Tag: Homelessness

Get Creative to Help the Homeless

You know, for many of us our only real exposure to homelessness may be the people outside the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago begging for change or folks selling Streetwise before a concert at Millennium Park. You may reach in your pocket and drop a dollar in the cup, or you may recall something you’ve read about such donations being spent for alcohol or cigarettes and opt to keep walking.

We all agree that homelessness is a societal problem and most of us would like to help, but it’s tough to identify how to provide assistance most effectively. You want to be part of the solution to homelessness in general, but there’s a person in front of you that you literally know nothing about asking for your money. There are two easy reactions: keep walking and ignore that person, or hand him a few coins or a buck. There’s another approach, though, that may have a greater impact and, even better, is more creative and fun.

We’ve recently read about the college student who’s providing free socks, a crucial clothing component for homeless folks who are constantly on the move. There are artists in Boston who create professional-looking signage to replace handmade signs and a charitable organization called Project Night-Night that distributes tote-bags to homeless families filled with a children’s book, a security blanket, and stuffed animal. Many other individuals and groups are developing their own unique approaches. In fact, there’s a whole section on Pinterest devoted to ways to help the homeless.

The point is that if you feel you need to help, there are lots of ways to do it. For those of us who are working and have limited time to try anything that may take time, you can support your local non-profit like Northwest Compass by writing a check to support its efforts (learn more about how NWC helps neighbors facing a housing crisis or food insecurity). However, we also have many groups to which we belong or otherwise have access to, such as church groups, work teams, boy/girl scouts, student groups, clubs, quilting groups, and so forth that occasionally have the capacity to do discretionary projects. Why not put on your thinking cap and propose an effort that would benefit your local homeless population? Check out some of the ideas on the Pinterest page—there are literally dozens that hold potential for collaborative development by a group of like minded individuals.

Other individuals may have a specific skill or own a business, for instance the artists mentioned above who created signage for homeless beggars, that can be leveraged if they are able to donate time and materials. The homeless have the same basic needs as the rest of us. The only limit in how to help them is your imagination.

OK, say you have a creative idea on how to support the homeless—how do you actually connect with such a mobile population that’s largely transparent to most of us? We can help. Contact Northwest Compass at 847-392-2344.

So, drop a buck in the cup, or put your thinking cap on, get creative and do something that’ll benefit a broader audience (or both!). If you truly want to help, there’s nothing stopping you!

HYPE Helps Homeless Teen

While some of us might shudder to think about our awkward teen years, most of us look back on our school years with fondness. But likely not many of us experienced high school as a homeless teen. We probably never had to think about doing homework, trying out for teams or just hanging out with friends without knowing where we’d find our next meal, how we’d wash clothes or where we’d sleep at night.

And while being a homeless teen may be hard for many of us to imagine, that was John’s situation before he found Northwest Compass. In fact, John told his guidance counselor, Jen, that he felt like a ghost, like he was invisible. But the staff at Northwest Compass saw John, and they helped.

At Northwest Compass, we’re committed to ending the cycle of homelessness, for John and teens and young adults like him. To this end, we introduced Helping Youth on the Path to Empowerment (HYPE) in 2016. HYPE adopts new methods to deliver existing services through better alignment of housing resources, education, training and employment services. In addition, the program offers an array of supportive services to foster personal and economic stability, health and safety.

Jen recently wrote to let us know that John is doing well and that finding Northwest Compass HYPE played a big part in that. Watch Jen’s story to learn more about John’s journey from homeless teen to walking tall on campus.

CompassPoints_JenS.m4v from Mary Ellen Ottenstein on Vimeo.

Beyond the program mandates, HYPE offers the care and compassion of its professional staff and volunteers. As Jen wrote, HYPE went beyond providing Housing Counseling and Career Coaching and built confidence. Jen was moved by the donation of a designer jacket, and that our Managing Director of Program Delivery, Sonia Ivanov, connected John to a job at the YMCA. She could hardly believe, that from among so many clients, Sonia remembered how much John loves basketball.

Learn more about how Northwest Compass helps teens and young adults, and other programs we offer, by visiting How We Help. If you would like to help support neighbors turning crisis into opportunity, visit Get Involved to find a volunteer opportunity that’s just right for you.

Coordinated Entry: How It Works

The Coordinated Entry process is a laudable attempt by our government to make things easier both for people experiencing homelessness and for the agencies that provide services to them. In many cases, these folks reach out to social services organizations via phone, a personal visit, or by using a shelter in an effort to find a way out of their situation. Northwest Compass has been named the designated ‘Walk-In’ center for our part of the Chicago suburbs, which means we have the training, resources, and expertise to work with members of the community who drop by (or call) our facility to address their problem and explain how Coordinated Entry works.

We realize that walking through our doors for the first time can be a little intimidating, though. You don’t know what awaits you and whether you have what you need to get help and whether there’s someone inside who can understand your situation. Those who are on the verge of losing their housing or are already homeless are struggling to find a way out of their predicament and the last thing they need is additional uncertainty. We’re here to help, so we’ll try to take some of the mystery out of how it works and what happens next as you reach out to us.

What You’ll Need
To make the process move as quickly for you as possible, our best recommendation is to come prepared. Bring as much paperwork as you can find that might help us assess what’s going on in your life. If you’re in the process of being evicted, bring notices and letters. Your lease document would be helpful, and the basics like recent pay stubs, social security cards, drivers license, insurance information, car repair estimates (if appropriate) and so on will be useful. In other words, you want to bring as much along with you as you can to avoid having to go back for it later if needed.

As you enter the Northwest Compass building you’ll be greeted by a representative who will ask you to sign in. They’ll determine the reason for your visit and will direct you to a seat in our waiting area for a program specialist to meet with you. Once that person arrives you’ll be escorted to an office where they’ll walk you through what’s known as the Intake form. It’s a lot of information that gives the specialist a basic understanding of your problem. We’ll need to know the basics about you, your family, your housing situation, insurance status, and so on.

Since you’re probably looking for immediate help, all this data collection may seem to be time consuming and too detailed, but it’s absolutely necessary in order for us to identify appropriate resources and may also be required by agencies that provide funding to support our program and our clients. There are several options to help people who make use of our walk-in center and we need to be able to select the one that’ll provide the most benefit. To do that, we need information. Whatever you give us will be kept confidential and will only be passed along to any agency outside of Northwest Compass when required.

So, that’s the first step in how the Coordinated Entry process works. Show up at our building during business hours, bring along whatever paperwork you have to explain your situation to us, provide the information we need on the Intake form, and be prepared to work with our program specialist to move ahead. Let’s get started!

Discover more about the Coordinated Entry program.

Coordinated Entry: What’s In It for Me?

Northwest Compass just celebrated the opening of the Coordinated Entry Walk-In Center in an on-site ceremony on June 21st. Unless you’re a client, volunteer, or contributor to our organization, you may wonder ‘Why the fuss?’. I’m here to tell you why it’s a big deal both for us and for the communities we serve.

Coordinated Entry is a program developed by The Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County in response to the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) strategic plan to end homelessness.Coordinated Entry ( CE) is designed to streamline and expedite the process of identifying and supporting the needs of the homeless or who are at imminent risk of homelessness. Northwest Compass has been designated the lead agency in our area and implementation of the Walk-In Center is a big step toward fulfillment of the program’s goals.

But, you may then ask, ‘Why should I care?’. Or, stated another way, ‘What’s in it for me?’ In the business world, that’s a common question that even has its own acronym: WIFM. Actually, there are a number of answers to that question depending on what your relationship is to Northwest Compass. Let’s check out the WIFMs for a few of them…..

If you’re…
…a person or family who has just experienced a situation that has resulted in your losing your residence, it provides a much better organized and comprehensive approach to addressing your crisis.

…a member of the staff or a volunteer at Northwest Compass, Coordinated Entry may mean an increase in the number of opportunities to help those who are at risk of becoming homeless or in need of shelter. The Walk-In Center is just one way that clients can get into Coordinated Entry.

…a staff member or volunteer worker at another facility in the area that works with those in need, it provides a single point of contact at an agency that’s been designed specifically for the purpose of delivering help.

…everyone else, you have an organization working hard to use resources and tax dollars more efficiently to provide services to the homeless in our communities. Did you know it costs much less to provide shelter to those in need than it does to address the issues related to health, addiction, and crime that may result from exposure to living on the street? Additionally, in the event that a friend, neighbor, or even yourself experiences a crisis that results in a need for shelter, there’s a one-stop shop in the neighborhood to obtain services.

The introduction of Coordinated Entry is a change that we hope will have a big effect on identifying those in need of either temporary or longer-term shelter. How does it work? We’ll explore the process in more detail in a series of blogs over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

For information right now on the program, check out our page or call us at +1 847 392 2344.

Zoning Out the Homeless People

Approximately 1% of the United States population is homeless. Do you see them? Fundamentally, the causes of homelessness are financial insufficiency or physical and mental disabilities. 300 million people go about their day, paying little or no attention to the suffering and injustice all around them, and trust the government would handle the situation.

Locally, citywide bans on things that homeless people do are on the rise. Laws placing restrictions on loitering, panhandling, resting or sleeping in public have increased nationwide since 2009. One in ten cities nationwide have passed laws prohibiting residents from handing homeless people food, 53% of American cities prohibit sitting or lying down in certain public places, and 43% of cities prohibit someone from sleeping in their car. Initially we ignore homelessness, and now more and more cities are making it illegal. Is this a long-term resolution? Do cities have the manpower to enforce these new laws?

Tampa has “zoned out” homeless people with a zero-tolerance decree by the city officials. Zoned out human beings? It turned out that homeless people were considered “bad for business” and presented a negative image. An inviting downtown park recently spent $32,784 of the taxpayer’s money to put up a tall metal fence with pad locks on every gate and a sign warning “NO TRESPASSING KEEP OUT.” That same week, volunteers who after years of feeding homeless people in another park were arrested for it.

A handful of cities have tried setting up “safe zones” or sanctioned homeless encampments that provide access to sanitary facilities, social services and security, but it’s unusual and costly for a state to do so. Phoenix and Utah gave free homes to a limited number of homeless families in 2005. Now the programs are going bankrupt and the locations are condemned. The pace of new affordable housing development is not keeping up with demand. An important question remains unanswered, “Where should people go while the number of homeless people outstrips the number of homes and shelter beds?”

Portland, Oregon, and Seattle allowed legal camping, but struggled with safety issues, just as Honolulu did when it set up a camp in the early ’90s that had to be shut down by police. Honolulu is currently considering passing a law to criminalize homelessness. Zero tolerance of homelessness and suffering? The bustling business areas of Miami have designated “No Panhandling Zones,” arresting offenders. A town in Connecticut passed a regulation banning homeless people from occupying local motels which served as emergency shelters.

Exclusionary zoning policies have played their part in limiting housing opportunities for our neighbors with no permanent housing. By restricting property uses, zoning incidentally impedes low-income housing opportunities and, thus, stands in the way of a solution to homelessness. Zoning regulations are enacted by the local legislative body and enforced by local officials. A city’s zoning power is derived from a grant of power through an enabling act commonly found in state statures, which transfers these powers to the municipality. Zoning is a function of the state’s police power, created to protect the health, safety, morals and general welfare of its citizens.

When economic regulations thwart the operation of free persons to produce and control property, prices rise and quality usually falls. Without freedom to pursue economic opportunities, poor Americans are resigned to live at the tax payers expense, and the taxpayers must support the poor at a higher cost because the regulations have caused prices to rise. It’s a vicious cycle.

The homelessness issues are complicated. We need to: impact litigation, increase policy advocacy, and continue public education. Zoning is a governmental function, carried out through boards made up of elected officials. To help our goal to end homelessness you need to vote and write to your officials.

Letter to a Homeless Veteran

Dear Veteran,

I’m saddened that veterans are homeless in the richest nation on Earth. You served this country, risking your life for our freedoms, and seem to be so easily forgotten. Do you feel invisible? It would be inconceivable to me if I did not witness it with my own eyes. I learned that 11 percent of America’s homeless population are veterans. Many of our heroes have fallen, and we step over them. I believe it’s our duty to care.

I’m sure we agree with our nation’s core truths about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You served and some fought defending those words. So, what went wrong? How does this happen? How can I be a better advocate?

I’m sorry your country was not there for you the way you were there for your country. I’m sorry that the promises given to every citizen did not apply to you. I’m sorry our country’s trade agreements and foreign aid were more important than your well-being after being discharged. I’m sorry for ignoring you, and believe we all share in the blame for your homelessness or possible death while living on the streets.

Here I am, safe, healthy, happy, while you struggle to survive. We need to provide you with resources to help you overcome your issues and have a good life.

From this day forward, each time I see a homeless person I will ask them if they served our country, and if so thank them for their service, and beg their forgiveness.

Join your neighbors in connecting local veterans, active military, and their families to critical resources. Northwest Compass and Evanston Vet Center will host a Veterans Resource Fair in our Mt. Prospect offices on Saturday, March 18th.

Who Are Your Neighbors?

At a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people’s attention to what we, as members of the human family, have in common, and the deep interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.

When I was a kid in the 60’s growing up on the Northwest side of Chicago, we knew all our neighbors and hung out with them every day. It was fun, and helped build a sense of community. During these days of two-paycheck parents commuting and cocooning because they’re afraid to let their kids run unsupervised outside, it is becoming increasingly common to buy a house and eight years later realize that you have never met your neighbors. Why is it so easy to just stay in a little bubble, and not interact with those around us? These times seem to hold a great deal of division instead of unity. February is a month dedicated to Love, and a great time to help your neighbors and community.

How would you describe your neighborhood today? Do you know everyone on the block? Do you feel safe and secure in there? Is your neighborhood comprised of a community of people working together toward a common goal or individual families living independent lives?

Some people are very fortunate to have great neighbors that they interact with every day. Some neighborhoods thrive on over-the-fence conversations each day. Having someone close by to socialize with can create wonderful friendships that may not have otherwise happened. Psychologists at the University of Michigan just completed new research that tested how socially connected people felt and how healthy they were. Turns out, feeling socially connected to your community reduces the risk of a heart attack…a lot. But building trust can be hard. A 2016 Pew Research survey revealed that only half of Americans (52%) say they trust all or most of their neighbors.

Being on friendly terms with your neighbors can lead to better life. Good neighbors watch out for each other and their property. Living in a proactive neighborhood can increase your family’s safety, as multiple sets of eyes and ears can help thwart criminal activity and promote a safer area. There’s an old cliché about borrowing a cup of sugar from your neighbor. It really is convenient to have someone close by who can help you out when you need an egg to finish a cake, borrow a shovel or drag in your trash cans when you’re gone. The crossing guard on the corner where my dad lives in Des Plaines noticed his need for help, and began to drive him grocery shopping once a week. These examples surround us.

Neighbors can unite in joint ventures, plant a mutual garden, host a community yard sale, or maybe a block party. If you get to know your neighbors more intimately they may share their troubles, which can be an opportunity for you to help. If you hear that a neighbor just got home from the hospital you could make them a casserole. The neighbor two doors away shares that he lost his job you can secretly donate a gift card. When you discover a family living in their car parked in the vacant lot down your block, invite them for dinner and listen to their story.

Giving to your neighbors is contagious. Once you start, it’s hard to stop. This month let’s reach out, get involved, plan an event or make a connection. Be the kind of neighbor you want to have.

Invisible Young Adults: No Place To Call Home

Let’s talk about young adults, 18-25, in our community with no place to call home. They risk living on the streets to escape abusive homes, or they’ve no relatives to turn to. Imagine being eighteen, out of school, no home, no employable skills, no money for college and sleeping on a dark street under a dumpster, in a beat up old car, or in the furnace room of a school’s basement.

Do you recall turning eighteen and uncovering a sense of freedom? Were your parents able to teach you the skills needed to live on your own or assist you financially? One major reason for youth homelessness is parental conflict ending in the parent demanding they move out. Other causes include running away from alternate care situations or finding themselves unable to afford rent, bills and groceries.

This vulnerable population can fall through the cracks. Many struggle in hidden homelessness situations, such as rough sleeping (on the streets) or squatting (sleeping in abandoned buildings). Some go to desperate measures to avoid the dangers of sleeping rough, including committing a crime or resorting to sex work to get a roof over their heads.

Homeless youth need support and a good role model. While the schools and other support systems in our Northwest Suburbs are doing everything they can to get our homeless youth in school and keep them there, earlier intervention is essential to prevent them from developing higher needs and falling into long term homelessness. Local schools and agencies are attempting to address the gaps in education, social support networks, barriers to employment, and affordable housing.

Mature families may require temporary assistance as a result of job loss or other isolated events and rebound quickly. Statistics show undeveloped families with parents under twenty-five are far more likely to return to emergency shelters since they lack the job or life skills to move forward on their own. This at-risk population needs education about what it is to be a successful adult, hopefully before they have babies of their own. If America is going to get serious about ending the cycle of homelessness, focusing on our youth is a great starting point.

Locally, Northwest Compass is committed to ending the cycle of youth homelessness and has created a new program called HYPE (Helping Youth on the Path to Empowerment) a new coordinated system adopting new methods of providing existing services through better alignment of housing resources, education, training and employment services, as well as an array of supportive services.

Celebrate Giving Tuesday With Your Neighbors

Giving Tuesday, launched by New York’s United Nations Foundations in 2011, expands each year. Do you sense a noble desire to give back? I hope this blog can help you to redefine your philosophy of philanthropy. This is your opportunity to give back in your own community by supporting our vision to rid the northwest suburbs of homelessness and hunger.

Let me point out the duality of poverty and charitable giving. Do you hold the same view of helping poverty as your parents did? Attitudes about poverty have remained largely consistent over time despite dramatic economic and social change. A recent survey of public opinion regarding people’s attitudes of the poor reveals sharp differences. One group seems void of empathy toward the poor, and believes the homeless should just try harder. The opposite view states jobs are hard to find, and social service programs help people get back on their feet. What view do you hold?

I’ve worked in social services in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago for over thirty years, and seen many changes. In 1990 welfare got a major overhaul. The number of poor Americans dropped sharply in that decade as programs transformed their vision from recurring giving to educating the poor. Clients were able to attend job training, and independent living skills classes in an effect to stand on their own. Poverty rose again in 2007 because of the recession. I witnessed more need than money budgeted to fill the need.

The face of poverty today does include those families who have been poor for several generations and unable to break free. Additionally, we assist middle-class families unable to pay the rising cost of living, discharged veterans with no employment and young adults who can’t secure their first job even after graduating from college. At Northwest Compass we hold the belief that poverty is a temporary condition. Who of us hasn’t felt hard times or known someone who has? Most of our clients want to be self-reliant. Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Our goal is to educate our clients, so they can feed themselves for a lifetime, and we need your support.

Donating money or time increases one’s capacity for expressing love, and generates gratitude. This action requires a selflessness, which can be challenging. Some people respond from their heads by judging what the person or agency may do with the gift. Can you open your heart, and give? A study at Harvard business school reveals that giving to others directly correlates to an increased sense of individual happiness.

Express your gratitude while increasing your personal happiness by clicking the Donate tab at www.northwestcompass.org. Any amount makes a difference and is tax deductible. Our agency is Guidestar Exchange Gold, and a BBB Accredited Charity with a commitment to transparency.

Busting the Myths of Homelessness

If you don’t think there are any homeless people in your community take a closer look around. What do they look like these days? Veterans of war suffering with PTSD, individuals suffering from mental illness or drug and alcohol problems, single moms running from a domestic violence situation, middle age out of work professionals who can no longer care for their families, and are temporarily squeezed into a relative’s basement. Perhaps a seventeen-year-old female who ran away from an abusive home and now lives in her broken-down car or a disabled adult male, who has no way to care for themself. Another family with a sick child lost everything to pay their medical bills, while down the road a family is working hard making minimum wages and can’t afford food or rent.

I challenged myself to be more aware and took one week to observe the homeless in my surroundings. Suddenly they appeared no longer invisible to me.

At the intersection of Mt. Prospect and Central Rds. in Mt. Prospect I drove by a family of four, mom and dad with two small children sitting on the corner. Dad held a sign up begging for money for food.

Coming out of Macy’s in Schaumburg I discovered an old man asleep on a Starbucks chair, with six overflowing shopping bags holding all his belongings next to him. The heat of the day dripped from his forehead. I said hello, and he didn’t respond. I checked his pulse and he mumbled. He was alive!

In downtown Des Plaines in the Walgreens parking lot an elderly woman sat on a bench mumbling to herself while guarding the cart that held all her belongings.

Near downtown Palatine a car is parked on a neighborhood street. It’s filled to the brim with boxes and a blanket and pillow. I wonder who is sleeping in there at night.

What would you do if you saw a person in need? Drive by too busy to help? Yell out your car window at them to go back to their own country? Or shout out telling them that they are losers littering your neighborhood. Look the other way and pretend not to have seen them? Convince yourself they’re not really homeless. Fool yourself with the myth of my parent’s generation that “bums too lazy to work” or “they’ll use the money to buy drugs or alcohol”. We have all been guilty of such reactions.

Do you know how to help? A new awareness can be the first step to dispelling your stereotypes. If you’re in a hurry make a plan to do some research or donate to the local agencies. Offer them the same respect you would to a friend or family member. Open your heart and respond with kindness and a smile. Make eye contact when you chat with them, it helps them feel visible. Offer them some food or a few dollars. Create a card that lists all the local shelters, pantries and food kitchens. Store your old blankets or clothes in your trunk to donate to the next homeless person you see. Give them the number to Northwest Compass 847-392-2344, or call our outreach program with the location, and time of day, so one of our outreach staff can go help them. Volunteer! Northwest Compass has many opportunities. Giving back restores balance in your community and your soul.