Paul W. Hamann, president of The Night Ministry, Mayor Richard M.Daley, and Ed Shurna, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for theHomeless, enjoy poetry by members of the H.E.L.L.O. group. (Photo by Jasmine Heiss)

Today Chicago is dressed in a familiar fall garb; another cold, gray, blustery and rainy afternoon.

Six years ago today, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless lost a great leader, John "Juancho" Donahue.  While a sadness and stillness filled our hearts, the CCH staff best remembered Juancho today by doing what he did --and what we do best-- organizing!

Joining our diverse allies in the Sweet Home Chicago campaign, we marched for affordable housing in Chicago's Uptown community. Old and young, black and brown, poor and professional, we walked and chanted "The people united will never be defeated."

We asked our interns and volunteers to write about how "National Hunger and Homelessness Week" makes them think about the work they are doing with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

I have been a policy intern at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) since the beginning of September. Before coming to CCH I understood that homelessness is an issue in the city of Chicago and across the nation, but what I did not realize is that homelessness has many faces. The guy on the corner asking for change does not even begin to paint a picture of what it means to be homeless.

Prostitution Alternatives Round Table (PART) trained 65 Cook County adult probation officers on issues faced by women in the sex trade and the need for alternative sentencing options during two sessions held Nov. 4 - 6.

It was the second Cook County training offered by PART-- last January and February, PART trained 60 probation officers during two seminars.

The Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless has been deeply involved in ensuring that preschool-age children experiencing homelessness are not left behind as Illinois rolls out its universal preschool plan known as "Preschool For All." This week, as part of our project with JPMorgan Chase Bank, new CCH Board member Sharlita Davis and I were guests of the Austin-Wide Parent Network ("AWPN") at their Monday night meeting.  

Alderman Joe Moore (49^th Ward) publicly pledged to be another co-sponsor of the affordable housing ordinance during Sweet Home Chicago’s monthly meeting, an Oct. 29 event at the Chicago Temple organized by Jane Addams Senior Caucus.

A heartbreaking piece this week in the New York Times (Oct. 26) spoke of circumstances all too familiar to the Law Project staff. The piece, though it specifically profiled youth in Oregon, highlights issues faced by runaway homeless youth nationwide—physical abuse that often prompts youth to leave home, lack of resources once they are out on their own, and the difficulty of staying afloat without identification, finances, or a stable place to sleep at night.
 

On October 27, the Raquel Rolnik, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, met with youth from the H.E.L.L.O. Homeless Youth Activism Group, co-founded by CCH and The Night Ministry. The youth shared their stories and poetry with Ms. Rolnik before presenting their recommendations for improving access to housing and resources for children and youth in Chicago. Ms. Rolnik was moved by their struggles and made a commitment that their voices would be heard.