Inner City Mission is a public benefit 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization fully supported by faithful churches, businesses, and individuals seeking to cultivate lasting transformation in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.

We are a ministry devoted to understanding the root causes of homelessness, engaging its presence in our own community, equipping the Body of Christ to be a leader in its restorative process, and sharing with the public the wisdom we have seen transform thousands of lives.

After seeing the alarming rise of homelessness in Springfield, Illinois, seven local churches came together on July 14, 1983, to form a ministry dedicated to serving homeless individuals and families in their community. After purchasing a small property on the north side of downtown Springfield, Inner City Mission was officially born, housing its first homeless residents on August 26, 1984.

Three years later, ICM relocated two blocks east to its current location on North 7th Street where a larger facility and grounds enabled greater impact on homelessness alleviation. In 1989, an adjacent building was added to the ministry to serve as a clothing distribution center for those in need within ICM’s community.

In 1993, ICM recognized a need to better understand what was at the core of homelessness and why its prevalence continued to increase nationwide. Over the next 10 years, the Stability for Life program was developed and implemented, emphasizing the connection between positive, loving relationships and personal stability.

Over the next 20 years, ICM utilized its firsthand experience working with homeless children, their parents, and single women to further develop an understanding of the causes and types of homelessness and the response necessary to cultivate life transformation.

In 2023, ICM expanded the outward-facing facets of its ministry, equipping the Body of Christ with tools to lead the way in eliminating homelessness and teaching the public what is necessary for widespread restoration to take place.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God’s sacrifice shows us what is at the core of His love. He gave what was truly needed so that His people may come to find lasting joy, peace, and stability in His presence. ICM strives to be an extension of this love, giving every person who steps through our door what is truly needed for them to find lasting joy, peace, and stability in their own lives.

Matthew 25:35-37, 40

'For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?' …The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

Jesus shows us that love does not ignore the needs that are before it but seeks to fulfill them so that all can prosper in a relationship with Him and His people. At ICM, the very first thing we do is provide the basic needs of life: shelter, food, clothing, and community as Jesus discusses.  

Matthew 7:25

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

In the final illustration of the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus tells us that the storms of life will come and they will find us either safe and secure on the rock or struggling to survive in the sand. For this reason, everything we do at ICM is to help those stuck in the sand find the rock and begin to build their own life upon it. We provide an environment where every child, parent, or single adult walking through our doors can find lasting joy, peace, and stability on the rock of Christ.

Isaiah 58:6-8

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

God shares that he is concerned with the chains of injustice being loosened and the yoke of this world being broken. We want to be ambassadors of God’s love, allowing His light to break forth like the dawn, cultivating life transformation for those who are trapped in the darkness.

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul calls the Body of Christ to be a living sacrifice before God, allowing the renewal of our minds to transform who we are and how we live. We want to discern God’s will in all that we do at ICM, replacing the ways of this world with what is good and acceptable in His eyes.