Trinity has a long history of reaching out to help our neighbors – PADS (homelessness), People’s Resource Center (food pantry, clothing pantry, etc.), Christmas Sharing and more. These organizations deal primarily with immediate needs such as food, clothing and shelter.
DuPage United is a different type of service organization that seeks ways to improve the lives of those in our community by listening to those people and working with them to find solutions, such as affordable housing and proper training for police dealing with mental health crises. This process is not quick – listening to identify problems and working within the structure of local government to bring about change takes time, sometimes years.
There is a need for both types of assistance – both immediate (food, shelter) and long-term (affordable housing, mental health care). With Trinity’s joining of DuPage United this year, we are able to support both. The donations of time and material to PADS, PRC, Northern Illinois Food Bank, etc. will continue; the relationship with DuPage United is in the development stage.
If you would like to be a part of the Trinity group that is working with DuPage United as we begin this relationship, you can do so by using the Church Center app:
- click on the ‘Groups and Formation’ button
- scroll down to ‘Find a Group’
- click on the ‘Small Groups’ section
- When the list of small groups, including one called ‘DuPage United’, appears, select the ‘Open’ button to read more about the group click on the ‘join’ button there.
For assistance, you can contact Nancy Moore at
Another current DuPage United initiative is working to create a safe way to cross Roosevelt Road to get from the Marian Park apartments to the Target shopping center. IDOT (the Illinois Department of Transportation) has already studied the area and determined that adding a traffic light there is warranted, but the City of Wheaton has to make the final decision. Members of DuPage United have worked with residents of Marian Park to get this far in the process.
Update: According to a recent article in the Daily Herald, St. Francis High School has also joined in this effort and has pledged to cover much of the cost of the traffic signal (over $800,000). St. Francis students park in the Target parking lot during the school day; the school currently pays Wheaton police between $20,000 and $30,000 per year to direct traffic on Roosevelt when classes start and end. There have been 9 pedestrians struck by cars in that area since 2009; one accident was fatal. In late February 2024, the Wheaton city council approved the addition of a traffic light in the area, but there are still details to be worked out.
If you would like to be a part of the Trinity group that is working with DuPage United as we begin this relationship, you can do so by using the Church Center app:
- click on the ‘Groups and Formation’ button
- scroll down to ‘Find a Group’
- click on the ‘Small Groups’ section
- when the list of small groups, including one called ‘DuPage United’, appears, select the ‘Open’ button to read more about the group
- click on the ‘join’ button there.
For assistance, you can contact Nancy Moore at
One of the initiatives that DuPage United has been working on for several years is the development of affordable housing in the county. Based on an article in the March 1, 2024 Daily Herald, that project is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Glen Ellyn trustees have agreed to sell nearly an acre of land to Chicago-based Full Circle Communities to build an apartment complex with up to 42 units, up to 30% of which would be set aside as permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities. This property is located on Roosevelt Road near Park Avenue; it is the former motel site across from Trader Joe’s in Glen Ellyn. Full Circle Communities has converted the Larkin Center in Elgin into an affordable housing complex that offers transportation assistance and case management. They plan to partner with other organizations to provide on-site supportive services in the Glen Ellyn location as well.
If you would like to be a part of the Trinity group that is working with DuPage United as we begin this relationship, you can do so by using the Church Center app:
- click on the ‘Groups and Formation’ button
- scroll down to ‘Find a Group’
- click on the ‘Small Groups’ section
- when the list of small groups, including one called ‘DuPage United’, appears, select the ‘Open’ button to read more about the group
- click on the ‘join’ button there.
For assistance, you can contact Nancy Moore at
Have you heard of DuPage United? What do you know about that organization?
Trinity is a new member of this group as of 2024, so you will have the opportunity to learn much more about DuPage United in the weeks to come.
DuPage United describes itself as ‘an inclusive, non-profit, fiercely non-partisan organization whose members are civil society institutions: churches, mosques, synagogues, non-profit agencies, and associations’ that work together to improve life in our area. Other local churches that are members of DuPage United include St. Paul Lutheran (Wheaton). Faith Lutheran (Glen Ellyn) and St. Mark’s Episcopal (Glen Ellyn). The organization is affiliated with Metro IAF, part of the Industrial Areas Foundation, the oldest and largest network of community organizations throughout the U.S., England, Germany, Australia, and Canada.
How is DuPage United different from other nonprofits? Although it tackles many issues, it is not an issue-based or service organization. Instead, it is dedicated to helping institutions build power to effectively engage in democratic action in the public arena.