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TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
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Musick: Rose slowly closing in on return
SURVEY IN McHENRY COUNTY
A review, Making the homeless count then how to choose chairman County Board’s panel to look at rules before addressing public’s role By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
Photos by Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Tim, a PADS client, has been with PADS for 90 days and is currently getting his GED through McHenry County College in hopes of getting back on his feet and getting a job on an oil rig. The McHenry County Public Action to Deliver Shelter and Pioneer Center for Human Services organized its 12th annual count of the homeless individuals and families in the county.
2013 number still unknown; officials expect more than last year’s 203 “I have clean clothes. I’m fed. I’m motivated. When I just about gave up, they were there. They’re the ones that made me feel human again.”
By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com
T
im’s path to homelessness has been long and arduous. He worked in Kentucky tobacco fields when he was 8 years old. His father was a physically abusive alcoholic who moved Tim’s family 11 times in one year. Tim left home at 14. Tim now is 52 and one of the hundreds of homeless people living in McHenry County. Last week, McHenry County Public Action to Deliver Shelter and Pioneer Center for Human Services organized a “point-in-time” survey to identify how many homeless individuals live in the county. The numbers from the 12th annual survey still are being tallied. Tim has spent the past 90 days with PADS, a decision that saved his life, he said. “I have clean clothes. I’m fed. I’m motivated,” said Tim, whose last name has been withheld at the request of PADS. “When I just about gave up, they were there. They’re
tim client at McHenry County PADS
PADS client Chad fills out a job application Monday in the day room of the PADS Day Center in Woodstock. the ones that made me feel human again.” The 2012 survey found 203 homeless individuals. PADS coordinator Matthew Kostecki said he expects the number to go up this year and believes the weak economy and cold weather both play roles in an increase. “Each year is different,” he said. “You see a different face each year. [The] last two years we’ve seen a lot of 18- to
24-year-olds. This year, we’ve seen more families come in.” Home of the Sparrow is a transitional housing program specifically for women and children in McHenry County, and this year it expects to see a 50 percent increase in the number of homeless people it serves. “Clearly McHenry County has a homeless person problem,” said John Jones, executive director at Home of
the Sparrow. Jones said it’s important for organizations such as his to provide support programs that turn homeless people into self-sufficient members of society. “If you don’t get to the root causes of homelessness, they’re going to be homeless again,” he said. Part of the reason Home of the Sparrow will see an increase in homeless individuals is because it has added 13 housing units, but Debbie DeGraw, vice president of marketing and development, said that over 10 years she
See HOMELESS, page A5
WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board will review its rules before it looks into a referendum to popularly elect its chairman. The Management Services Committee agreed Monday morning to prioritize its postelection review of board rules before examining whether to put the question before voters in 2014. The 24-member board elects its chairman from among board members to a two-year term after each November general election. But let it fall off the to-do list, committee member Michael Walkup warned, and the County Board again next year could face another citizen
At a glance The 24member board elects its chairman from among board members to a two-year term after each November general election.
See COUNTY, page A4
GOP, Dems vow immigration action By ERICA WERNER The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer, providing a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally. The senators acknowledged pitfalls that have doomed such efforts in the past, but they suggested that November’s elections – with Hispanics voting heavily for President Barack Obama and other Democrats –
What it means Besides the citizenship provision, the Senate measure would increase border security, allow more temporary workers to stay and crack down on employers who would hire illegal immigrants.
See IMMIGRATION, page A4
loCAllY spEAKING
LIBRARY AGREES TO STATE MONEY The Marengo-Union library almost has its hands on more than $500,000 in state money that will shore up financing for a long-sought move to a larger, renovated space. Library officials are looking at the latter half of 2013 to start renovating the former Miceli drapery plant, 19714 E. Grant Highway. The board last week approved a $543,715 state grant that will pay for the majority of the work. For more, see page B1.
Jacobs girls basketball coach Joe Benoit
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
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