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About
Helping Girls in
Chicago
Our Story:
ForGirlsLikeMe Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in October 2024 and headquartered in Park Forest, Illinois to serve girls and young women ages 12–24 who are experiencing homelessness, housing instability, or barriers to education and economic opportunity across the Illinois 2nd Congressional District — South Suburban Chicago and Chicago.
Our founder, Rayshondia N. Swoopes, built this organization on a truth she lived and witnessed: the girls who need the most support are constantly asked to navigate a system that was never designed to include them. Fragmented services, impossible paperwork, strangers with clipboards asking you to repeat your trauma — we call all of that what it is: unnecessary, unjust, and done.
ForGirlsLikeMe operates two divisions:
🏠 PATHWAYS TO PROMISES — HOUSING FIRST PROJECT
Crisis housing, transitional living, Rapid Re-Housing, and drop-in/SSO services.
Locations:
15115 S Dixie Hwy, Harvey, IL 60426
111 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604.
Wraparound services include trauma-informed case management, individual and group counseling, substance abuse counseling, family counseling, therapy, legal advocacy, credit repair, food and utility assistance, and Dignity Kits.
📚 FORGIRLSLIKEME ACADEMY
Three components under one roof:
(1) FREE childcare for ages 6 weeks and up, in partnership with Illinois Action for Children
(2) Accredited K–12 homeschool diploma program in partnership with Imagine Learning Inc. to not only support youth but their school-aged children as well.
(3) Career Institute — Medical Assistant vocational training, FREE through WIOA, TANF and In- House Scholarships. We don't just serve girls. We walk with them — from crisis to stability, from dropped out to diploma, from unemployed to healthcare professional.
Here's what we know: adolescence—that wild ride between ages 12 and 17—is when everything's on the line. It's peak vulnerability time for dropping out of school, experiencing trauma, and getting caught up in systems that weren't built to help. But here's the thing we also know: those same years? They're pure possibility. Get it right during this window, and you don't just change one life—you transform generations.
And let's be real! You can't support a girl or young woman like she's an island. Her mom needs childcare so she doesn't lose her job. Her grandmother is trying to figure out VA benefits. Her brother could use some tutoring. Her dad needs substance abuse support. When you support the whole family, magic happens.
But traditional social services? They're basically designed like an obstacle course from hell. One office for food stamps. Another for Medicaid. A third for housing. A fourth for job training. Different hours. Different forms. Staff who've never even heard of each other. It's like they're trying to make you give up.
Yeah, we're not about that life.
Pathways to Promises! One roof! One team! People who actually know your name, believe your story, and coordinate everything you need. No more telling your trauma to six different strangers with clipboards. No more missing doctor's appointments because they conflict with benefits paperwork. No more feeling like the system was built to keep you out instead of welcome you in.
Our Vibe:
Look, poverty isn't just about money—it's about dignity. And here's the truth bomb: families living in poverty face what scholars call "epistemic injustice." Translation? Society systematically acts like you don't know what you're talking about. Like your experiences don't count. Like your struggles are somehow your fault.
We call BS on all of that.
Here's how we roll:
→ YOU ARE THE EXPERT ON YOUR LIFE. Period. We're here to listen, believe you, and follow your lead.
→ INTEGRATION REDUCES BURDEN. Making you navigate 15 agencies isn't a test of character—it's unnecessary nonsense we eliminate by bringing services together.
→ FAMILY SYSTEMS MATTER. Supporting just one person? That's like trying to fix a car by only looking at one wheel. We support the whole ecosystem.
→ GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN ARE OUR FOCUS. We center girls aged 12-17 during their most crucial years, and keep supporting young women as they level up into adulthood.
→ MILITARY FAMILIES DESERVE BETTER. If you served our nation, you shouldn't have to battle bureaucracy for basic care. We've got your six.
→ DIGNITY IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. Every single interaction should make you feel one thing: You matter.
Our Dream Team: ──────────────
Rayshondia N. Swoopes,
Program Director & Board President
(yes, she's the founder with the audacious vision)
Devoria Gordon,
Outreach Director & Board Vice President
(the one making sure everyone knows we exist)
Laquila Sawyer,
Housing Advisor & Board Secretary
(making sure our girls have safe places to call home)
Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board isn't just suits in a boardroom. We've got community members who've lived the service fragmentation nightmare, academic experts who study epistemic injustice and poverty intervention, government agency partners who get it, foundation reps, and service user advocates who make sure the community's voice isn't just heard—it's leading the charge.
