Chicago, IL — August 6, 2026— All Chicago is thrilled to welcome Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, as the keynote speaker for this year’s Breakfast with All Chicago. Drawing from his own lived experience of homelessness and recovery from addiction, he has dedicated his career to transforming systems and advocating for housing justice. Breakfast with All Chicago will be held on October 8 from 8:00-10:30am at the University Club of Chicago. You can learn more and purchase tickets and sponsorships at this link.
Throughout his career, Whitehead has led some of the country’s most impactful homelessness response organizations including serving as the Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, Assistant Director at St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, Program Director at Ohio Valley Goodwill, and Grant Manager at Goodwill of Greater Washington.
As a national leader, Whitehead has testified before Congress and played a key role in the landmark “Bringing America Home Act” which first recognized housing as a human right and explicitly established ending homelessness as a national goal. His leadership on a regional and national level earned him numerous honors, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Congressional Black Caucus and a Special Recognition Award from Congress.
Whitehead has also become a trusted voice on homelessness, appearing on the Dr. Phil show, CBS News, ABC News, FOX TV, CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, NEWSMAX, CBS Radio, NPR, The Tavis Smiley Show, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and many other national and international outlets.
Donald Whitehead’s story is one of resilience, leadership and hope, and challenges all of us to imagine what is possible when communities come together to ensure that all our neighbors have a safe place to call home.
We are honored to welcome Donald Whitehead to this year’s Breakfast with All Chicago and can’t wait for our community to hear his inspiring message. We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a powerful and unforgettable morning.
About All Chicago
All Chicago Making Homelessness History’s mission is to unite our community and resources to provide solutions that ensure and sustain the stability of home. All Chicago prevents and ends homelessness through four signature approaches: Emergency financial assistance, community partnerships, data analytics, and training/research. By bringing our partners together and using data to inform decisions, we are creating an effective system in Chicago, so that all of our neighbors have a place to call home.
