Join us at Rub Out Homelessness with The
Join us at Rub Out Homelessness with TheRubHub.com event hosted by our Associate Board on July 29th! http://ow.ly/27v5I
Homelessness continues to rise. Help us
Homelessness continues to rise. Help us take action! http://ow.ly/26edV
The Obama Administration has a revised p
The Obama Administration has a revised plan to end homelessness. Housing First is still at the center of efforts. http://ow.ly/25m5s
There are many ways to get involved in e
There are many ways to get involved in ending homelessness…how are you facing forward? http://ow.ly/25lX3
Special Thanks to the Chicago Wolves, Pr
Special Thanks to the Chicago Wolves, Print Perfect and First Eagle Bank for their support at the 2010 3H Social!
The 2010 3H Social was fantastic, raisin
The 2010 3H Social was fantastic, raising over $35,000. You can still support our efforts by visiting http://ow.ly/25kwH.
ICH appeared on CANTV
Bill Johnson, ICH Executive Director, recently appeared on CANTV discussing the upcoming CROP Walk, talking about our work and interviewing Angela, a mother of four being helped by ICH.
Check out the video here: http://www.blip.tv/file/2667363/
1 in 50 US Children Homeless
by: Steven Gray
Chicago, IL
Even before the financial and home foreclosure crisis hit full stride, the number of homeless children in America had reached an alarming level. The National Center on Family Homelessness released a report today that estimates that one in every 50 American children was homeless between 2005 and 2006. That totals roughly 1.5 million kids. While the center provided no previous statistic to compare against that figure, a study conducted with different measures published in 2000 put the total at 1.35 million children living in homelessness each year. The numbers are likely to get worse as the economy continues to decline. “We know the numbers are going to skyrocket,” says Ellen Bassuk, president of the Newton, Mass.-based Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School.
Hidden homeless: U.S. families living in motel rooms
March 11, 2009
by: Erik Eckholm
Costa Mesa, CA: Greg Hayworth, 44, graduated from Syracuse University and made a good living in his home state, California, from real estate and mortgage finance. Then that business crashed, and early last year the bank foreclosed on the house he was renting, forcing his family’s eviction.
Now the Hayworths and their three children represent a new face of homelessness in Orange County: formerly middle income, living week to week in a cramped motel room.
“I owe it to my kids to get out of here,” Hayworth said, recalling the night they saw a motel neighbor drag a half-naked woman out the door while he beat her.
As the recession has deepened, long-time workers who lost their jobs are facing the terror and stigma of homelessness for the first time, including those who have owned or rented for years. Some show up in shelters and on the streets, but others, like the Hayworths, are the hidden homeless — living doubled up in apartments, in garages or in motels, uncounted in U.S. homeless data and often receiving little public aid.
Meet Latresia
Latresia and her two-year-old son, Jayden, are ICH’s newest residents. After living in an emergency shelter for two years, her dream has finally come true — she will be moving into her very first apartment next month.
It is always a pleasure to meet residents, but I will admit this was my first time to meet such a recent addition to the ICH family. I am blessed to hear the stories of how long residents had waited for homes and how excited they were to finally get their keys; but never had I witnessed firsthand the process that will eventually change the life of a women and her child.
As Latresia and Jayden sat in my office, her joy and appreciation were contagious. Her excitement was bubbling over and you could see the anticipation in her eyes. I was unable to remove a smile from my face while she was visiting with me. This was a woman that was not only excited for herself, but had such high hopes for her son who has known nothing but an emergency shelter. Wow.
Mothers across America always want the best for their children, and those children deserve it, but none of them want their children to live in a shelter for two years.
Jayden will be lucky and succeed, but without the support that ICH can provide Latresia and her family, the odds are frightening. Homeless children are:
• 9x more likely to repeat a grade,
• 4x more likely to drop out of school,
• 3x more likely to be placed in a special education program and
• 2x more likely to score lower on standardized tests than their non‐homeless peers.
In addition, homeless children suffer from serious health issues such as:
• hunger and malnutrition,
• developmental delays,
• psychological problems and
• gaps in educational achievement compared to non‐homeless children.
To make all of this worse, half of all children living in emergency shelters are under five years old. With statistics like this, how can we break the cycle of homelessness? We can do it by providing real homes and the support families’ need to reach self-sufficiency. We can make an effort, once families are housed, to reach out to children and ensure they have the assets they need to thrive.
This is what ICH believes and practices every day. Real homes and the tools families need to reach success. Not just Mom and Dad, but everyone. Support our efforts by contributing to ICH today: www.ichchicago.org or calling me at 773.265.1207.
Thank you,
Brandon Combs
Director of Development
