North Side Housing delivers the immediate need: a roof. But the staff here digs deeper. They treat homelessness not as a moral failure, but as a symptom of unhealed trauma.
This was Dick Simpson's initiative, and after years of work, I'm glad to see it result in a shelter here in Rogers Park. WGN shows what this kind of shelter can really do, help people heal from trauma, get support, find work, and move towards having a home of their own.
It's a success worth learning from. I'd like to see this model expanded to both men's and women's shelters throughout Chicago.
Rogers Park has stepped up. Now it's time for other community areas to step up and build shelters of their own.
We have people experiencing homelessness throughout the 49th Ward, including at Howard Station, people who need safe and stable places to go.
Let's build on what's working and make sure people experiencing homelessness, including people from Rogers Park, have somewhere safe to go.
I intend to be part of making that happen.