Blog Archives - Page 7 of 83 - Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

CCH Mutual Aid Fund reopened for third round of grants

Posted on January 26, 2022February 8, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless’ Fund will provide $500 grants to 120 households that are or at-risk of becoming homeless.

Updated February 8 – Responding to continued community need, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) reopened applications to the CCH Mutual Aid Fund for another round of 120 grants. The Fund will provide direct cash support of $500 to Illinois residents in need.

Applications were open Tuesday, February 1, and the 250-application cap was reached within two hours.

CCH method for quantifying doubled-up homelessness published in leading housing policy journal

Posted on January 21, 2022May 31, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Sam Carlson, Manager of Research and Outreach

On Monday, Housing Policy Debate published CCH research on quantifying doubled-up homelessness, adding credibility to the years-long Homelessness Data Project research on measures of homelessness.

Many definitions of homelessness include “people temporarily staying with others”—doubling-up because of economic hardship or housing loss. Temporarily staying with others can have negative consequences that should be addressed, but the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s methods for enumerating homelessness exclude these arrangements, and Department of Education counts of doubling-up include only school children.

Remembering grassroots leader Leeanna Majors

Posted on January 19, 2022January 24, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of grassroots leader Leeanna Majors. We send our deepest condolences to Ms. Leeanna’s family and all those who loved her. CCH mourns with you, and celebrates the extraordinary life of this remarkable woman. She devoted her life to advocating for the rights of people experiencing homelessness.

Ms. Leeanna brought hope, love, and joy to all those who knew her. She empowered people to believe they were the answer to the issues their communities faced. She inspired everyone with her positivity, devotion to justice, and willingness to be vulnerable and share her story with others. She will be missed.

As the winter solstice approaches, we remember those we have lost

Posted on December 15, 2021January 18, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

A message from Wayne Richard, Director of Organizing

Two hands holding taper candles, transferring the flame from one candle to the other.

As we approach the longest night of the year, the winter solstice on December 21, we turn our hearts and minds to those who must seek refuge in the streets, those who experience homelessness.

Homelessness is an experience so severe that some don’t survive it. Each year for over a decade, we have gathered to memorialize those who have lost their lives while they were homeless.

Elizabeth and her family are finally home

Posted on December 14, 2021December 16, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

All parents want a safe, stable, loving home for their children. Grassroots leader Elizabeth Maldonado, a mother of four, is no different. Although her journey to housing had been tough, her desire to provide a real home for her children was stronger.

Born in Honduras, Elizabeth’s family moved from place to place – never having a home of their own. They moved to Florida, then Ohio, and then back to Central America, always staying with family or in shelters. Abuse was a common occurrence.

CCH welcomes eight new board members

Posted on December 14, 2021May 31, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

In November, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) was excited to add a superlative group of new board members to our governing board. These eight people bring an amazing breadth of knowledge, talent, and passion to an existing stellar line-up of committed board members. We are so incredibly grateful to each of them for giving their time and energy to CCH’s mission.

We asked each of them to answer this question: What motivates you to be part of our mission to prevent and end homelessness in Chicago/Illinois?

Almost $62,000 raised, thanks to your support this Giving Tuesday

Posted on December 1, 2021December 2, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

Thanks to your generous support on Giving Tuesday, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless has raised almost $62,000. And our loyal donors that supplied $100,000 in matching funds have extended the time period to draw them down because they know life can get busy. So there is still time to help CCH reach this ambitious goal!

I know we can get there; we just need to donate, share, and share again. Donate here, and don’t forget to share to get the word out.

Please help us meet our $100,000 dollar-for-dollar match on Giving Tuesday

Posted on November 24, 2021November 29, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

Tuesday, November 30 is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving. All donations to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 total by generous donors Marta Delgado & Sam Nandi, Muriel Quinn & Robert Pasin, and Dem Hopkins! Make a tax-deductible gift here.

For the third year in a row, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless received a Perfect 100 from Charity Navigator. Less than 1% of the thousands of charities nationwide earned perfect scores.

National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week: A reflection from Policy Intern Sana Sami

Posted on November 19, 2021December 15, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

In recognition of National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, CCH is sharing reflections from people who work with us – interns, board, and associate board members – writing about what inspires their work.

Today’s essay is written by Policy Intern Sana Sami, a student at Loyola University School of Law graduating this spring.

My current goals and priorities in my work so far with CCH include educating myself through all the tools available to understand homelessness and the data associated with homelessness. I came to CCH with a preconceived notion of what homelessness actually entailed or what it looked like in our local Chicago communities and along the way I have learned that there is a lot more to understand. Since we all have a responsibility to work towards a better future for everyone in our communities, understanding that homelessness can take many forms is a key step in beginning to work towards real solutions.

National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week: A reflection from Associate Board Advocacy Chair Lindsay Welbers

Posted on November 19, 2021November 29, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

In recognition of National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, CCH is sharing reflections from people who work with us – interns, board, and associate board members – writing about what inspires their work.

Today’s essay is written by Associate Board Advocacy Chair Lindsay Welbers.

Lindsay (left) volunteering in the CCH Riot Fest tent in 2019, pictured here with Community Organizer Bisma Shoukat

Part of the reason that I volunteer to support the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is because they don’t normally ask me for direction. CCH believes that the best people to understand homelessness, and the work that needs to be done to eliminate it, are people who understand that experience. That doesn’t include me, because I have never experienced life on the streets, in a shelter, or doubled-up with someone else. In working with CCH’s grassroots leaders, who do have that experience, I’ve learned a few things: Homelessness is not a moral failing on anyone except the society that allows it to exist, and the kinds of people who experience homelessness are more like me than I thought.