Meet Mark and Joanie

 

Meet Mark and Joanie, recent Graduates of the Lincoln Park Community Shelter. Their story proves that the path to homelessness is complex – no one decision or circumstance led directly to their homelessness. However, a series of events over time resulted in an almost unavoidable outcome.

Mark lost his job of 12 years at the same time his elderly mother needed extra help. Joanie’s job as a home health worker was inconsistent, and her own health problems sometimes made it difficult to work. She longed to finish college for a more stable career. But there was no time to pursue more education and training. They were just trying to keep up. 

The roof in their apartment began to leak and it was no longer livable. They found themselves faced with impossible decisions – pitch in financially and physically to help his mother, or resort to nursing home care? Move to an unsafe neighborhood to save on rent, or move in with family in the suburbs but pay more to commute to work? Seek needed medical care and pay out of pocket, or ignore serious health problems and hope they will resolve themselves?

Transportation, healthcare, and housing costs continued to pile up until Mark and Joanie reached a breaking point and were faced with the most difficult decision – moving into a shelter.

After living separately in different shelters, and periods of time living together on the streets, they finally found LPCS.

Even though they both were working, they hadn’t been able to accumulate enough savings and stabilize enough to move into housing again. “At other shelters, people used to ask ‘if you have a job, why not an apartment?’ It is not that simple to move, you need enough money for deposit, rent, and security.”

They didn’t want to hurriedly move and then be susceptible again to circumstances outside their control, like a layoff or illness. During more than 18 months at LPCS, Mark and Joanie were able to address neglected health concerns, secure steady employment, save money, and eventually take the final step in rebuilding their lives by moving into their own apartment in September.

At LPCS we understand that just like the path to homelessness, the path out of homelessness is also complex. We are able to approach each individual situation with a unique set of resources and guidance that truly helps Guests remove barriers and rebuild their lives one step at a time. Many Guests are in Mark and Joanie’s situation – a quarter already have some steady income, but not enough to afford rent; nearly 70% have some college education; many have consistent work and housing histories; most need support on multiple fronts to help put their lives back together. Our programs work consistently to succeed in helping 70% of Guests move back into stable, permanent housing after their stay at LPCS.

Mark and Joanie’s success, that that of all our Guests, is due to your direct support. LPCS is completely privately funded and we rely on your continued support to keep helping Guests like Mark and Joanie – and hundreds of others each year – take the steps they need to leave homelessness behind. Please make your gift today.

Many thanks,

Erin Ryan, Executive Director

Donate Now

Exciting News! You can now double your donation! An anonymous donor will match any new or increased gift, up to $10,000! Help us meet the challenge and finish 2012 on a strong note!

Graduate Spotlight - Meet Eddie

Eddie moved into LPCS last April, coming from a halfway house.  He struggled with addiction for most of his adult life and made his money by hustling.  Eddie bounced around from friends' and families' homes after divorcing; in between, he spent time in jail for petty addiction related crimes.  Over the course of about 30 years, he never had an official home of his own with his name on the lease.

The last time Eddie was “locked up,” the friend with whom he had been staying for a few years as a personal caretaker passed away.  No one bothered to tell him, and he returned to find that all of his belongings were gone and he had no place to go.  Eddie made the decision to make life changes, which began with rehab through Habilitative Systems, eventually transferring to their halfway house.  While at HSI, he was referred to LPCS for assistance with simply obtaining his birth certificate.  Eddie did not have a home to move into, nor income for a place when his stay at HSI ended, so he contacted LPCS, working with us to apply for permanent housing and eventually moving into our Interim Housing program.

While staying at LPCS, Eddie continued to focus on his sobriety, moving at a pace that was comfortable for him, while challenging himself to move forward.  He volunteered at the Lakeview Pantry, obtained a temporary job, and attended many AA meetings in the neighborhood, steadily building his support network as he exercised his self-identified improved character.

Today, Eddie lives in his own apartment with a program for veterans that LPCS referred him to.  He was elated to finally have his name on the lease, his own keys, and mailbox.  Eddie began increasing his focus on the job search, while remaining connected to LPCS by attending dinner weekly, meeting with his case manager, and remaining connected with others in recovery.  He sees himself as someone who can give back to this community, and in fact does by listening, offering advice, and sharing his journey to sobriety with guests at the recovery meeting.

This fall, Eddie celebrated one year sober.  He came to LPCS for his one year anniversary.  While the milestone in sobriety is a big enough achievement, Eddie then achieved another significant life step: he was offered and began working the first official job he’s had in over 20 years.  Eddie told his case manager “this has been the best year of my life.” We couldn’t be more proud of Eddie for the changes he had made.

By: Brianne Spresser

Annual Report - LPCS Progress

July 22 marked the 25th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the only act of Congress to address the problem of homelessness on a federal level. Through McKinney-Vento, homeless service agencies are able to access funds to provide emergency shelter, social services and even permanent housing. Twenty-five years later, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reports that the number of people experiencing homelessness is declining as metropolitan areas and homeless service agencies—agencies like the Lincoln Park Community Shelter—design their programs to incorporate best practices and collaborate in city- and nation-wide initiatives responding to research findings.

At the national level, we have become a participant in the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ annual conference, fortifying the strengths-based, low-barrier and harm reduction principles already incorporated into our programming. We are poised to begin a HUD-funded permanent housing program for individuals experiencing homelessness and disability, drawing residents from a city-wide central referral system that ensures that Chicago’s most vulnerable citizens are connected to housing and the care that they need.

In the Chicago community, our staff participates in the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness, contributing to conversations about maximizing the current system and about the future design of the homeless response system and access to permanent housing to ensure that each person in our community is able to avoid or minimize their time spent homeless. This Spring, staff and Graduates were instrumental in the crafting of the city’s second comprehensive strategic plan to end homelessness, entitled “A Home for Everyone.”

We, like many around the city and country, continue to see changes in the needs of our Guests. For instance, nearly 70% have at least some college education; no longer a safety net against homelessness. The average age has been steadily increasing each year, and longer bouts of homelessness and a rise in serious health problems all add to the complexity of barriers faced by Guests. At LPCS, we continually adjust our program services and goals to meet these changing needs, and we have rigorous measures to gauge our success with Guests, community clients and Graduates.

For instance, we understand that engaging individuals and gaining their trust in our cooperative work with them is the first step toward empowering them to make life changes. Within our Community Engagement Program, almost half of all clients participate in case management, gaining intensive assessment, support, and referrals through our experienced case management staff. Within the Interim Housing Community and On Track Program, 86% of Guests who move into the IHC engage in case management, setting goals with their case manager within their first two weeks of stay. This collaborative goal-setting pays off, as 100% of Guests in substance abuse recovery engage in time-tested peer-support groups like AA and Smart Recovery, and two-thirds of Guests with significant mental or chronic physical health issues report that their health is stable or has improved since staying at LPCS.

This intensive evaluation is most evident in the work we do with Guests seeking employment. Guests are assessed for both employability and computer literacy and work with their case managers and volunteer computer tutors to address employment-and technology barriers: finding an appropriate interview outfit, creating an electronic resume, establishing an email account, or learning how to attach their resumes to email. We’re proud to report that we’re meeting or coming close to our ambitious employment goals, as more than 90% improved their employability and nearly 80% improved their computer literacy. This improvement is likewise reflected in improved employment among Guests, as almost half of those people looking for work found at least a part-time position. Graduate Romona relaxes in her new neighborhood before heading to work.

Our reliance on best practices is also seen in the percentage of individuals who attain permanent housing and that retain permanent housing. City benchmarks challenge us to house people more quickly: 30% within four months, 50% within six months, and 90% within 9 months. But, with long waiting lists for job training programs and subsidized housing, and a persistent lack of quality jobs, these timeframes have been unattainable. However, with an average stay of 6.5 months, nearly 70% of our Guests1 did move into permanent housing this year, and after two years, 64% are still housed. We believe that this success results from designing programs that follow best practices, and invest in the individuality of each Guest: harm reduction principles allow Guests who relapse to continue working with their case manager and continue living at LPCS; staff and volunteers establish a safe place to stay and work toward goals for as long as necessary to return to housing; Graduates return year after year to celebrate the holidays with their LPCS family and become volunteers doing overnight shifts, working at the front desk or donating funds to end someone else’s homelessness. We look forward to continuing and refining all of these practices—with you—in the years to come!

By: Betsy Carlson

Taste of Fall

The Lincoln Park Community Shelter held their annual fundraiser, Taste of Fall, last Friday at Goose Island’s Gallery 1028. This lof- like rustic venue lent perfectly to the fall decorations and glistening candles! In addition to the warm atmosphere, there was an array of food from local restaurants, a silent auction, a photo booth, an ultimate tasting raffle, an open bar, and, to round it all out to perfect fall perfection, a live band-Tony Bondi Project.

The theme of the evening was ‘Opening Doors.’ A short program in the middle of the evening was led by Board Member, Brent Carstensen, explaining the dynamic work that the LPCS does and introducing some graduates that were in attendance that evening. In going with the theme, there were photos of doors being held by committee members and each time a $500 donation was made the photo of the door would flip to reveal a graduate of LPCS on the other side.

All in all, it proved to be an extremely successful night! Laughter and conversations were in abundance and people seemed genuinely excited about the work of LPCS, which was evident by the $26,000.00 that was raised that night! Wow!!!! That is a lot of 'doors' that will be opened for people! 

 By: Vanessa Stupay, Taste of Fall Committee