Meet Some of Our Speakers

Ashley Paige Allen’s experience with homelessness began as a child, when her father was sent to prison, leaving her mother to raise three children alone. It was difficult to pay rent and bills with the $8 hourly wage her mother earned as a retail clerk. Ashley and her family spent more than a decade living in family shelters, doubled-up with relatives, or in low-rent housing and hotels to keep a roof over their heads. Ashley, 27, now holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in her field.  Ashley’s passion is working with youth, and she serves on the CCH College Scholarship selection committee. She co-chairs the EMBODI Initiative through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a male mentoring program.  Ashley is a proud homeowner, active in improving the city’s Bronzeville community.

Mary Baker is a mother of three who experienced homelessness on and off since 1997. She has worked hard to make sure her three children get a good education in Chicago Public Schools. Mary has been active with the coalition for 15 years, fighting to make sure that all families have opportunities to improve their lives.

Leeanna Majors learned a great deal from her experience with homelessness. As a prostitution survivor, low self-esteem was her greatest enemy. Her first step to recovery was learning to care for herself. She is motivated to talk about her life experience because she wants people to understand how we can come together and make change. She has seen that after people hear her story, see her face, and understand that her face is the face of many, they can believe in their ability to make a difference.

Stephanie Hooker lives at Deborah’s Place, a supportive housing program for low-income women. She has been a leader with CCH for seven years, and was honored during its 2009 Annual Meeting for extensive public speaking about the need to include affordable housing in the state’s capital budget. In 2010, Stephanie was invited to join the CCH Board of Directors. She has taken groups to Springfield to educate legislators and met with Chicago aldermen. She formerly worked at the Conrad Hilton and is proud to report that her daughter is a successful attorney.

Sonovia Petty, 36, is raising two young sons, ages 3 and 5.  She reentered the community after incarceration in 2009 and found herself homeless. She was also recovering from a drug addiction she had been fighting for years. During this transition, Sonovia has worked hard to care for her sons and find a safe place for their family to live. After a year of moving from shelter to shelter, Sonovia secured her own apartment and is interviewing for jobs. She continues to advocate for formerly incarcerated people reentering society, fighting for affordable housing to end homelessness for every one.

Elder Charles Austin, 46, joined CCH when he attended a 2006 rally on the SMART Act, an alternative sentencing initiative advocated by CCH and enacted by the state of Illinois. Charles became active at CCH as an advocate.  For four years, he has worked tirelessly with the Reentry Committee to ease joblessness and homelessness for those reentering into society after incarceration.  Elder Austin explains, “Being a formerly homeless and incarcerated person, these issues have a direct impact on my life.”

Victoria Oliver, 54, is the mother of six and proud grandmother of 13. Unfortunately, when she was 18 years old, Victoria married an abusive man. Life with him led to involvement in the sex trade, HIV, and homelessness. When Victoria sought treatment for HIV, she found support groups that helped her find housing, spirituality, and an introduction to CCH. “Being a part of CCH has meant everything – I am out in the community, organizing and motivating people,” says Victoria.

Charles Jenkins has been active at CCH for more than a decade. He became involved during shelter outreach, buoyed by the realization that “good people are out there fighting for change.” After getting involved in an effort to create affordable housing, Charles was inspired to address his homelessness. A long-time community activist, Charles is a family man who enjoys challenging an audience to get involved in the fight to end homelessness.

Jose Vasquez is a resident of Mercy Housing’s South Loop SRO Apartments. Jose, 66, is a former day laborer and newspaper vendor who advocates for living wage jobs. During the four years he lived on Lower Wacker Drive, Jose rose at 4 a.m. to sell the Chicago Sun-Times, earning a dime a copy to buy food for himself and a disabled buddy. Active at CCH since 2004, Jose worked three years as coordinator of its former Fair Trade coffee project, Home Ground, and continues to work part-time in the CCH office.