Race to End Homelessness returns to Douglas Park

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Every day, hundreds of homeless struggle to find food and shelter in Chicago.

But the non-profit A Safe Haven is working to change that and end homelessness for good by hosting its fifth annual 5K Race to End Homelessness Sunday morning at Douglas Park.

Organizers say the race, which stepped off at 8 a.m., nets nearly $250,000 each year, but that's not a lot when you see how many people A Safe Haven helps get back on their feet.

The foundation is more than a homeless shelter; it helps people receive services, housing and jobs - and that takes a lot of funds.

"The demand for services keeps growing and we talk about it every day, it's in the newspaper every day, and we see it firsthand, face-to-face. People coming to our doorstep, becoming homeless because of job loss, becoming homeless due to drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, veterans coming home," said Neli Vazquez Rowland, A Safe Haven. "If you see the faces and the stories and the children that we serve, there's absolutely no way we could say no."

The race will continue in Douglas Park until 10 a.m.; an event for veterans will be held at the park from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.