Filling the Gap

What Filling the Gap does

Filling the Gap is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides transformational and dignified housing to individuals facing housing insecurity in the South Suburbs of Chicago. Founded by Michael Fitzgerald following a mission trip experience, the organization addresses a specific gap in the local housing market: people who cannot secure traditional rental housing due to felony records, lack of credit history, or absence of rental history, as well as individuals exiting rehabilitation or re-entry programs and single mothers facing imminent housing loss. Residents are referred through a network of trusted partner agencies, with the organization's Cypress House dedicated specifically to women in need of second-chance housing.

The organization operates three physical properties — Sycamore House (acquired July 2020, a two-flat in Tinley Park), Cypress House (acquired November 2023, a single-family home in South Holland), and Oak House (acquired 2026, a two-flat in Harvey currently undergoing multi-phase rehabilitation) — for a total of five housing units. Each property is acquired via dedicated capital campaigns and prepared for occupancy through phased construction work supported by corporate sponsors (Ozinga, RBS/Richards Supply) and volunteer labor. No housing fees are charged to residents; the program is sustained entirely through philanthropic support.

Filling the Gap's revenue model is donation-based and event-driven. Funding streams include individual and corporate donations, annual fundraising events (a golf outing at George Dunne National and a trivia night at Gaelic Park, both running since at least 2022), restaurant percentage-of-sales partnerships (Bartolini's, Pop's Italian Beef & Sausage), corporate sponsorships at tiered levels, merchandise sales (branded hats and t-shirts at $15, raffle tickets at $20), and event ticket sales. Marketing relies on Facebook, an email newsletter, community word-of-mouth, and event attendance rather than paid digital acquisition. With 1-10 employees and a regional single-market footprint, the organization operates at small scale, with financial figures not publicly disclosed.

Name

Filling the Gap

Legal name

Filling the Gap NFP

Website

https://fillingthegap-nfp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Filling the Gap is a faith-based nonprofit that provides transformational and dignified housing in the South Suburbs of Chicago for individuals facing housing barriers, including those with felony records, post-rehabilitation residents, and single mothers, operating three properties with five housing units.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transitional Housing Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Transformational housing services
• Second chance housing
• Nonprofit housing programs
• Faith-based housing
• Reentry housing support

Headquarters

HQ city

Tinley Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual and corporate donations supporting housing programs and second-chance housing initiatives.
2. Event Fundraising: Revenue from annual events including golf outings, trivia nights, and restaurant fundraisers where partners donate percentages of sales.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sales of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, and raffle tickets.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for events with various tiers of recognition and visibility.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Filling the Gap NFP is a faith-based nonprofit that provides dignified and transformational housing to people in need in the South Suburbs of Chicago. It operates three residential properties (Sycamore House, Cypress House, and Oak House) totaling five housing units, serving individuals who cannot access traditional rental housing due to felony records, lack of credit history, or lack of rental history, including single mothers and men and women exiting rehabilitation or re-entry programs. Funding is raised through donations, sponsorships, capital campaigns, annual fundraising events, and branded merchandise sales.

Product overview

Filling the Gap is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides transformational and dignified housing to people in need in the South Suburbs of Chicago. The organization operates three housing properties (Oak House, Sycamore House, and Cypress House) as its core programs, offering residents a path to stability through stable housing while they work on personal and professional goals. Additionally, the organization sells merchandise (baseball hats, t-shirts) and raffle tickets as fundraising activities to support its housing mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oak House A two-flat home in Harvey, IL providing multi-unit transformational and dignified housing for neighbors in need, bringing total capacity to five units across three properties.
• Sycamore House The first residential property owned by Filling the Gap, a two-flat housing one resident per unit, serving as a core program for transformational housing.
• Cypress House A single-family home in South Holland dedicated to providing women with transformational housing, addressing the specific housing needs of women and single mothers.
• Filling The Gap Baseball Hat Branded baseball hat sold as fundraising merchandise at $15.00 per unit to support the organization's housing programs.
• Filling The Gap T-shirt Branded t-shirt sold as fundraising merchandise at $15.00 per unit to support the organization's housing programs.
• Raffle Tickets Raffle tickets sold at $20.00 per ticket for fundraising events supporting housing programs (noted as sold out in source materials).

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major sponsor, core and minor.

• Ozingamajor sponsorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilder Sponsor for the Oak House project. Ozinga provides materials or sponsorship support for the construction and rehabilitation of the Oak House.
• RBS/Richards Supplymajor sponsorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Sponsor for the Oak House project. Richards Supply provides sponsorship support for the housing rehabilitation efforts.
• Trusted Referral AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with trusted referral agencies who have candidates ready to take the next step in their journey. These agencies refer individuals in need of housing to Filling the Gap's programs.
• Churches and Faith-Based OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with churches and other faith-based organizations maximizes ability to serve the unhoused and enables more sustainable community development.
• Bartolini's RestaurantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBartolini's partnered with Filling the Gap for World Homeless Day, donating 20% of purchases to housing programs.
• Pop's Italian Beef & SausageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant fundraiser where 20% of dine-in and carry-out orders are donated to Filling the Gap's housing programs.
• George W. Dunne National Golf CourseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHost venue for annual golf outings. Located at 16310 Central Ave, Oak Forest, IL 60452.
• Gaelic ParkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue for annual trivia night fundraisers. Located at 6119 147th Street, Oak Forest.
• Let's RoamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContributed items to silent auction for trivia night fundraiser.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Community First! Village (Mobile Loaves & Fishes): Master-planned community in Austin, TX providing housing and supportive services for people coming out of chronic homelessness; shares the dignified, transformational, property-acquisition-driven housing model at larger scale.
• Oxford House: National network of self-run sober-living and re-entry houses; comparable resident population (post-recovery, post-incarceration) though organized around a member-run model rather than staffed properties.
• Thresholds: Large Chicago-based nonprofit providing housing, mental health, and substance use services; broader portfolio but overlapping re-entry and supportive housing population in the same metro.

Direct peers

• New Moms: Chicago-area nonprofit providing housing, job training, and family support specifically for young mothers and their children—comparable to Filling the Gap's single-mother housing segment in the same region.
• A Safe Haven: Chicago-based nonprofit operating transitional and permanent supportive housing for individuals and families facing homelessness and re-entry barriers; directly comparable housing-first and workforce-support model in the same metro.
• St. Leonard's Ministries: Chicago-based nonprofit providing transitional housing and supportive services for men and women exiting incarceration—directly comparable mission, geography, and resident population to Filling the Gap's second-chance housing model.

Emerging players

• Sarah's Inn: Chicago-area nonprofit providing housing and supportive services for survivors of domestic violence; adjacent housing-for-vulnerable-populations niche with overlapping referral networks.
• Back on My Feet: National nonprofit using running and community engagement to support individuals experiencing homelessness and re-entry; comparable second-chance population with different primary intervention model.

Regional players

• BEDS Plus Care: Chicago South/Southwest Suburbs nonprofit providing shelter, housing, and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness; same regional service area as Filling the Gap.
• Housing Forward (formerly PADS/Housing Opportunities): Western and South Suburban Chicago nonprofit providing shelter, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing; geographically adjacent and serving overlapping housing-insecure populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fillingthegapNFP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/filling-the-gap-nfp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Filling the Gap