Ramona's Story

Ramona

In October, supporters received a letter in the mail that told the story of Ramona, a guest at LPCS.  Romona had been homeless for four years, bouncing between drug treatment programs, family members, and overnight emergency shelters. Like many guests, Romona had seen her descent into homelessness as a wake-up call about her drug addiction. In her time on the streets she had worked hard to get - and remain - sober; no easy task when one's living arrangements are so unstable. When she came to LPCS, Romona was sober, but stuck - and ready to make a change.  Her story was one of perseverance and hope. During her seven months at the Lincoln Park Community Shelter, Romona was able to face her fears and insecurities, and gain the confidence and skills she needed to be successful. Just before the letter mailed, Romona moved into her own apartment.

But our work with Romona did not stop once she was no longer homeless. Since moving out, Romona has stayed in touch with her case manager and continued working toward her long-term goals with the support of the LPCS community. The housing program in which she lives offers fully subsidized rent, but she has been determined to take over the lease on her own. Since leaving LPCS, she enrolled in GED classes, was able to have her minor criminal record sealed, and continued attending extra classes and groups offered by her job training program.

Romona’s hard work has paid off! We’re proud to report that Romona is now working in housekeeping at a local nursing home near where she lives. We were honored to be one of her first calls with the good news, and will continue to support her as she works toward other life goals. Romona will forever be a part of the LPCS “family.”

Over the years, LPCS has worked hard to earn its reputation as a program where people who are at the end of their ropes – materially and emotionally – come to regain control of their lives. This is not simply a place to stay, but a place to change. Our approach is designed to empower and elevate guests during a time of crisis and desperation, when even they may not be capable of seeing their own potential.

Our programs rely on the generous financial and volunteer support of friends like you. We are constantly awed by the deep commitment of this community to our work and our guests. Thanks to a generous donor, any new or increased donations will be matched, up to $10,000!  Thank you for making a gift to the Lincoln Park Community Shelter today.

Many thanks,

Erin Ryan 

Executive Director

Ending Homelessness Nationally

Earlier this month I attended the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) conference in Washington, D.C.  While there, I learned that despite the fact that many service budgets have been cut at the federal and state levels, the American economy is not “out of the woods” in regard to homeless services across the country.  Nan Roman, president of the NAEH, reported the impressive fact that homelessness has remained steady—that is, it has not risen—during the recession.  This fact is partly a result that homelessness is a lagging indicator of society’s economic woes.  For agencies providing homeless services, the recession may have yet to hit. 

LPCS has begun to see this trend through an upswing in the number of people that are homeless for the first time (33%) and episodically (40%).  In the past, higher education was thought to be a safety net against homelessness, but is no longer true.  Last year more than 50% of our guests attended or graduated from college. Several guests over the past year reported that they were foreclosed upon or last experienced homelessness several years ago, and were unable to find living-wage work quickly after being laid off.  Additionally, the cost of renting in Chicago continues to rise.  One out of four guests who moved in to LPCS in the last year had an income; however, they were unable to afford housing. 

Despite the reality check from the NEAH conference that our work is far from extinction, we realized that LPCS is on the cutting edge of programming in many ways.  First, we work with agencies throughout the Chicago area to follow a “housing first” approach.  Guests begin to work with case managers to identify and sign up for housing opportunities from the day they move in—and often before.  Community clients who join our waiting list meet with a case manager and are encouraged to begin working on goals right away. 

As a part of the Interim Housing Community, our case managers are working intensively with guests through an increasing average length of stay; although this results in fewer guests moving through our programs overall, it means that the work with those guests is deeper and successes are more likely to have a lasting impact.  This longer stay and more intensive work with case managers is making an impact: over 70% of On Track Program participants found permanent housing. After one year, at least 66% of graduates remain housed.
 
Finally, we know that a contributing factor to this housing retention is a continued connection to LPCS. Approximately 2/3 of graduates continue to remain involved at LPCS, touching base with staff members on the trials and tribulations of their lives and participating in case management and referrals when needed.  We have long believed in the power of community, and our Graduate Community is a demonstration of that.  Many become involved as volunteers, and others join our new Graduate Council, offering feedback to program staff on new programming, planning events for current guests, and speaking to community groups about their experiences with homelessness and LPCS. 

LPCS is looking forward to another year of community and collaboration with our neighbors, our volunteers, our supporters, our guests, and our graduates.  Stay tuned for updates on ways you can be involved in our newest ventures via our e-newsletter and our print newsletter, Transitions.  To sign up to receive either of these, please visit the News section of our website.  

--Betsy Carlson, Program Director

Educating Our Aldermen

As a community-based agency serving people who have often been disenfranchised, LPCS takes its role as an advocate seriously. We are members of Lakeview Action Coalition, and as such LPCS staff members, guests, and graduates stay involved in systems issues such as affordable housing, access to health care, and livable wage employment.

On Thursday, July 7, I had the privilege of co-moderating the first-ever People’s City Council meeting, organized by LAC and nearly 20 other community groups across the city. The Meeting was a chance to educate our actual City Council (where many members are new) on issues that directly affect our guests.

20 of 50 Alderman attended the meeting, where the “People’s City Council” engaged in a debate about fair jobs, affordable housing, education, and public safety. Over 1,500 people consistently “voted” in favor of creating new revenue streams that will enhance services, establishing accountability for large corporations and banks, and otherwise prioritizing strengthening communities through investing in working class families.

It was an excited and energetic crowd! LPCS guests reported feeling very powerful in influencing our elected officials to act on their behalf. All 20 Alderman signed on in support of our “resolution,” and another 10 have expressed their support since the meeting. Taking part in collective action is just one way that LPCS guests are able to regain control of their lives, re-connect with support systems, and achieve their goals.

For more info about the People’s City Council meeting, check out these links:

http://www.thegatenewspaper.com/2011/07/people%E2%80%99s-city-council-drafts-new-resolution/

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/07/08/activists-take-stand-at-peoples-city-council-meeting/#.ThdUcT1UZuc.facebook

http://www.progressillinois.com/quick-hits/content/2011/07/13/peoples-city-council-get-aldermen-board-meeting-and-beyond

 --Erin Ryan, LPCS Executive Director

Action Assembly 2010

On Tuesday, June 22, 700 residents of the Lakeview, Lincoln Park, and North Center neighborhoods gathered at Temple Sholom  for the Lakeview Action Coalition’s annual Action Assembly.  There, leaders met onstage with elected-officials to both celebrate the accomplishments of the Lakeview Action Coalition (LAC), as well as to address the critical issues and needs facing community residents. The meeting discussed affordable housing, access to healthcare, homeless youth & police accountability, environmental justice, and the state budget crisis.

The Lincoln Park Community Shelter is an active member of Lakeview Action Coalition.  Program Director Betsy Carlson is involved in the Affordable Housing Task Force, working to preserve and improve existing housing stock (such as the Diplomat Hotel and various Section 8 buildings in the area) as well as ensure that affordable options are included in new housing developments (such as the redevelopment of the Children’s Memorial Hospital site).  Case Manager Murray Manus is active in the Healthcare Task Force, working to improve access to affordable health care in our community. Executive Director Erin Ryan is also involved in the affordable housing work, in addition to service as vice president of LAC’s Board of Directors.  LPCS sees a direct connection between our work with homeless individuals and our advocacy within the broader community for increased access to resources.

At the recent Action Assembly, community leaders received important commitments from the local officials to ameliorate the issues highlighted at the event.  For more information about the event and LAC, click here: http://lakeviewaction.org/2010_action_assembly.htm