Emmaus Ministries reaches out to men in prostitution on the streets of Chicago; men who sell themselves to other men to survive. Through nightly outreach teams and a daytime drop-in center (Ministry Center), Emmaus staff and volunteers build relationships of trust with these men, working together to help them get off the streets and develop a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.
Men who resort to prostitution are at great risk. These men have typically grown up in environments that include physical or sexual abuse, family alcoholism, drug abuse, and generational poverty. They have very few resources to draw on. They typically have no intact family or other support structure, poor education, and few marketable skills to offer prospective employers. They feel trapped in their circumstances and will succumb to the streets if they are not offered hope and the tools to change the direction of their lives.
Emmaus seeks to make Jesus known on the streets by walking alongside these men in their present circumstances and loving them where they are with Christ’s unconditional love. We stay with them through the ups and downs of their personal journeys, inviting them to step away from the streets and recognize their God-given dignity, giftedness and purpose.
