Bring Chicago Home Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

WTTW – Advocates Say Lightfoot is Failing to Address Homelessness in Chicago While Pushing for Permanent Funding Source

Posted on June 26, 2022July 26, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By Kristen Thometz June 22, 2022

The Bring Chicago Home Coalition is calling on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to set up a dedicated revenue source to address homelessness in the city after giving the mayor failing grades in a report card issued Wednesday assessing her progress on the issue during her first three years in office.

This is the first time the coalition has issued such a report card, according to Harry Williams, a grassroots leader with the Bring Chicago Home Coalition, a grassroots movement that seeks to end homelessness in Chicago and includes the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, ONE Northside, SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana, and United Working families.

Cooling Centers Close Too Early Amid Dangerous Heat, Putting Residents — Especially Those Who Are Homeless — At Risk, Some Say

Posted on June 15, 2022July 26, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By Mack Liederman June 15, 2022

CHICAGO — Advocates for people experiencing homelessness are calling on the city to extend the hours cooling centers are open as Chicago is in the midst of dangerous heat.

City libraries, park field houses and six community centers serve as cooling centers where any resident can go for air conditioning and water when temperatures spike. The city opened them this week as the city faced near-record-high temperatures, with some days feeling warmer than 100 degrees.

But the majority of the centers close at or before 5 p.m. Only one — the Garfield Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave. — is open 24 hours.

Crains: The mansion tax proposal is back, and it’s less hated than it used to be

Posted on April 11, 2022June 2, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By DENNIS RODKIN April 11, 2022

A revived effort to make buyers of high-end homes pay an additional tax to help homelessness may have come at the right time, as some real estate industry sources say affluent homebuyers “won’t flinch” at paying it.

After running the gauntlet of finding a home in a market where inventory is tight, bidding is competitive and prices are rising fast, buyers “aren’t going to blink at paying one more fee, which is what this tax is,” said Leslie Struthers, senior loan officer at the mortgage firm Guaranteed Rate.

Austin Weekly News: West Side alderpeople split over homelessness resolution

Posted on April 8, 2022June 2, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By Igor Studenkov April 8, 2021

Two West Side alderpeople took very different positions on a proposal to create a dedicated funding stream for addressing homelessness during a town hall held March 31 at Deborah’s Place, a homeless services provider located at 2822 W. Jackson Blvd. in East Garfield Park.

For the past few years, Bring Chicago Home, a coalition made up of affordable housing providers, social service organizations and labor unions, have been urging the city to raise the Real Estate Transfer Tax for properties worth more than $1 million in order to fund initiatives to tackle homelessness.

Block Club: West Side Health Centers, Shelters Push For City Law To Devote More Money For Homelessness Prevention

Posted on April 7, 2022June 2, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By Pascal Sabino April 7, 2021

EAST GARFIELD PARK — Shelters, medical providers and social service groups are pushing West Side alderpeople to back a campaign to generate tens of millions of city dollars for preventing homelessness.

Housing advocates detailed the campaign, Bring Chicago Home, at a March 31 town hall at Deborah’s Place, a women’s shelter in East Garfield Park.

The coalition members — UCAN, Franciscan Outreach, Saint Anthony Hospital, West Side United and Loretto Hospital — aims to place a referendum on ballot for the November general election that would ask Chicagoans if they’d support increasing the Real Estate Transfer Tax by 1.9 percent on properties sold for more than $1 million.

Newcity: Today In The Culture, March 29, 2022: Designing DuSable Park | Giuseppe Tentori Sandwiches | “Of Mice and Men” Ballet

Posted on March 29, 2022June 2, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By RAY PRIDE

March 29, 2022

“The Chicago Park District selected Carol Ross Barney and Brook Architecture to design DuSable Park—one of the city’s most anticipated and symbolism-laden public projects. Planned since 1987, the park will be located on reclaimed land at the meeting of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River and will honor Jean Baptiste Point DuSable,” reports Architectural Record. “My partner RaMona Westbrook [of Brook Architecture] did an immense amount of research about Jean Baptiste DuSable before we turned our proposal in,” she says in an interview.

Block Club: City Should Boost Spending On Homeless Services By Raising Taxes On The Priciest Property Sales, ‘Bring Chicago Home’ Organizers Say

Posted on March 25, 2022June 2, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By Maxwell Evans Mar. 25, 2021

HYDE PARK — Diavionne “China” Brown, tired of being subjected to mental and physical abuse in an unstable living situation, left home in October.

Upon leaving, Brown experienced the struggles of homelessness and life in shelters — including her first shelter, where poor living conditions and institutional control left the 21-year-old “feeling like I was in jail,” she said.

Brown has since found a residence through the Expedited Housing Initiative, but some of her friends — like 58,000 other Chicagoans, according to pre-pandemic estimates — are still without a permanent place to live.

Lawrence viaduct tent fire is one more sign Chicago needs to house our homeless

Posted on March 23, 2022June 2, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By John Greenfield

March 23, 2022

The south sidewalk of the Lawrence DLSD viaduct after Tuesday’s blaze. Photo: John Greenfield

On March 9 Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the city would be directing more police resources to the CTA, and doubling the number of unarmed transit security guards in response to a spike in violent crime and problematic rule-breaking, such as harassment and smoking, on buses and trains.

Learn about our recent victories in our 2021 Annual Report

Posted on March 18, 2022March 30, 2022 by Erin Sindewald

We are grateful for the strong coalition of people with lived experience, community members, direct-service and advocacy organizations, institutional partners, donors, and volunteers who are working every single day to prevent and end homelessness.

Strong community support contributed to CCH’s many accomplishments over the last year. Read more about our shared victories during Calendar Year 2021 in our annual report.

Blue box with white letters: Read our annual report now

WGEM: Illinois lawmakers could boost TANF benefits this year

Posted on March 17, 2022June 2, 2022 by Karianne Canfield

By Mike Miletich

March 17, 2022

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Low-income families in Illinois who receive TANF benefits could get an extra boost thanks to a proposal in Springfield.

Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) said the Illinois Department of Human Services should increase grant amounts for temporary assistance for needy families. The state currently provides 30% of the federal poverty guidelines for each family size. Evans would like to see that raised to 50%.

His bill could help a family of three currently receiving $549 per month from TANF get $915 in benefits. Evans said his plan also allows dollars for child support to go directly to parents or guardians instead of the current system where some of the money is dispersed by the state.