1/2/2020
We now are a referral organization with CORNERSTONE, one of the oldest and philanthropic organizations in Will County, whose behavioral health and homeless programs help graduate hundreds of homeless people a year to their own housing. We are now working together to aid the homeless in will county, referring those in need to one another based on their needs.

5/4/18
RECENT SUCCESS STORY: April 2018: A JDHA Member was recently acquainted with an opiate addict. This was a person who Desperately wanted to quit but did not have the knowledge or money to reach a rehab. Thanks to the generous donations from JDHA supporters, we were able to pay for this person's intake and are have followed up on their progress and they have remained drug free!!!

4/4/2018
A belated happy Easter to all. Until now this site has mainly served as a source for JDHA to advertise our services and ask for volunteers and donations. There is now a LARGE Get help button on the top of the page that sends those that are in need visiting the site to our contact email. The contact us link does this too under the DONATE link, as we realized the site should serve the purpose of helping the homeless and under privileged contact us as well as advertising our services and as a hub for monetary donations, contacting us for volunteering and donating clothing and other donations. We are trying hard to practice what we preach. You can also reach us for help via the Facebook link on the homepage.

​

1/29/2018
A belated happy New Year to all. JDHA is still going, day by day. All regular "business," rather activities and aid are still going year round, not just the main drive. We can use, to help those in need: More donations of clothing and blankets and tents, as always, VOLUNTEERS, and even the smallest of monetary donations make a difference. Click on donate for monetary donations, click on the Contact link for volunteering and clothing donations. Thank you and be blessed!

​

12/10/2017

We will have our annual clothing drive as per usual, despite some idle time due to some personal health issues and efforts being focused towards both camp hope pre-production and documentary pre-production. 

We need tents and clothing, blankets, personal items, etc. for tent city and all around Joliet and Will Cty for the homeless and less fortunate. You can donate these items or make a monetary donation via the donation page. The phone to call for JDHA is all over the site, but it is here again: 312.721.6790. You can setup any item(s) donation by calling or going on our Facebook site... Seee link on homepage. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

​

3/11/17

Today Dollar Tree's dumpster was filled with perfectly good clothes, still tagged some of them. I took them home, and, just in case, laundered them, and they are now in my trunk for the homeless. Imagine the clothes across the capitalist country in the dumpsters across the country, made in sweat shops, to be just thrown away in thoughtless excess when people are cold and mothers don't have diapers for their children. (Personally I believe in cloth diapers, but when going out of the house with your child, disposable diapers are alright). In fact, that was our journey today, to acquire diapers for homeless mothers where the system still hasn't taken their children away from them. We ended up finding some in a second hand store that could not be sold anymore at a big box store for some reason about the tags. Completely sanitary, completely sealed. $3.00 for 5 bags of 8 mo. old diapers. The donation bank is currently empty, so I paid for them myself. I'm going to ask anyone who hasn't donated clothes or money to now take out your debit card and donate anywhere from $1 to $100. And when I say 1 dollar, I mean it. I will not judge you, life is hard, studios are going for $800, even economies are going for 6 and sleeping rooms in transient motels $50 a night. Please take a second to donate to a homeless organization that actually cares and is out there EVERYDAY. I don't see Morning Star Mission looking for homeless people to give clothes and blankets and tents and propane to. I see them charging people to stay at there shelter that is not a shelter if you charge. Which is why Camp Hope is so important, you can read about it here. Peace and Love, Jamie Albert, Director

​

​

3/7/17

Just today a homeless person I've been working with who was a chronic alcoholic and a chronic homeless person dry out and acquire an apartment from Cornerstone. I would love for a revolution in private property, but until that comes, these individual victories are very rewarding.

 

3/3/17

This is coming as a shamefully late update. One of the co-founders of JDHA recently passed away. Nancy Leasure, age 61, passed on January the 24th, 2017, surrounded by friends and family. A memorial was held for her on the 28th of that month.
Nancy was a person that would LITERALLY give you the coat off of her back. In fact, at the memorial, it as mentioned by one of her daughters that on several occasions she would arrive home shivering and without a coat and they would ask "Where is your coat, Mom???" She had seen someone that either had no coat or needed a warmer one, and insisted they take hers.

The memorial was beautiful and her spirit was there, without a doubt. Though many tears were shed, an equal amount of laughter was shared. Nancy knew EVERYONE, and that chapel was packed to the rafters, standing room only, also literally.

If not for Nancy, JDHA would not exist. In its infancy, we delivered blankets, warm clothes, and whatever we could to Will County's Tent City, the shanty town or hobo jungle tucked deep in the woods off of the freight tracks. We did this for several seasons, even involving the aid of Sue Gonzales who baked fresh, homemade goods and by the third season we combined our efforts with a local church and were able to raffle out tents and tarps for the first time. By season four, Nancy was too ill to make the trek to tent city, but she collected clothing, blankets etc. and I would make the trip while she kept the car running and warm for me, just like Sue's baked goods.  By the fifth year Nany's health rendered her unable, but she STILL collected clothes and other winter items.  Nancy endured more pain than she would ever reveal to the rest of us. May she rest finally, and her legacy of humility, gratitude, and giving live one not only through JDHA but through every heart she touched, that being astronomical

2/9/2017

Joliet Downtown: I recently discovered as more people are contacting my website and asking what kind of services JDHA provides that more and more people are getting kicked out of Daybreak for different amounts of time (I've heard for up to 3 months) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER for minor curfew and other rule infractions, and that Morning Star Mission IS NOT A HOMELESS SHELTER, as they are charging individuals to stay overnight on an increasing basis... I have not researched this but I have heard it from several homeless persons. Camp Hope, which you can read about on the website, has a long way to go if it becomes a reality, and JDHA because of these conditions would like to begin some sort of temporary voucher system, expensive as it may be, to put up people for the night or even a week at the local transient motels when they have been turned away by the Daybreak Shelter, ran by Catholic Charities, and Morning Star Mission, run technically by a non denominational sect with Protestant roots, or should I say Morning Star motel who seems, again, only by word of mouth, to be charging people to stay there and forces religious ceremonial functions on them. JDHA believes help for the less fortunate should be without judgement, and without CONDITION.  Please share this. Will County has an unbelievable unemployment rate and an unacceptable homeless percentage. This is not because all of a sudden hundreds and hundreds of people just decided it would be better to not work and freeze on the street during the winter. If you donate even a penny to JDHA, you're money will go to clothing, housing, transporting and feeding the homeless in YOUR COMMUNITY. JDHA is non-partisan non-profit group. We are neither "liberals" nor "conservatives." We simply believe that everyone has a right to the basic requirements of life, regardless of decisions they have made that may have adversely affected their lives.

1/17/2017

Joliet East Side: This morning I met a really nice couple, Country and his wife, who are living in their car on an east side, muddy industrial park. I was able to give them a large camping blanket meant for two, brand new in the package, two pairs of Dickies pants and a matching shirt for Country's job, a warm jacket for her, a sweater, a cute stocking cap for her, one that covers the ears, as well as an ear warmer for him, socks for both of them, lotion, toothbrushes, 3 books that made her very happy, and seven dollars in gas money NOT OUT OF THE NON-PROFIT FUND (Only funds that are taken out of this account are for money that is not handed over... It is for medical and job interview transportation, medicine, state IDs and Drivers Licences, and sometimes emergency food or transportation to church/other pantries) however being a recovering addict clean for 14 years now, I give unconditionally from my own money because just in case that money goes somewhere else, I know how hard it is... and I will be returning to give Country a size 11 boot that wasn't in my trunk, toothpaste, and disability papers for her, who was an abused foster child all her life diagnosed with bi-polar, PTSD, and multiple-personality disorder. These two were two of the nicest people I've met. I checked on them an hour later. She was in the car reading, and Country was working. I spoke with his boss and she said country is one of the hardest working men she has on her staff...  JDHA staff is street smart. We know the swindles, the hustles, and we know the people that are in need. People that are grateful for a pair of socks and a new outfit. JDJA is a non-profit that seeks to rejuvenate the poorest of the poor while at the same time not passing judgement, and going a step further, by RESPECTING the lifestyle that they have either come to live not by choice or choose to live.

​

1.13.2017

We have managed to secure a private grant. This grant is under contract to be used for two things: Camp Hope, a documentary on camp hope, and an extension of JDHA in Berkeley California. Despite the grant, money is still thin to pay the bills as we expand. Monetary donations are still needed, volunteers, and clothing and construction equipment. Read about Camp Hope here.

11.30.16 

I had a wonderful experience yesterday, I have these all the time but they vary in intensity in terms of emotion and gratefulness. I ran into a man I knew him as homeless and as an acquaintance and as my mission statement says, we come to them. He looked cold and I asked him "do you need any clothes brother?" I keep a bevy of clothes in the trunk both for the drive and for run-ins like this, and i purposely shop places where I know that homeless congregate. I gave a man a Bears T-Shirt from my trunk, and he joked about the old SNL superfans sketch. He said he was living in an abandoned warehouse so naturally there was no heat, I found a blanket and he started to cry. I don't do this work to feel good about myself. I do it because I feel like I have to. But this was one of those moments that was very rewarding.  We are still in need of volunteers, more blankets and clothes, and monetary donations - we only have one tent this year and would like to at least break even on advertising. So, you can message and/or call me via the site regarding volunteering and clothing / personal items/ blanket / tent donations, and click the donate button if you are able to donate this holiday to a good cause. Be blessed.

​

11.24.16

Thanksgiving Day - while we break bread with our families and friends and recognize our blessings and reflect on gratitude, please think of those without a home, without a meal.  Will County has the largest homeless population per capita, making it the second highest homeless population by county in the state of Illinois, next to Cook. Please take this time to click on the Donate link. If everyone in the facebook network donated 2 dollars, we'd reach our goal for the year. That's a cup of coffee. And if you want to, you can donate just 2 dollars! Or even one. Don't feel petty.  Each season is different. We had the most donations of all last year. The year before the second most. The year before that, hardly any. The year before that, the third most. We hope not to have another season like our fourth season. So far, clothing donations have been good, not great, but good. That is a blessing. Monetary donations have been scant. Please make this your charity of choice this year - you are helping out YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING, rather than to some large bank that you really don't know how it will actually be disbursed. With JDHA, there IS NO PAYROLL. There are no operation costs except for gas for transportation and that comes out of MY and VOLUNTEER'S pockets. Your money is going to help FEED and HOUSE JOLIET'S HOMELESS. That is it. We have no staff to pay. Our office is my apartment.  Does that mean we are not as organized as bigger charities? Absolutely not. During the off season, we do the same work as during the big clothing drive, even more, because we are talking to grant givers, writing grant applications, we are scouting properties for sale in Joliet for JDHA's ultimate vision, CAMP HOPE. None of the money you may donate this season is used on these activities. Again, every cent is used to clothe, feed, and get homeless people to shelters. Some homeless are banned from shelters for insurance reasons... they got hurt and they become labeled a liability. We fight to reverse this one person at a time.) They can't go to the staffing agency for work because they have no ID. We provide the transportation and money for fees out of our pockets to get them new social security cards, birth certificates, and State issued picture IDs.

​

CAMP HOPE? What is Camp Hope??? Camp Hope is a revolutionary idea brought about by myself and David S. to create not a homeless shelter but a homeless community with cabins that the homeless can call their own. Unlike Cornerstone or other similar programs, the homeless would WORK to OWN their own CABIN HOME. This would be a community of disenfranchised chronically homeless being rehabilitated through work, progressive housing, community, and hope. We will update more on camp hope and its stages, for those interested in being a part of camp hope, call me, Jamie, at 312.721.6790

​

If you want to volunteer this year, or any time, call the same number. If you have clothing, bedding, and/or personal items to donate, call the same number. Be well, peace, love, and empathy,
JDHA

​

11.24.2016 

Happy Thanksgiving... It does not matter where this holiday came from, because it doesnt involve consumerism,it merely suggests being grateful, and just breaking bread with others. That is a grand holiday in my books. To all those without food family or a home today, please send whatever good energy you can out to whatever higher power you may acknowledge. If you do not acknowledge a higher power than yourself, go burn your Anton LaVey books and hug a homeless person. Peace, love, and Anarchy. -Jamie-son