A half-dozen homeless people living in an Avondale park say the city wants to remove them, but the city says that’s not the case.
“Give us a home or leave us alone,” the residents and others chanted at a news conference in Fireman’s Park, where they asked Mayor Lori Lightfoot to direct federal relief money towards housing the homeless.
Continue reading NBC5 Chicago: Fireman’s Park Homeless Residents Don’t Want City to Force Them OutIn this segment, the hosts and expert panel discuss Naperville’s current affordable housing struggle. Dana Davenport and Rebecca Malotke-Meslin are joined by Robert Bruegmann a Professor of Art History and Urban Planning at the University of Illinois-Chicago and the author of Sprawl: A Compact History, Judith Brodhead who served on and chaired the Naperville Plan Commission during a period of rapid growth in Naperville before serving on the City Council for twelve years. She is also an English Professor and Coordinator of Cultural Events at North Central College and taught a seminar titled “Chicago and Suburban Housing” for many years as part of the Chicago Area Studies program. Also joining Robert and Judith in this segment are Mike Ryder, one of the founders of the DuPage Housing Alliance and St. Thomas the Apostle Outreach & Social Justice Office, and Kevin M. Gallaher, Attorney at Winick & Gallaher and former Naperville Councilman.
Continue reading NCTV17: Naperville’s Affordable Housing Struggle
By Evelyn Holmes
A young woman who is working to inspire others despite being left homeless as a teenager.
Daihana Estrada was just 17-years-old when she was left homeless after her parents, who had come to America illegally 20 years earlier, were deported from Utah to Mexico.
By Mark Brown
Like most graduation speakers, Daihana Estrada hopes to inspire the students at John Hancock College Preparatory High School when she delivers the keynote address Sunday at Soldier Field.
Any person who has been convicted for a drug-related offense under state or federal law is prohibited from being eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, but State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is leading an initiative to reverse that restriction, which passed the Senate Thursday.
“Even after people serve their time, they still struggle when reentering society, as many of their rights have been taken from them,” Van Pelt. “They are released and ready to make a change—but laws like the restriction on TANF limit their ability to make a better life for themselves.”
Continue reading State Sen. Van Pelt: Formerly incarcerated Illinoisans may need TANF the most
By John Greenfield
At yesterday’s press event for the reopening of the Leland Avenue Slow Street (the city calls them “Shared Streets”), I talked with 46th Ward alderman James Cappleman, whose district includes of parts of Uptown and adjacent neighborhoods, about other bike and pedestrian initiatives. At the end of the conversation, we discussed the extremely controversial installation of sidewalk bike lanes in the Lake Shore Drive viaducts of Lawrence and Wilson avenues, which many have argued was an (ultimately unsuccessful) strategy to displace homeless encampments. Following the transcript of our conversation, I’ll provide the response to Cappleman’s comments on the underpass issue from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, which sued the city over the project.
Continue reading StreetsBlog Chicago: Ald. Cappleman discusses 46th Ward walk/bike projects, and the LSD viaduct issueWe feel it is important to address both the content and framing of the issues identified by Greg Hinz in his column bemoaning the state of the CTA during the pandemic. (“Is the CTA ready for commuters to come back?” March 11).
Most troubling is the way he raises the issue of people experiencing homelessness who are seeking shelter on the trains. He lumps people experiencing homelessness with smoking and garbage as annoyances that need to be removed in order for the city to thrive. Describing people in this light, as well as taking pictures of them while they are sleeping without their permission, is dehumanizing, inappropriate and does not help move us toward solutions that end homelessness.
Continue reading Crain’s Chicago Letter to the Editor: There’s a solution to people seeking shelter on the CTA
By Jacqueline Altamirano Marin, Program Associate, Vera Institute of Justice
Destiny Carter, Policy Specialist, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
Nelson Gonzalez, Grassroots Leader, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
On January 13, the Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed the Public Housing Access Bill as part of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus agenda. By passing this legislation, Illinois became the first state in the nation to remove long-standing barriers that have prevented many people with criminal convictions from living in public housing.
Continue reading Vera Institute of Justice: Illinois Bill Makes History, Highlights Criminalization-to-Homelessness PipelineBy Patricia Manson
The city of Chicago can’t evade a disability-discrimination suit brought by a woman who alleges emergency shelters are not accessible, a federal judge held Wednesday.
In a written opinion, U.S. District Judge Franklin U. Valderrama declined to throw out Gloria Carter’s lawsuit accusing the city of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
Continue reading Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: ADA suit over city shelters gets OK