News Archives - Page 18 of 74 - Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

WMC: As Eviction Crisis Looms, Advocates Fear an Increase in Child Removals

Posted on January 12, 2022June 2, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Susan Buttenwieser Jan. 12, 2021

Wmc features cancel the rents scotus protest 011222 — *In August, protesters demonstrated at the Supreme Court in support of the eviction moratorium. (photo: Cancel the Rents)*

Federal funding for struggling renters is running out in many states. The December 2020 relief package and the American Rescue Plan provided over $46 billion in emergency rental assistance that went directly to states, but now several, including Texas, New York, and Oregon, have used up their portion of those funds. This comes on top of the Supreme Court ending the federal moratorium on evictions in late August, leaving the 12 million adults who are behind on their rent at risk of losing their housing. One out of five of these renters lives with children. The calamity of eviction can result in additional dire consequences for families: having their children removed by child welfare.

Rampant Magazine: Chicago’s Houselessness Is Entirely Avoidable

Posted on December 16, 2021February 21, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Tyler Zimmer

The warmth of summer has left Chicago—and temperatures are steadily dropping as winter intensifies. In a matter of days, the weather will be freezing. That is a matter of life and death for the tens of thousands of people currently experiencing houslessness in the city.

According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, there were 58,273 unhoused Chicagoans in 2019, and the economic turbulence caused by the ongoing pandemic has probably caused that number to rise. A significant percentage of those without homes are minors. This year, for example, the Chicago Public School system reported serving 10,836 homeless students. And the majority of Chicagoans without housing are people of color; CCH reports that roughly 60 percent of those affected are Black, and 25 percent are Latinx.

Chalkbeat: Illinois students missed a lot of school last year: ‘It’s a sign that something isn’t working’

Posted on December 16, 2021February 21, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Samantha Smylie

For the past 19 years, when students in Kane County have missed school, Kari Glenn has visited their homes to see what’s preventing them from attending classes. As a truancy officer, she says this year has been the hardest. In one of the families Glenn works with, the single parent died, leaving behind four young children. “Now they’re going to be living with a relative and that relative isn’t completely prepared to take on four little kids,“ she said.

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?

BuzzFeed News: A Photographer Documented The Housing Crisis By Asking People How They Became Homeless

Posted on December 13, 2021February 21, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

The problem of unaffordable housing — and the inextricable problem of people experiencing homelessness — is so obvious in major cities, including New York, where I live, that it can be overwhelming. For some, that feeling can be translated into a sense of learned blindness — If I don’t look too hard, it is not a problem, and certainly not my problem.

Jeffrey Wolin, a photographer in Chicago and professor emeritus at Indiana University, has taken the opposite approach. He has spent the last several years talking with and documenting the circumstances of people who are homeless. He works with advocacy organizations, including the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, to find participants.

Chicago Tribune: Second-chance hiring gains momentum in Illinois but barriers remain. ‘I know of companies that prey on people with records because they know they need a job.’

Posted on November 24, 2021February 21, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Jade Yan

Over 20 years ago, Sontcerá McWilliams was driving her car on Chicago’s South Side near 83rd Street when she got into an accident. The man who’d crashed into her saw her gun, which had been in the trunk with her groceries. Though she had a license, she was taken to jail and charged with unlawful use of a weapon, she said. Three months later, McWilliams, from Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, was fired from her new job because her weapon charge was still in the system as a felony, not the misdemeanor she had ended up with, she said.

Chicago Sun-Times: To curb gun violence, Chicago must have more safe and affordable housing

Posted on November 23, 2021February 21, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Regan Thomas, M.D., president, Illinois State Medical Society

As a resident of the 3rd Ward and recent resident of the 4th Ward, I was saddened to read the recent article “Violent death of Chinese student in Hyde Park sparks calls for action — but few specifics on how to combat city’s rising crime.” I am deeply concerned about preventable violence in the communities where my friends, family, and colleagues reside.

Chicago Sun-Times: Sleepless night under Chicago stars affords time to contemplate youth homelessness

Posted on November 21, 2021February 21, 2022 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Mark Brown

Snow flurries were falling Thursday evening in East Garfield Park when we arrived at Covenant House, a shelter and resource center for young people experiencing homelessness. It was one last sign to make me doubt the wisdom of my promise to join the organization’s annual Sleep Out Chicago event raising funds for — and awareness about — youth homelessness. What made me think I could withstand even one night outside in sub-freezing temperatures, even though homeless people do it night after night.

Chicago Defender: LYTE Collective Aims to Reduce Homelessness on SouthSide

Posted on October 27, 2021October 29, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Danielle Sanders, Interim Managing Editor

LYTE Collective serves young adults impacted by poverty and homelessness. Their mission is to support every young adult, end harmful systems that cause young people to need help in the first place, and build a more just and equitable world together with all who aspire to do better by young people.

WTTW: Mayor’s 2022 Budget Proposal Includes $214M in Housing Aid

Posted on September 27, 2021September 28, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

*This story is part of WTTW’s Firsthand initiative exploring poverty in Chicago.*

By Leslie Hurtado

The city’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year will include up to $214 million in housing assistance for Chicago’s homeless population, with funding provided by the American Rescue Plan, also known as the federal stimulus package. The budget package will be the largest investment from the city to address homelessness.