Group of diverse people enjoying music and conversation outdoors.

Jesus People Chicago

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Spiritual
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 1970

What we do

Jesus People community is a group of around 160 people of all ages living communally in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. We pool our resources so that we can better serve those in need, primarily by running one of Chicago’s largest homeless shelters. We own and run several businesses that enable us to support ourselves and various members who work directly with the homeless each day. In addition, we provide subsidized housing for low income seniors, a food pantry for those in need, run a fair trade cafe, a record label, recording studio, web design business, skate shop, art gallery, and several other businesses.
Since forming in 1972, we have come to find that a deep well of creativity is tapped into when we live communally, and we are excited to see where the next few decades of living together will take us.

Our Mission

By living together, we seek to deepen relationships with God and each other as we grow, serve, and live out the gospel.

  • Purpose
  • Spiritual
  • Community type
  • Commune
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers
  • Activities
  • Experiences

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1970
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1972
  • Started living together

Video

  • 130 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
170

How to join

We have a Membership Team whose job it is to screen new members through an application process and interviews. This process starts by filling in an online application on our website.
https://jesuspeoplechicago.org/apply

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We would love to hear from you! If you would like to talk to someone about joining our community or visiting, please email : co*****@***sa.org or fill out our contact form on our website https://jesuspeoplechicago.org/apply

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Consent-Based (Sociocracy)

Decisions proceed unless someone has a reasoned objection.

Governance structure

  • Sociocratic/Circle-Based

Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.

Conflict resolution approach

We have transitioned into Sociocracy as a new mode of our governmental structure. This will be a process of learning for everyone involved as we normalize and stabilize this as our new model from our board/leadership group model of the past.

Economic model

  • Complete Income-Sharing

All member income goes into common pool for community use.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Labor: Yes (40 hrs/week)

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately 1 meal per day

Community activities and engagement

  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use is prohibited in the community
  • Religions
  • Christian

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Community type

  • Commune

    Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Illinois, United States

Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
2 months ago

37-Acre Sanctuary for Community, Homesteading and Off-Grid Living

Imagine waking to birdsong, mist rising over open meadows, and sunlight filtering through towering cedars. Picture a place where you can gather with community around a fire, cultivate food from rich living soil, steward a thriving ecosystem, and build a life rooted in connection, resilience, and purpose. Welcome to Heartwood Homestead — a remarkable 37-acre land project in Washington’s South Sound region that offers a rare combination of established off-grid infrastructure, development potential, ecological abundance, and accessibility. Whether you’re dreaming of creating an intentional community, regenerative farm, eco-village, healing retreat center, artist sanctuary, educational land project, family compound, or simply a private homestead with room to grow, Heartwood Homestead provides an extraordinary foundation to bring that vision to life. A Property Designed for Possibility Finding land is easy. Finding land that already has the infrastructure, water systems, power generation, multiple dwellings, community spaces, and zoning flexibility needed for a larger vision is exceptionally rare. Heartwood Homestead has spent years evolving into a functioning land project. Much of the difficult and expensive groundwork has already been completed, allowing new stewards to focus on creating rather than merely building. The property is zoned RR1/5, allowing for up to seven homes plus ADUs, creating significant potential for cooperative ownership structures, multi-family living, intentional community development, rental income, retreat accommodations, or phased expansion. For those seeking a community-oriented property, this is one of the most compelling opportunities available in the Pacific Northwest. Water Security and Off-Grid Resilience One of the greatest challenges facing many rural properties is water access. Heartwood Homestead shines in this regard. A brand-new 21 ga
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
2 weeks ago

3/2 Townhome in Atlanta-Area Co-Housing Community

https://cfortuin.wixsite.com/1804dancingfox The property currently features 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, open floor plan kitchen/dining room/living room with atrium ceiling, a window-lit bonus area, two rear balconies with great views, and a covered front porch. There is also framed-out, unfinished space that could be converted to expand the unit into a 6 bedroom, 4 bath home with a large attic storage room. The basement floor has a private entrance and is framed out for being a 1 bedroom, 1 bath, “mother-in-law” apartment with a living and dining room . Architectural drawings for this build out have already been prepared. The townhome is in the friendly East Commons Co-Housing Community. Details on our community can be found by searching on East Lake Commons .org Price: $435,000 Please note that I do not wish to sell to brokers or investment firms; I am only interested in selling to people who intend to live in the house and join the community. Interested parties should take a tour of East Lake Commons, should attend a community potluck or event, and read the Community Covenants, Bylaws, and Book of Commons before the property closing. Community participation helps keep our Community vibrant! Without advertising, 10 families are interested in this property. It will move fast. The unfinished square footage may qualify for a FHA mortgage “203K” loan, allowing licensed contractors to finish the framed-out space. Please let me know if you have any questions. For details contact John Fortuin: Email: Re***********@***oo.com Text: 404-438-2389 Thank you!
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 weeks ago

Still Point House Manager

Still Point House Manager (Northampton) Windhorse Integrative Mental Health, Inc Are you interested in working where you live? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others? Do you have experience with running a household, and do you appreciate community-based environments? Windhorse is seeking a manager of a hosted home environment for individuals working with extreme mind states who are arriving to our step-down program. When a Windhorse client first arrives, they are received at our Still Point house, an established home environment where they can land, orient, and meet their clinical team. Each client remains at our Still Point house for two to twelve weeks, at which point they then move to an apartment, which they share with a housemate. Windhorse is seeking a Still Point Manager who will live ongoingly in a house in Northampton and help with these transitions as well as other uses for the house. This individual should be skilled at running an uplifted home (including typical home cleaning and maintenance), cooking, and shopping for the home. They also need to be emotionally regulated, welcoming, compassionate, organized, and patient. While the Still Point Manager has extensive clinical support, the job itself is not clinical. In addition, the Still Point Manager is anticipated to hold outside employment and may do so for up to 20 hours per week. During periods of vacancy when there is no client in residence, the Still Point Manager may also be asked to host guests in the home, either other housemates when they are on respite from their households, or friends and family members from the Windhorse community. In addition, during vacancy periods the Still Point Manager is responsible for providing short periods of respite coverage during housemate time off. This may involve staying with the client in their apartment while the housemate is away (typically for 3 nights) or hosting the client at the Still Point ho
Offer
  • Housing For Rent + Shared
7 months ago

Home share available for sister/brother in Christ

I’m excited to be looking for Intentional Christ- based Community. I’d love to share my home with other family in Christ, and possibly share a weekly bible study and/or perhaps evening meals together. I’d enjoy coming up with creative ways to share the gospel and serve others in the local community together if you’re inclined and we each have the time. My 18 year old is out of the house now, but I haven’t yet taken new photos, so although his posters are in these pictures, his things have now been removed from the room with the exception of his bed, which can be switched out for yours if necessary. I’m open to drafting mutually agreeable rules, boundaries, and ways of handling any possible conflicts that may come up so they can be settled in a loving and respectful way as they arise. Some non-negotiable ground rules I have are no smoking, vaping, drinking, or drugs, including Marijuana. I prefer only godly programming and Christ-centered music, as I am very intentional about my spiritual environment. To test the waters, I’d be up for praying over the decision, a bible study over zoom, as well as an in person meal once or twice to get to know each other, with of course a tour of the house. Coming together to share how we feel led to proceed after that seems reasonable. I have a very large smart TV, internet, washer & dryer, large fenced yard with a fire pit, and a shed for storing outdoor items. I am open to drafting a lease for either 6 months or a year. My thoughts were $700/month with trash, water, electric, and internet all inclusive. Happy community hunting, I hope to hear from you soon, and God bless! 💜🌈🥰✝️

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Communities

A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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