+ City Key

CityKey is a free 4-in-1 municipal ID for all Chicagoans, regardless of age, gender, immigration status or housing status. With a CityKey ID, Chicagoans can unlock access to all our city has to offer. It serves as an official form of ID, library card, Ventra card and Chicago Rx prescription drug discount card. It provides savings at local participating Chicago businesses, sporting events and cultural institutions.

You can now apply for a CityKey online by visiting www.getcitykey.com. Make sure you have the following documents ready to upload when you apply:

• Proof of Identity documents

• Proof of Residency documents

• Photo, must be a color and current photo

Verify you have the necessary documents by visiting the CityKey document calculator: www.getcitykey.com/CityKey/Calculator.

Note: CityKey is a municipal ID for the City of Chicago. It does not replace a federally issued ID. See the official guide to learn more about the dos and don’ts of Chicago CityKey.

Español

CityKey es gratis y una identificación municipal 4-en-1 para todos los habitantes de Chicago, independientemente de tu edad, sexo, estatus migratorio o situación de vivienda. Con una CityKey, los residentes de Chicago pueden descubrir todo lo que ofrece nuestra ciudad. Sirve como documento de identidad oficial, tarjeta de Biblioteca Pública de Chicago, tarjeta Ventra (para el transporte público) y tarjeta de descuento para medicamentos con receta Chicago Rx. Ofrece descuentos en comercios locales participantes en Chicago, eventos deportivos e instituciones culturales.

Ahora puedes aplicar para una CityKey en línea visitando www.getcitykey.com. Asegúrate de tener los siguientes documentos listos para subir cuando hagas su aplicación:

• Documentos de prueba de identidad

• Documentos de prueba de residencia

• Tu foto, debe ser una foto de color y actual

Verifica que tienes los documentos necesarios visitando nuestra calculadora de documentos CityKey: www.getcitykey.com/CityKey/Calculator.

Nota: CityKey es una identificación municipal de la Ciudad de Chicago. No reemplaza a una identificación federal. Consulte la guía oficial para más información sobre lo que debe y no debe hacer con Chicago CityKey.

Français

CityKey est une carte d’identité municipale 4-en-1 gratuite pour tous les habitants de Chicago, quels que soient leur âge, leur sexe, leur statut d’immigrant ou leur situation en termes de logement. Avec une carte d’identité CityKey, les habitants de Chicago peuvent accéder à tout ce que la ville a à offrir. Elle sert de pièce d’identité officielle, de carte de bibliothèque, de carte Ventra et de carte de réduction des frais de médicaments sur ordonnance Chicago Rx. Elle permet de réaliser des économies dans les commerces, les événements sportifs et les institutions culturelles de Chicago qui participent à l’opération.

Vous pouvez désormais demander une CityKey en ligne en visitant www.getcitykey.com. Veillez à ce que les documents suivants soient prêts à être envoyés en ligne lorsque vous déposez votre demande :

• Pièce d’identité

• Justificatif de domicile

• Photo, en couleur et en cours de validité

Vérifiez que vous disposez des documents nécessaires en consultant le calculateur de documents CityKey: www.getcitykey.com/CityKey/Calculator.

Remarque: CityKey est une carte d’identité municipale pour la ville de Chicago. Elle ne remplace pas une carte d’identité délivrée par le gouvernement fédéral. Consultez le guide officiel pour en savoir plus sur les choses à faire et à ne pas faire avec Chicago CityKey.

+ Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in donating your time to help support our new arrival efforts, please see various opportunities below that are looking for additional volunteer assistance!

• Illinois Immigration Info

  Illinois Immigration Information has compiled various opportunities for individuals legal experience, including active or retired attorneys, law students, and legal support staff. Volunteers are currently needed at centralized workshops to provide a variety of services.

• Cradles to Crayons

  Cradles to Crayons provides children with the essential items they need to thrive including gently used or new clothing, school supplies, diapers, coats, hygiene products, and winter accessories. Recently, CPS has collaborated with Cradles to Crayons to meet the needs of new arrival children enrolled in schools.Distribution is managed by community partners. Volunteer opportunities include staffing donation drives, sorting items, and more.

• Share Our Space

  Share Our Spare is a community resource of essentials, education and advocacy for families living in poverty and the agencies that serve them. Share Our space works to fill the essential needs of Chicago area children from birth to age 5. Volunteer opportunities surround sorting items and quality-checking donations.

• The Resurrection Project

  The Resurrection Project (TRP) hosts Employment Authorization Document (EAD) & Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Clinic workshops every Tuesday - Friday in downtown Chicago. Over 260 non-profit legal service organization staff have volunteered for workshops, including 461 pro bono attorneys and paralegals. Volunteer opportunities include assisting new arrivals in preparing their immigration applications.

+ Housing

The vast majority of our new arrivals are currently staying at city-run shelters. The ultimate goal for these families is to acquire permanent housing, and there are a couple programs that they can tap into in order to help them achieve this goal. If you are a landlord looking to learn more about these programs, please connect with our office for more information and to help facilitate!

• Asylum Seeker Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ASERAP)

  • Any asylum-seeker that has been staying at one of the City-run shelters is eligible for ASERAP, a state-funded program that pays for 3 months rent (plus any move-in fee) for a family to be placed in housing. The landlord and Catholic Charities (the organization managing the implementation of this program) enter into an attestation stating that Catholic Charities will pay the landlord directly and upfront, and once all the paperwork is signed the family can move into the unit.
  • Fast-track program: In order to help expedite the process of signing a contract with a landlord, Catholic Charities and IHDA created a fast-track program that allows new arrivals to search for housing and landlords willing to participate in the program on their own. Please note that while families may do the initial outreach on their own, a case manager at the shelter must still draft the agreement and follow internal procedures for the funding to be released for that family. Volunteers are not eligible to do so.

• Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund (CLIHTF)

  CLIHTF’s mission is to meet the permanent housing needs of Chicago’s very low-income residents. The Trust Fund assists residents living in poverty, with incomes not exceeding 30 percent of area median income, by providing well-maintained and affordable housing. Because they do not have any citizenship requirements of their tenants, they are a great option for new arrivals to establish themselves in housing. Unlike ASERAP above, CLIHTF enters into standard year-long contracts with landlords so provide added stability for both tenants and landlords.