Northwest Community Healthcare – Part of NorthShore

Supporting our underserved neighbors in Palatine

Nearly 25 years ago, leaders from Palatine and surrounding suburbs came together to assess and address the needs of their community. This collaborative committee recognized the greatest need in the immigrant and low income residents from Northeast Palatine Township. This population, due to language and economic barriers, were finding challenges accessing basic health, wellness, education and social service resources as well as finding employment.

This group of leaders determined a community center could best meet these needs. In 1998 Northwest Community Hospital (NCH), along with support from an anonymous donor, purchased a former retail store and converted the space into a central location to house those services. NCH financially supports the building, and the not-for-profit organization, Partners for Our Communities (POC), established in 1994, coordinates the services of the providers and employs a skilled staff that provides multi-lingual direct service, referrals and other assistance to those who are seeking to improve their lives.

Today, the Community Resource Center (CRC) is home to 15 different not-for-profit organizations that provide services including: health and wellness, education and literacy, food and clothing, employment, counseling and social service, leadership and youth development. The CRC has approximately 200,000 visits annually (pre-COVID) and is embraced as a vital resource by the community it serves. NCH and POC work collaboratively to identify and address the changing needs of the community throughout the services offered at the center.  

Agency Partners at CRC

• All Saints Lutheran Church Food Pantry
• Asian Human Services
• Community Consolidated School District 15
• ECDEC/FIND Early Childhood
• HIAS Chicago
• ICOMPETE
• Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH)
• Palatine Assisting Through Hope (PATH) Clothing Closet
• Palatine Park District
• Palatine Public Library District
• Palatine Township
• Partners for Our Communities (POC)
• Village of Palatine
• Women In Need Growing Stronger (WINGS)
• William Rainey Harper College

Take a video tour of CRC here.