Week of May 17, 2017 Vol 53 • No 06 • www.thechicagocitizen.com
Governmental Affairs
Weekly
OUR VIEW: OBERWEIS’ BILL IMPERILS PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW + P3
Chatham Southeast
MAKING YOUR DOLLARS COUNT
After health difficulties forced her to retire early, 61-year-old Mary Sproulls has struggled to support herself and her developmentally disabled adult son on her small monthly disability check. This winter, her cupboards were nearly empty when she noticed a phone number in the monthly newsletter circulated by her health insurance provider, Harmony Health Plan, which serves Medicaid and Medicare recipients in Illinois. The phone number offered help with utilities, housing and food. She called the phone number and was surprised that, within a few minutes, the operator had located a food pantry close to where Sproulls lives in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago. The next morning, Sproulls received three days worth of food and a list of other resources. “Thank God for that. I called that number and it worked,” said Sproulls, who has continued to rely on local food pantries since that phone call. “It changed my life tremendously.” Sproulls had called the Community Assistance Line (CAL), which has been staffed and operated by Harmony Health Plan since 2015, and which connects both members
BUILDING BLACK WEALTH Programs Help Homeowners Secure the American Dream
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The National Urban League and the Chicago Urban League have historically played a pivotal role in helping blacks to build generational wealth by becoming homeowners. Photo Courtesy of The National Urban League
News ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS ONLY FOR RISK TAKERS P3
Member
Special Finance Edition
CAL Line Helps South Shore Resident
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Audit Bureau of Circulation ABC AUDITED
TIPS FOR BUYING OR SELLING A HOUSE
P16
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