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Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is thrilled to be the recipient of a generous donation of $11,148 from ReaderLink, a wholesale book distributor headquartered in Oak Brook.

“This contribution from ReaderLink was a most welcome surprise,” said Michael Nameche, director of development. “We are inspired by the collective generosity of ReaderLink’s employees and support of our mission to prevent and end homelessness. On behalf of all the men, women, and children we serve, thank you for your support of Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.”

The donation was made through ReaderLink Cares, a community engagement initiative launched in December. The initiative allows ReaderLink employees to determine where corporate philanthropic dollars are donated by voting for the organizations that are most important to them.

In addition, staffers have the opportunity to give back further through an employee giving campaign for chosen charities. As part of the 2018 year-end campaign, CCH received a $10,000 corporate gift, plus an additional $1,148 gift donated directly by employees.

“ReaderLink is deeply committed to the alleviation of extreme poverty,” said ReaderLink President and CEO, Dennis Abboud. “We are proud to partner with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to improve awareness and access for affected persons within our community.”

Through a combination of corporate and employee giving, ReaderLink recently donated over $140,000 to 18 nonprofit organizations across six regions where it has offices and distribution centers. CCH was one of three Chicago area non-profits to receive support through this campaign. ReaderLink employs about 300 full-time employees at its Oak Brook and Romeoville locations.

To preserve our independent voice, CCH does not accept government funding. Our work to prevent and end homelessness is only possible thanks to generous support from individuals, foundations, and businesses. We are grateful to partner with those who share our commitment to housing as human right in a just society.

– Erin Sindewald, Media

Applications are due in April for $2,500 renewable college scholarships awarded by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to students who have succeeded in school despite coping personally with homelessness.

Graduating seniors from Chicago and suburban schools are eligible to apply, as well as CCH youth leaders and former legal clients who are younger than age 24 as of April 1. Most scholarship winners receive $10,000 to complete their bachelor’s degree. Up to five new winners will be selected this spring.

The deadline to submit an online or paper application, with brief personal essays, is Monday, April 1, 2019 at 5 p.m.

Applicants will have an extra week to submit supplemental materials. These are due by Monday, April 8 at 5 p.m. These required materials include two references that will be reviewed by our selection committee.

Access the application here. 

Continue reading College scholarship applications due April 1

After motion to stall public hearing on the measure appeared to fail, O’Connor permitted repeated votes until it passed. 

A coalition backing a proposal to alleviate Chicago’s pervasive homelessness problem vehemently disputed Alderman Patrick’s O’Connor’s self-aggrandizing announcement today that he honored his “commitment” to the group, and instead said that he mounted a strenuous – and possibly improper – effort to derail their bid.

On Monday, in what appeared to be an act of parliamentary mischief aimed at stalling the proposal to expand funding for homelessness relief, the City Council’s Finance Committee, which O’Connor chairs, repeatedly strayed from proper procedures – and even misrepresented the results of a key vote – in order to delay a public hearing on the measure, according to representatives of the Bring Chicago Home campaign.

Nonetheless, O’Connor claimed in a link posted on Twitter that he “fulfilled my commitment to the Bring Chicago Home Coalition and the coalition of groups seeking to end homelessness in Chicago.”

In fact, the coalition said he played an instrumental role in thwarting a bid to conduct a public hearing on Monday regarding a resolution that would have authorized a March 2020 ballot referendum on whether the city should raise a one-time tax on the sale of properties worth more than $1 million to fund programs that combat homelessness.  Instead, Alderman Brendan Reilly disputed whether the Finance Committee was the proper jurisdiction, arguing that the ballot measure should be considered in the Rules Committee. However, unlike most ballot measures, the Bring Chicago Home proposal would have a legal effect and an impact on the city’s finances and should arguably be considered by the Finance Committee.

Continue reading Bring Chicago Home: Homeless advocates denounce Ald. O’Connor’s misrepresentations; say he was instrumental in delaying bid for ballot referendum

Updated: Chicago Coalition for the Homeless had four staff members on site Monday to monitor the clean-up of a homeless encampment known as Tent City, located along the Dan Ryan Expressway near the 700 block of West Taylor.

Notices posted last week announced plans to clean the South Loop site Monday morning. City crews arrived about 10 a.m. and left about 1 p.m.  Also on site were representatives from three city agencies – Chicago Police, Streets and Sanitation, and the Department of Family and Support Services – as well as Illinois State Police.

No representatives from the Illinois Department of Transportation were present, despite posted signage that IDOT would be part of the cleaning.

Residents were not required to remove their belongings Monday. CCH will continue to monitor the situation at the encampment, with indications that the city plans ongoing activity at the site.

On Feb. 18, a Tent City man was shot and killed at the encampment. Another male resident, also 57, was charged. Cleaning notices were posted last week.

CCH attorneys and organizers were at the encampment to monitor that residents’ rights were not violated under the guise of cleaning. Residents and advocates were concerned there might be a group eviction after the cleaning, as city officials have done at other Chicago encampments, including Lower Wacker last June and at viaducts around the city.

Twenty to 30 people appear to live at the Tent City encampment. Several other organizations showed up to assist residents, including Featherfist, Haymarket Center, Pilsen Alliance, and Thresholds.

“The city or state should not punish people for being homeless,” said CCH Community Lawyer Diane O’Connell. “Displacing residents of the Tent City would only cause more harm to some of the most vulnerable in our city.”

Chicago Tribune, Feb. 26: Residents of ‘Tent City’ fear eviction after city, state crews arrive to clean the area

Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 25: Homeless allowed to stay at South Loop ‘Tent City’ – for now

Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 20: Could ‘Tent City’ be shut down? Advocates fear for homeless as city plans cleanup

NOTE: The voter guide has been updated to correct an earlier inaccuracy. 

A five-question questionnaire was sent to all 2019 Chicago mayoral candidates. We received responses from seven candidates: Bill Daley, Amara Enyia, LaShawn Ford, Lori Lightfoot, Susana Mendoza, Toni Preckwinkle, and Willie Wilson. The full voter guide can be found here.

The purpose of this voter guide is to educate voters impartially on a nonpartisan basis. As a 501(c)(3) organization, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless does not intend to advance the electoral interests of some candidates or to disparage others. Continue reading 2019 Mayoral Candidates Voter Guide

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) applauds Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recognition that addressing homelessness and the issues related to homelessness are core to the work of Illinois. Now we need to work with his administration to put the dollars behind this priority.

The governor’s budget proposes $5.15 million in funding for homeless prevention grants, a $250,000 or 5% increase. This modest increase does not bring funding for this critical program – which keeps people from ever entering into homelessness – back up to the $11 million level that it was once at. Still, it is a clear recognition that this is both a smart preventive program and solid investment for our state. CCH and our partners will continue to advocate with the governor and the legislature to increase funding back to $11 million.

Finally, we appreciate the governor’s focus on long-term solutions to the state’s structural deficit. CCH agrees that Illinois should establish a graduated income tax to increase state revenue and allow the state to begin to rebuild the human services infrastructure so everyone in Illinois has true access to opportunity.

– Niya K. Kelly, State Legislative Director

The Law Project’s Patricia Nix-Hodes and Beth Malik are co-editors of Educating Students Experiencing Homelessness, an American Bar Association book for educators, advocates and policymakers.

The revised fifth edition addresses federal educational mandates related to homeless students under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act.

“We are excited about the release of this book. It is an important tool to raise awareness and share information about the critical legal rights of students who are homeless. Education is a solution to homelessness and this book will help ensure that more homeless students succeed in school,” said Ms. Nix-Hodes, director of the Law Project.

The ABA manual offers innovative strategies and resources for educators and school administrators, state coordinators and policymakers, advocates and attorneys to ensure the educational rights of children and youth who experience homelessness.

The 136-page book includes chapters covering young children, youth, students living in foster care, disabled students, youth pursuing higher education, and the impact of prior litigation.

Three-fourths of legal aid clients served by the CCH Law Project are homeless students and youth, according to Ms. Malik, associate legal director and CCH’s lead youth attorney. The Law Project serves more than 500 homeless Chicago area clients each year.

Laurene Heybach, the founding former director of the Law Project, co-authored the first four editions of this respected ABA guidebook.

A portion of proceeds from the sale of the book provide supports the youth leadership and scholarship program at SchoolHouse Connection, a national organization whose director is among the book’s seven co-editors.

The $14.95 book can be ordered from the ABA.

– Anne Bowhay, Media

By Tanya Gassenheimer, Youth Health Attorney

Updated Feb. 14

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has announced it will issue all SNAP assistance for March on March 1, 2019, no matter when in the month households usually receive their food benefits.

The recent federal government shutdown caused Illinois to issue its February SNAP assistance by January 20, 2019. With the government’s reopening last month, funding for March was secured.

Issuance of April and May assistance will depend on the federal government’s actions in coming days, but as of now, IDHS plans to issue April assistance between April 1 and April 10. It also plans to issue May assistance on households’ regular schedules. CCH will continue to monitor the situation and post updates.

SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides low-income households with a monthly amount of money that can be used only for groceries. The money is provided through an EBT or LINK card. For low-income individuals and families, SNAP can be the difference between housing maintenance and homelessness. For those already experiencing homelessness, receiving SNAP assistance in a timely fashion is a matter of basic survival.

Despite assurance of funding for March, the federal government shutdown’s impact on SNAP households remains significant. Due to the early issuance of February assistance, Illinois SNAP households experienced a gap of at least 39 days between receiving assistance in late January (for February) and receiving assistance on March 1 (for March). The law requires that no SNAP household experience a gap in issuance of more than 40 days. For more details, refer to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ latest update.

Continue reading Effect of the recent government shutdown on Illinois SNAP recipients

By Michael Nameche, Director of Development

We have so many generous business donors to thank this winter!

First, CCH would like to humbly thank the staff of Call One, Inc. for choosing to support our work for a second year.

Call One staffers raised an impressive $25,360 during 2018 through a variety of fundraisers, including its annual Caddyshack golf outing.

Another partnership that dates back over a decade is Zumiez. The apparel company donates several pallets of new winter coats and outwear to CCH each year. We have come to rely on their generosity to help hundreds of people each winter with whom we outreach in Chicago area shelters.

The same can be said of Blistex, Inc., which each year gives a combination of money and products for distribution, including lip balm and foot cream.

The retail store, That’s Our Bag, is another annual donor that we are always happy to hear from as they give us new travel bags every year.

We were proud to take on new partnerships this winter season as well. The good people from Chance the Rapper’s charity, SocialWorks, invited CCH to bring homeless families to two of their signature Warmest Winter events – A Night at The Museum and the Taste for the Homeless.

Another great partnership in the works – the newly emerging non-profit GiveNkind, which matches up donations of valuable products and goods to non-profits that needs them. Through their efforts, CCH was able to give out over 100 portable cell phone battery chargers.

Boxes of beautiful hat, glove and scarf sets were donated by staff of the National Black MBA Association‘s Chicago chapter office.

Furious Spoon gave furiously when its celebrated ramen restaurants generously raised $6,000 to support CCH’s work this season.

Also on the culinary front, Captain Porky’s seafood and barbecue eatery in suburban Wadsworth donated a share of their sales during the Polar Vortex. The results were almost $1,000!

Local brewery Goose Island is looking to settle a debate on whether Chicagoans are more Pro-Dibs or Anti-Dibs by releasing a special beer in two distinct cans.  A portion of the profits will benefit our work, with a Feb. 2 event raising $1,085 for CCH.

And coming up: On Saturday, February 23, Empty Bottle at 1035 N. Western Ave., will collect donations on behalf of CCH at its annual Music Frozen Dancing Winter Block Party.

We’re selling out our last 20 tickets to Dear Evan Hansen on February 28!

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is excited to partner with Broadway in Chicago again to bring you exclusive ticket access to the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.

Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph Street)

Purchase Dear Evan Hansen tickets here.

These are Loge/Dress Circle seats. When you buy tickets through the provided link, 36% of the ticket price is a tax-deductible donation to CCH to help further our mission.