Jacqueline Kennedy, the Executive Director and Founder has over 14 years experience in serving the homeless population. She started out providing motivational speeches, workshops and individual counseling sessions to homeless women at a not-for-profit organization in 1994. She played a major role in the inception of You Can Make It Inc., where a men’s home was opened in March 2001. At theYou Can Make It Men’s Home she took on the position of mentor, motivational speaker, case manager, driver, secretary and any area she was needed due to the lack of help and funding. In July 2003, she became Executive Director of You Can Make It Emergency Response Shelter for Women and Children that housed 30 women and children. And in January 2007 she took on the position as Executive Director of You Can Make It Interim House for Women and Children, a 120 bed shelter. .

At You Can Make It, our mission is to provide shelter and support services for people with economic or dependency issues by providing shelter and support services.

March 2001
YOU CAN MAKE IT – Outreach Ministry for men was opened. It began as an emergency overnight shelter providing food, showers, phone and emergency housing for homeless men. Since then, a 9-month residential program has been implemented and services have expanded in an effort to continue to move men from addictions and homelessness to economic and housing stability. In its short history it has served thousands of men and opened the door for jobs and housng for many of them. (6012 South Honore)

April 2002
YOU CAN MAKE IT-Outreach Ministry for women opened. Through ongoing efforts and much community support, a second emergency shelter was opened to serve homeless women in the Englewood area. Since then, this program also developed into 9-month residential program. Through referrals, many of the women that we serve have obtained jobs and housing. (3108 West 59th Street) This program was closed in March 2007.

June 2003
YOU CAN MAKE IT-Shelter for Women and Children was started June 2003. Its purpose was to offer homeless women and children a hand up, not just a hand out, providing housing and support services that includes individual/ family counseling, motivational training, job training/ placement and housing assistance. It is an emergency response shelter functioning at the level of most interim housing programs.

March 2005
In March 2005 You Can Make It - Shelter for Women and Children moved to a new location. (5200 South Morgan St.) The new facility is larger (66% increase in square footage) and it has the added advantage of being located directly across the street from William T. Sherman Elementary School. This facilitates the process of addressing children’s needs, transportation concerns, safety issues, etc. and it was one of the major reasons this site was chosen. Once children are safely enrolled in school the mothers can direct their efforts toward the opportunities the program offers without concern.

January 1, 2007
YOU CAN MAKE IT-Interim House was started. (5052 South Laflin) The main purpose of this program is to provide temporary housing (up to 4 months) for homeless women and children, find permanent housing, as quickly as possible and provide the support services needed to keep them housed.

January 2010
The Department of Family and Support Services asked us to transition our 50 bed Emergency Shelter to an Interim House Shelter which enables us to offer longer term stable housing to our residents at 5200 S. Morgan.  YOU CAN MAKE IT now has 115 Interim house beds for women and children in 2 locations.

January 2012                                                                                                                                                        

You Can Make It Interim House was increased from 115 beds for women and children to 120 beds for women and children.