The Night's Shield Children's Shelter

The Night's Shield Children's Shelter The Night's Shield Children's Shelter opened doors in 2009 and has been a safe haven to children and young adults since that time.

Our shelter places homeless and displaced youth 11-17 and young adults 18-23 with proper social service referrals.

Throwback to Before and Hello to the After! The Night's Shield is located in the former building of Parkview Nursing Hom...
09/03/2026

Throwback to Before and Hello to the After! The Night's Shield is located in the former building of Parkview Nursing Home - a 59-bed intermediate care facility. When the nursing home shut down, the building was left empty and without any plans for future use. Founder Sara Bond got an email that put Parkview on her radar. Shortly after and with a lot of support from The Poshard Foundation, the building became the future home of The Night's Shield. As renovations kicked off, Sara was adamant that if children were going to arrive to this facility, in the middle of the night, scared and displaced from their home, it shouldn't look like a nursing home. She said it HAD to look like a castle. Others were hesitant but she pushed forward and today, West Frankfort proudly hosts a castle for homeless and displaced children. Our Night's Shield is a safe haven and looks as special on the outside as we hope it feels to our precious residents on the inside.

Meet Our Team!Executive Program Director: Sarah SandersSarah has been a part of The Night’s Shield family sinceJune of 2...
09/02/2026

Meet Our Team!

Executive Program Director: Sarah Sanders

Sarah has been a part of The Night’s Shield family since
June of 2019. She began as a Direct Care worker on midnights and shortly after being hired, she became Child Care Supervisor.

When The Night's Shield began the Homeless Youth Program in 2020, she returned as a Case Manager and now holds her new title as Executive Program Director.

Sarah is a Herrin High School and SIUC graduate. She loves the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues. When she isn't working, watching games and spending time with her family, friends and her dog Bruiser is where you can find her. She understands the significance of having a positive support system on her side due to lived experience. Her dedication to helping others has been a valuable attribute amongst the population we serve.

Sarah said her favorite memory while working at The Night’s Shield has been spending holidays with the youth placed at the shelter. Sitting down and having a meal, giving gifts, and providing memories to those who have never had a chance to experience stability, will always hold a special place in her heart. She cherishes her ability to be an advocate for youth, who oftentimes feel as if they do not have a voice or are seeking assistance with managing life and all that it throws at us on a daily basis.

What do we do Wednesday! Children who are residing at The Night's Shield Children's Shelter still attend traditional sch...
09/02/2026

What do we do Wednesday!

Children who are residing at The Night's Shield Children's Shelter still attend traditional schooling. When possible, The Night's Shield teams up with caseworkers, social service agencies, educators and our McKinney-Vento partners to ensure that a child has access to continuation of schooling at their school of origin. Transportation is arranged to and from the shelter to school and we employ a teaching specialist who works with children, in the evening, on homework and school assignments.

Children and young adults who reside at The Night's Shield are often limited on their ability to engage in activities an...
09/01/2026

Children and young adults who reside at The Night's Shield are often limited on their ability to engage in activities and enjoy specialties outside of the shelter. While donations of items to the shelter are helpful, we also love having an opportunity to provide the kids with a trip to local establishments, meals at local eateries, and to get them a treat or take a local field trip. This helps us to make their time with us a little less daunting. We meet kids at some of the most stressful times of their life. Sometimes something as simple as a milkshake or a pizza party can go a long way. If you'd like to donate gift cards to the shelter, feel free to mail them us or bring them to our front door and ring the bell to drop them off.

Don't forget! The Month of September will benefit The Night's Shield at Renew: Secondhand Store. When you thrift - your ...
08/28/2026

Don't forget! The Month of September will benefit The Night's Shield at Renew: Secondhand Store. When you thrift - your round up gives back to our work in housing homeless and displace youth! Win win :)

What Do We Do Wednesday! The Night's Shield is a not-for-profit shelter that currently serves children and young adults....
08/26/2026

What Do We Do Wednesday!

The Night's Shield is a not-for-profit shelter that currently serves children and young adults. Our facility is divided into two separate spaces and is locked down as a whole as well as in terms of one side of the facility having no access to the other side of the facility. On one side of our facility, we serve children 11-17 who are homeless, displaced, and at risk. On the other side, we serve young adults who the Illinois Department of Human Services considers "children" for transitional living and homelessness purposes. Those clients are 18-23 years old. Off property, The Night's Shield also operates a transitional living and outreach program that allows us to support independent living for young adults who are good candidates to live alone but need additional supports. Outreach allows us to continue care after they are no longer living in the facility.

Pictured: The Night's Shield Executive Director Dr. Tara Chambers (left) and Executive Program Director Sarah Sanders (right) at a recent community event held on property.

Thank you to Renew: Secondhand Store for teaming up with us for the month of September. Every round up purchase helps us...
08/21/2026

Thank you to Renew: Secondhand Store for teaming up with us for the month of September. Every round up purchase helps us continue to be a safe haven for children and young adults. If you shop at Renew and round up for the shelter, post a photo and tag us!

08/21/2026

Welcome to the newly updated page for The Night's Shield. We will be retiring the former page soon. We hope you will follow us here as we continue to grow in pursuit of being a safe haven for children and families across Illinois.

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West Frankfort, IL
62896

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