Living Homeless In Chicago

All across Chicago bells are gracefully ringing; people are shopping excessively in areas throughout the city this is all to prepare for the Holidays which are just right around corner. While some will be eagerly waiting to unwrap Christmas gifts or sharing Thanksgiving dinner with their families a huge amount of Chicagoans will be slumbering in abandon warehouses, or under rat infested train el stations, and piling up to fight the harsh weather in overcrowded homeless shelters.

Recently, Mayor Daley of Chicago pledged to end homelessness in the city that happens to be one of the top cities in America next to New York with a dramatic count of people living on the streets. However, the question that Time Magazine poses for the Chicagoans would be; is it possible for Daley to get rid of homelessness by the year of 2012, the year in which he pledged to end it completely? Well, with organizations such as the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) program being a huge involvement for homeless people; it might just be possibly close to a mission accomplished.

In the year of 2002 the Chicago census shown that; 78 percent of single homeless individuals are in fact males, 47 percent of that are living in poverty, 38 percent are poor, and 37 percent is the amount that are extremely poor. To take action against homelessness in the following year Mayor Daley signed a 10-year plan to end it. The plan supposedly will be used to eliminate the system that provides those who are homeless, with the usage of shelters and replace it with one that will move people without housing into to permanent housing and aid them with service once they are placed in their new housing program.

CCH is a coalition that deals strictly with professionals who are equipped with a strong enough experience that can perhaps put an end to homelessness. The program employs legal advocates, development specialist, and policy experts. The CCH defines homelessness as an issue that is created by a set of factors in which a there is a shortage in a supply of jobs and affordable housing. The coalition points a finger at society and feels that homelessness is in result of “ society’s lack of care” for minorities and people who can’t necessary afford what they might consider to be affordable housing.

In the year 2007 the coalition was able to aid 87 percent of young adults so that they could move into the CCH programs. They received aiding with: schools, clothing funds, jobs, and shelter. Unfortunately, that same year another 52 percent of youth was turned away in a result of lack of space.

“We work to relocate those youths and help them receive help from other programs across of Chicago, we have an enormous amount of people and a wonderful youth program it’s unfortunate that we can’t find room for everyone. We do continue to help,” said Beth Cunningham the youth Attorney, in a respond to turning homeless youths way.

“Our coalition is constantly, seeking ways to raise money so that we can grow and work to reduce the amount of individuals living on the streets in Chicago… because if we can start here than we can help everywhere else,” said Sherry Johnson, a director over the program. Johnson also says that the coalition needs to raise more money in order to aid more people , which is why the coalition sponsor events and ask for plenty of donations.

Johnson’s service along with many other organizations that work together to create a fresh start for those who have lost their jobs, grown up with a tough lifestyle, experienced problems with addictions, and have just fallen completely below the waistline of society has helped to greatly reduce homeless in Chicago.

January 5th of 2007 marked the day that agencies and homeless shelters all over the City of Chicago would all come together, to give a count that would determine whether or not Mayor Daley’s 2002 policy was actually creating a change. The census came out marking a decrease in 12 percent from the 2005 last count. There were now 5,922 individuals living homeless in Chicago compared to that of 2005 when there was up to 7,000 people without housing. The number of actual homeless families also decreased to 598 when it was 785 in the year of 2005. In response to Times Magazine when they ran an aid asking can Daley fix the homeless problem according to those numbers The homeless shelters and Daley’s new permanent housing project had actually shown progress.

On Thanksgiving, Claire Hudacin decided to volunteer her time at a homeless shelter. “It was a wonderful experience, the sad thing is that there were many children there…but everyone was really nice and thankful. She spent her holidays sharing it with those in needs.

“If people didn’t have such a big issue with giving then I don’t think there would be so many out in need,” said Hudacin. She says she mat some incredibly nice people with big heart that thanked her with lots of hugs and kids made artistic craft work for her. “Not all Homeless people are in their position for terrible reasons,” she said explaining that people shouldn’t be quick to pass judgments.

Dale Walsh, a Chicagoan who recites poetry for just a little bit of money in downtown Chicago is just one of the few that says he’s not living in homeless shelters because of anything like drugs or violence.

“No one should be homeless living in America ‘supposedly the land of the free’. People look at me and assume crack head just because I’m out here on these trains and in these streets doing poetry asking people for money,” said Walsh who spends his time on the Jackson train stop and even on Michigan Ave on warmer days reciting poetry that he takes the time to type out himself. Walsh says that people sometimes can walk pass and mumble the most hurtful things his way.

“I am no addict, I am someone who’s aware that the ‘land of the free’ isn’t so damn free!” said Walsh with aggressiveness in his voice. “Clearly something is wrong with the picture that society continuously paints, let’s fact it…it just isn’t reality,” he expresses his feelings on the poverty and America’s ways.

What is known as uptown Chicago could possibly be the area of in the city that is well-known for its enormous amount of individuals living in the community without shelter. This area is between Wilson Ave and Lawerence el stop. The outreach program known as “REST” works between those areas to reduce and help those who are living on the streets in uptown Chicago.

Rest was created in 1979 when a few Chicagoans noticed a man sitting out in the cold and went to approach him to offer help but it turned out that they were too late; the man had already frozen to death. So the program was created to prevent people from living under unhealthy conditions by preventing issues like that from occurring again.

“You know, being Homeless is different, it is not a disease nor is it like a tummy ache. No, this isn’t a sick thing. It’s more like something that can be easily avoided thing. Therefore it can be easily cure too. So you ask do I think it can be cured? Yes, I definitely do, “said Julia Chambers of the Rest Association.

All across Chicago warm-hearted people are reaching out to help those in needs and while Mayor Daley, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Rest all have goals that they wish to reach together. The fact is according to the recent Homeless census the amount of individuals without a place to call home is reducing slowly, while it is not a process that can occur obviously overnight it is slowly but surely getting done.