History & Mission
The mission of Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc. is to empower, educate, and employ people to change lives and strengthen communities.
Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc. is a 100 plus year-old agency founded by Ada Sophia McKinley in 1919. The organization began as a settlement house to provide a sanctuary for Black men returning from World War I and migrating from southern states with their families. This laid the cornerstone to expand support for the Black community in Chicago during Jim Crow oppression and the Chicago Race Riots.
Today, the agency provides a wide range of human services to more than 10,000 people annually at over 70 program locations in Chicago, with additional sites in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Services fall under the categories of Child Development & Youth; Employment & Community Support; and Behavioral Health & Clinical. Services rendered daily include tutoring, mentoring and college placement, foster care, housing opportunities, mental health, youth and family counseling, employment training and placement, and head start programs.
The vision of Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc. is for all people to have the opportunity for education and employment.