History of Home of the Sparrow...

December 15, 1986 . . . A gathering of faith

The vision for Home of the Sparrow began with Sister Moira (Nancy) Traeger, a Catholic nun, more than twenty years ago when she and many interfaith friends and colleagues recognized the reality of homelessness in McHenry County and set out to make a difference. After years of effort, disappointment and almost giving up, they finally stood at the doorway of a residence in McHenry, Illinois as the doors of the McHenry County Interfaith Shelter opened to a family – a mother and her children.  It was the first shelter for homeless women and children in McHenry County.
The founders, led by Sister Mo, were from seven interfaith churches and included Joy Rogers Martin, who still serves on staff at the agency.  “Sister Mo” was the first director of the agency.

Also among those early organizers was Rev. Phyllis Mueller, a newly ordained Presbyterian minister, who realized that homelessness in McHenry County was a reality among women and children, and that these women and children had no place to go.  Rev. Mueller connected with the interfaith group, joined the board and, together, they worked to make their idea of a shelter become reality. As Chaplain, Rev. Mueller directed the agency through most of the first eleven years of the McHenry County Interfaith Shelter, later renamed Home of the Sparrow.

Twenty-one years later...