Quality: We empower each other to improve the outcomes of our services continually, to emphasize quality, and to accept innovation and openness to new ideas.
Advocacy and Commitment: We are committed to our participants and the mission of HIP by being ambassadors and supporters within the community of our vision, mission, and values.