The Barnabas Project began as a ministry of the South Chicago Evangelical Covenant Church to provide housing and support for women and children who had been living in abusive situations. The ministry expanded with a partnership with Jesus People USA Evangelical Covenant Church to operate Leland House, a transitional housing and support program for formerly abused women and their children. Other ministries were added, including Leslie Place, which serves women recently released from prison; Edgewater Lighthouse, serving the mentally ill on Chicago's northside; and YMEN, a ministry to the youth in the Lawndale neighborhood.