Dec 13 - 19, 2021

December 13 - 19, 2021 Vol. 29 No. 49

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$1.10 goes to vendor

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Arts & (Home) Entertainment

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SportsWise

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EatWise

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Cover Story: Top 10 stories of 2021

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More and more events are happening in Chicago, and we want you to know about the best of the best!

The SportsWise team discusses the teams that made the College Football Playoffs and the games to be played New Year's Eve and January 10.

StreetWise vendor Lisa Getches visits the delightfully retro (and affordable) Golden House Restaurant & Pancake House in Uptown.

Stories that cover marginalization of low-income people and ways to empower them were all part of this year's StreetWise Top Ten. Take a look back with us at the historic Chicago Fire of 1871, Climate Change, COVID-19 vaccinations, homeless encampments and more. In addition, because StreetWise vendors are entrepreneurs, we promote other entrepreneurship with our annual editions: the Festival Guide, Non-Profit Resource Guide, Recycling Guide, Rummage Sale Guide, Farmers Market Guide, Giveashirt T-shirt Guide, Holiday Gift Guide and quarterly Concert Guides.

The Playground THIS PAGE: A homeless encampment at 51st Street and Wentworth (photo by Kathleen Hinkel).

Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher

dhamilton@streetwise.org

StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI

Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief

suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

Amanda Jones, Director of programs

ajones@streetwise.org

Julie Youngquist, Executive director

jyoungquist@streetwise.org

Ph: 773-334-6600 Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL, 60616

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ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Since being stuck inside, which shows have you been watching? Which movies? Have you read any good books lately? Any new music releases have you dancing in your living room? StreetWise vendors, readers and staff are sharing what is occupying their attention during this unprecedented time.

To be featured in a future edition, send your recommendations of things you do at home and why you love them to Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org

Shine Bright!

Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum The ninth annual Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Rt. 53, Lisle, returns as a walking experience through January 2. Explore 50 acres of the Arboretum’s majestic trees during this one-of-a-kind spectacle of color, light, and sound. You will be awed and delighted to see returning favorites and surprising new sights, including a special Human+Nature display and an experience featuring 150 colorful lanterns. Journey along a one-mile, paved walking path amid festive music and lighting effects that highlight the beauty of trees in winter.

Along the route, warm up by a crackling fire and roast marshmallows for s’mores, or stop in one of the concession tents for a snack and beverage.

Tickets are $19 and advance purchase is recommended as many nights will sell out at mortonarb.org.

Start Your Engines!

(HOME) ENTERTAINMENT

Reign Supreme Drag Show Competition Gentlemen, start your engines and may the best woman win! My Buddy’s, 4416 N. Clark St., is hosting a Reign Supreme Drag Show Competition on December 18 at 7 p.m. Reign Supreme is Buddy’s newest drag show competition that showcases local drag queens where the audience picks the winner. Hosted by Rita Tarot (pictured), four queens will compete for the title of Drag Queen Supremacy. My Buddy’s is known for its food, handmade cocktails, and shows. They usually host stand-up comedy shows, bingo nights, karaoke, and more. Buddy’s strives to create a fun and interactive experience with their food and shows. Tickets for this show cost $10 and can be purchased at mybuddyschicago.com.

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Live Music!

A Night with Rumpke Mountain Boys The Rumpke Mountain Boys will be playing live at Bourbon on Division, 2050 W. Division St., on December 18 at 7 p.m. The Rumpke Mountain Boys are a bluegrass group from Cincinnati, who use a unique combination of string instruments and special sound effects. All of the members of the band sing and play an instrument. The band consists of JD Westmoreland, Adam Copeland, Ben Gourley, and Jason Wolf. There will also be a special guest appearance from Miles Over Mountains, a band that views themselves as a modern bluegrass band from Illinois. They have been performing in the Midwest since 2014!

21+. Bourbon on Division is also asking everyone to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test 72 hours before the event.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on bourbonondivision.com.

Local Films

Art Films @921 Evanston Made is hosting a film festival, with a screening from 6-8 p.m. December 17 at 921 Church St., Evanston.

The festival features films by local artists in a wide variety of categories. Evanston Made became a non-profit organization last year to help raise money for local artists. It has curated a platform to showcase their works and produces year-round events that include markets, film screenings, workshops, social events and more. Admission is free. For more information, please visit evanstonmade.org.

Art At Your Own Pace!

Sensory Friendly Morning The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., is hosting a Sensory Friendly morning for neurodivergent individuals on December 19 from 10-11:30 a.m. This morning is open only to neurodivergent individuals and their families. Neurodivergent means anyone whose brain works in a unique way that is commonly found, but not limited to, with individuals on the autism spectrum. The MCA will have its lights dimmed, no music playing, and quiet spaces available for those who may need some alone time. The MCA welcomes neurodivergent individuals and their families to enjoy contemporary art at their own pace in a safe environment without any sensory overload.

Admission is free, but the MCA encourages guests to pay what they can. To register, please visit mcachicago.org.

Puppet Show!

Nasty, Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret The Nasty, Brutish and Short: A Puppet Cabaret is back for its 10th anniversary on December 13 from 7-10 p.m. at Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave. This puppet show features short skits from multiple puppeteers that are aimed at adult audiences. The goal of this show is to provide an opportunity for professional puppeteers to perform new work, foster a creative environment, and showcase different geographies, generations, and specialties to audiences. Links Hall was founded in 1978 by Bob Eisen, Carol Bobrow, and Charlie Vernon.

Since then, they have opened their doors to local artists, workshops, cabarets, and performance shows.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at linkshall.org.

Ew, David!

Schitt’s Creek Trivia Night For all the Schitt’s Creek fans, The Reveler, 3403 N. Damen Ave., is hosting a Schitt’s Creek trivia night on December 15 at 8 p.m. The night will test how well you know the Rose family. There will be $150 worth of prizes for first, second, and third place with additional bonus prizes. "To Revel" means to engage in uproarious festivities to make merry, to take great pleasure, or to delight. The Reveler has lived up to its definition by creating a family-friendly environment where guests can eat food, drink cocktails, and participate in fun activities such as trivia nights.

A Sci-Fi Holiday!

‘Winter in the Wildwood’: An Immersive Holiday Experience The Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., presents “Winter in the Wildwood” on December 17 from 7-8:30 p.m. The Otherworld Theatre is known for bringing a theatrical experience to the science fiction and fantasy genre. “Winter in the Wildwood” will not disappoint as it allows the audience to walk through a Fae-Realm forest filled with magic and fairies. The audience will see fairytales, magicians, puppets, and much more. This is a family-friendly show and a great way to squeeze in some holiday group photos. Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for children and include a holiday-themed beverage. It will play on Fridays at 7 & 9 p.m., Saturdays at 5, 7, & 9 pm, and Sundays at 5 & 7 p.m. through Jan. 9, 2022.

Tickets can be purchased at otherworldtheatre.org.

Let it Snow!

Winter WNDRland W hat’s winter without a WNDRland? Immerse yourself in the magic of the season as the WNDR Museum, 1130 W. Monroe St., is transformed into a Winter WNDRland, featuring a brand new installation, visits from the world’s first LED interactive Saint Nick, an Ugly Sweater Party, a wreath making workshop, WNDRland of the Sweets, and more! Open every Tuesday (4 - 8 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) through December 21, it also offers photos with the very first interactive Saint Nick, available on a first come, first served basis. $30 at wndrmuseum.com .

-Compiled by Paige Bialik & Dave Hamilton

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Vendors Russ Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

SPORTSWISE

Patrick: So, we’re back again with a discussion of college football. I mean, I’m not sure what to think or feel or anything this season. Seemingly, only one team—some might say two—is an undeniable championship contender, but depending on matchups, shoot, anything could happen.

Fellas, let’s hear your thoughts about the four College Football Playoff spots.

Russ: In the wake of the upsets and near-upsets: man, what a week! I had picked the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs, for sure, until the Alabama Crimson Tide beat them 41-24 December 4 in the SEC Championship. The other two spots took some thinking.

Patrick: Well, I must admit I sat there straight stunned while watching the end of that Ohio State/Michigan game--#2 vs. #5. I somewhat forgot Michigan was right in the mix.

John: Fellas, here’s the thing, though: Michigan over Ohio State wasn’t as huge an up-

set as it seemed, considering Michigan was ranked #5 and Ohio State only three spots up. What I would put up as a factor that could label it an upset is that Michigan hadn’t defeated Ohio State since 2011.

win over Alabama. Neither scenario played out, so Notre Dame is on the outside looking in at No. 5, especially since Georgia had remained undefeated prior to the SEC Championship. Ohio State is No. 6.

Patrick: Okay, I hadn’t realized that.

Donald: I knew it, but I still believe it to be a huge upset because Ohio State in the playoffs feels way bigger than with Michigan—at least in these recent years. Mind you, I get that it’s victories and size of victories that gets teams into the playoffs, so, of course, Ohio State shouldn’t get in ahead of a team that is better than them, but…

Russ: Good points, John. Alabama escaping with a victory over Auburn—in overtime!— was something. Of course, it is a huge rivalry, so a close game wasn’t surprising. After that 'Bama victory over Auburn, I actually picked Georgia, Alabama, Cincinnati and Michigan for the four playoff spots a week before the College Football Selection committee did on December 5. Ohio State's loss against Michigan was an upset enough that, in my opinion, they were out of the playoffs.

John: It’s probably that same feeling when it comes to Notre Dame. On December 4, they needed an Iowa win over Michigan or a Georgia

Patrick: I felt that Alabama was going to get Georgia, ending Georgia's undefeated season; with that, Alabama would leapfrog at least Michigan and

Russ: Yeah, me neither.

Cincinnati due to strength of schedule. I would have loved to see Notre Dame in the playoffs. They could have pulled off the championship.

Of course, the money was on Georgia, but if December 4 showed us anything, it was week-to-week this season. I'm excited.

Donald: I like Alabama to pull it off. That’s who I want…and it’s who I believe in.

John: I think Michigan and Alabama will get the job done.

Michigan will face off against Georgia in the Orange Bowl and Alabama vs. Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl, all December 31. 'Bama will play Georgia in a rematch and win again for the championship January 10.

Russ: Georgia’s going to win it all.

Any comments or suggestions?

Email pedwards@streetwise.org

LIVING MY LIFE LIKE IT'S GOLDEN

by Marissa Page

StreetWise intern Marissa Page will rave to anyone and everyone about her favorite neighborhood haunt, Golden House Restaurant & Pancake House, which those in the know just call the "Pancake House.” When she told StreetWise restaurant critic Lisa Getches about the diner’s delicious pancakes and eye-poppingly low prices, Getches decided it was about time to check it out for herself.

“Oh my gosh, it was the best service I ever had at a restaurant, I swear,” Getches said. “They were there with the coffee every five seconds. I had four cups.”

The unassuming storefront at 4744 N. Broadway Ave is tucked next to the Riviera Theatre, and despite its rivaling marquee advertising “SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT” and “CUSTOMER PARKING IN REAR,” it can be easy to miss the Pancake House at first blush under the theatre’s glittering lights.

“It was like I took a breath after I ordered and my food was there,” Getches raved of the service. “My eggs over hard were cooked perfectly -- brown, crispy and just how I like it. I don’t want any yellow junk running on the rest of my food,” she said.

Once she arrived, Getches noticed a sign in the window advertising the 1-1-1-1 deal: one egg, pancake, sausage link and bacon strip for $5.10. (There’s also a 2-2-2-2 for $7.10).

“That’s gotta be the best price for breakfast in the 50 states,” she said.

Inside, Getches marveled at the comfy red pleather booths and matching upholstered swivel chairs that studded the counter. “I haven’t seen that in so long,” she reminisced. “They’re old fashioned, and bring back memories of when I was a child, sitting with my mom, and my feet wouldn’t even touch the ground.”

As soon as she sat down, the waitress appeared and brought her some hot coffee. A mere $2.10 will get you a cup with bottomless refills.

After perusing the Pancake House’s enormous menu, which includes a wide array of breakfast and lunch options, Getches settled on the steak and eggs with a side of three pancakes for $17.

“The steak was so good.

I expected a thin little piece, but it was thicker and cooked just how I asked. Not too tough and not too juicy, and perfectly seasoned.”

As for the namesake pancakes? Getches was happily surprised at the size of her threepancake side, which she said, “took over the whole plate.”

Lisa Getches

GOLDEN HOUSE RESTAURANT & PANCAKE HOUSE Location: 4744 N. Broadway Price Range: Around $10 / per person Hours: 6 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. daily

On her next visit, Getches hopes to try the two pork chops and two eggs meal for $14.

But beyond the long menu full of tantalizing options, Getches said it’s the friendly atmosphere that will bring her back quickly.

“I had so much fun at that restaurant,” she said. “Sometimes I can feel awkward when I have to dine alone, but everyone was so friendly.”

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From top: Golden House pancakes, interior, and exterior.

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StreetWise'stop

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after s r a e Y 0 5 1 Flameso: Fire of 1871 Chicagroeain hicag C t G e h t October 4-10

A fire that broke out in Patrick and Catherine O’Leary’s barn on October 8, 1871, destroyed nearly every building between what is now Roosevelt and Halsted on the south and Fullerton, the northern city limits at the time. Before rain extinguished it two days later, 1 in 3 (100,000) Chicagoans were homeless and 300 were dead.

A police and fire board inquiry was inconclusive in deciding whether the cause was human error or a spark from a chimney. Nevertheless, the tale that Mrs. O’Leary had been milking a cow that kicked over a lantern and started the fire was “fake news” that played on ethnic stereotypes of the period and nativist fears about the city’s growing immigrant population.

Recovery from the Fire exposed inequities between Old Settlers who had come from the East in the 1830s and 40s and newcomers like Irish, Germans and Swedish. Business bounced back because enough infrastructure remained: the Stockyards, most of the wharves and lumberyards on the Chicago River, 2 out of 3 grain elevators, railroad tracks that linked the city with both coasts, and, most of all, Chicago’s position as a trading and financial center.

Downtown was rebuilt according to new fireproof codes that required brick and stone instead of wood. Immigrants couldn’t afford these more expensive materials, and protested that the codes hurt revival of their ethnic enclaves. They were ultimately forced to move to outlying areas. Because much of the land east of the Chicago River and north of Chicago Avenue was empty, relief cottages were built there. The land became a slum, occupied initially by Irish, Swedes, Germans, Dutch, Poles and Italians. It was later known as Little Sicily – and then Cabrini-Green.

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storiesof2021

by Suzanne Hanney

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Madam C.J. Walker

march 22-28 Madam C.J. Walker developed a Black hair product early in the 20th century, but her legacy is that she developed businesswomen who sold her products within her framework for philanthropy and political activism.

In an era when most Black women could only work as farmhands or domestics, she took out newspaper ads with testimonials from women who took her course and sold her product that said, “You have made it possible for a Black woman to make more in a day than she could in a month working in somebody’s kitchen,” said her great-great-granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles.

Walker’s story is so inspiring that the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is collaborating on a women of color business accelerator with the DePaul University Women in Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI).

DePaul University’s WEI has a goal of advancing women business owners, who like Walker initially, typically have little access to investor funding or big contracts, said WEI Director Abigail Ingram. Since its inception in 2018, 50 to 60 percent of WEI participants have been women of color. The partnership with the YWCA will allow WEI to serve more of this population.

“Our whole soul is in this,” said Robert Johnson, YWCA chief economic inclusion officer and general counsel.

“We want to create a community where folks can live, work, pray and play: have all the assets in the community.” People would like $1 billion worth of restaurants and retail in Bronzeville, for example, but they do not exist.

Creating spaces for Black-owned businesses would create jobs for local people, Johnson said.

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Let's get vaccinated October 18-24 Artist Katie Chung used the Al Green song, “Let’s Stay Together,” as inspiration for her McKinley Park billboard urging people to get vaccinated. A QR code on the mural allowed people to access information about COVID-19 vaccines at will.

Chung’s artwork is part of a multi-city partnership between the nonprofit design lab Amplifier, which builds art and media experiments to “amplify” the most important movements of their time; and Facebook Open Arts, which will spread the message through digital social media. Another two murals in Englewood were to be done by Brandon Breaux, the artist behind all three of Chance the Rapper’s iconic album covers.

The Amplfier-Facebook Open Arts partnership campaign used public art this summer and fall in communities with lower vaccination rates to inspire people to get inoculated. StreetWise covered the story as part of a partnership with the International Network of Street Papers, because there are street papers in many of the 12 cities in the public art campaign: Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Jacksonville, San Antonio, Seattle, San Bernardino, Washington, D.C.; Mesa, AZ; Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal, Canada.

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Rivers s ' o g a Chic r o f n Visio A New August 30 - September 6

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Chicago has 20 miles of lakefront, but better use of its 150 miles of riverfront – its “second coast” – could improve the quality of life for many neighborhood residents.

“Our Great Rivers” is a shared vision for not only the Chicago River, but also the Des Plaines and Calumet Rivers to the north and south, released by government and independent non-profits. Its three overarching goals are that the rivers should be “inviting” for the public, with continuous walking or biking trails and access for boats; “productive,” supporting the economy through tourism at iconic destinations and water transportation; and “living,” with improved water quality and shoreline natural areas.

Even before the pandemic, the Chicago Community Trust (CCT) noted that rivers can facilitate affordable and relevant amenities that promote healthy, physical recreation, social connection and psychological restoration. CCT has allocated $2.4 million toward projects such as murals at Ping Tom Park, the riverfront entrance to Chinatown; a 10-year plan to connect residents of Chicago Housing Authority’s Altgeld Gardens with nearby Beaubien Woods Forest Preserve; a framework for South Branch parks near Pilsen, Brighton Park and McKinley Park; an African American Heritage Trail that includes a site on the Underground Railroad; and more.

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in s p

stree

t pa pe r s fo r c limat e ju s December 6-12 tice Global warming dates to the Industrial Revolution, when modernizing nations began

to burn more coal and other fossil fuels that released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The United States bears the highest cumulative responsibility since 1750, followed by China and Brazil, while small island nations like Tuvalu face the greatest danger from rising oceans associated with global warming. In other words, climate change is a social justice issue.

The recent United Nations COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow made some progress on slowing the trend, notably with an agreement to end deforestation. Staff from the Glasgow-based International Network of Street Papers, of which StreetWise is a member, covered the street protests.

Prior to COP26, the non-profit Chicago Scots hosted a climate change forum on YouTube with Scottish experts and with Jerry Adelmann, president and CEO of Chicago's Openlands, who discussed efforts to increase Chicago's tree canopy.

Trees mitigate heat islands and flooding, so ignoring cities amounts to "environmental racism," Adelmann said.

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Still Searching: Art and Film Project brings attention to missing black women November 15-21 Artist Damon Lamar Reed chased conspiracy theories and truth for his “Still Searching Project,” 16 portraits of Black women missing for up to 40 years, on display at the 345 Gallery in East Garfield Park. A Kartemquin documentary collaboration is also in the works. There are some women for whom he could only find names, weight, height and date missing, which means they may have little family left or they may have been on the streets.

“I am thinking somebody is going to see my paintings and call the police; someone will get found and we are going to change the world,” he said. “I am very optimistic."

“Still Searching” aims to “flip the narrative” on missing Black women, so that they attain the same degree of local, national and global attention as Natalee Holloway, Elizabeth Smart and Gabby Petito. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Reed said he is less interested in selling the artwork than creating a traveling display to museums and colleges to raise awareness. StreetWise vendor Paula Green wrote an accompanying essay about her own vulnerability during her homelessness that could have led to her going missing, too.

ncil u o C C i ty y b ssed a p t udge b n o i November 8-14 Bill The $16.7 billion budget passed by a 35-15 Chicago City Council vote October 27 is “the $16.7 most progressive ever in the City of Chicago,” says Mayor Lori Lightfoot. After the loss of 6,000

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Chicagoans to COVID-19 and the racial reckoning that followed the death of George Floyd, “now, more than ever, we must do more for our marginalized, especially in our Black and Brown communities,” said Progressive Caucus Chair Ald. Sophia King (4th ward).

A blend of Lightfoot’s and Progressive Caucus's ideas, the budget that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022 will include: • $202 billion to reduce homelessness; • $52 million for mental health initiatives, including a $15 million pilot for alternatives to police response in mental health emergencies; • $150 million for youth programs; • $85 million for violence prevention; • $30 million for a one-year basic income pilot, which will give 5,000 people $500 a month for one year.

Lightfoot also used roughly 2 out of 3 federal COVID relief dollars to replace revenue lost in the pandemic, but managed to save $537.4 million for 2022 and ’23, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

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poverty f o t u o n dre Lifting chil May 17-23 As part of the COVID-19 relief package, the federal government has expanded the child tax credit: $3,000 per child age 6 to 17 and $3,500 for younger children. The Internal Revenue Service delivered half of this money as monthly payments of $250 or $300 during the second half of 2021. The rest will come when people file their 2021 taxes.

“The expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit …shows that when we have the will, we can combat child poverty,” said Voices for Illinois Children Executive Director Tasha Green Cruzat, who added that Congress should make the credits permanent.

Researchers have found that increased income was associated with students scoring higher on standardized tests, becoming more likely to graduate from high school and go to college, to have a job in early adulthood and to earn higher wages.

The pandemic showed that wealth disparities “were a real issue boiling underneath the surface,” said Tamera Fair, executive director of Child Care Advocates United, during a press conference by U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Chicago) to celebrate the first payments in July. (StreetWise August 30-September 6). “The tax credit is a critical resource to how we address the needs of working families on a shoestring budget,” Fair added.

Eligible individuals are single filers with income up to $75,000 or joint filers with $150,000. Recipients do not need a permanent address; they can even live in a shelter. The money is not counted against other federal programs like Medicaid, food stamps, public housing or unpaid state or federal taxes.

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Mental h ealth in illinois

November 8-14 Mental illness affected nearly 1 in 5 Americans (19.86% or 50 million people) in 2019, yet 27 million of them – over half -- went untreated, according to the annual report by the non-profit Mental Health America (MHA).

In addition, 4.58% of U.S. adults had serious thoughts of suicide and 10.6% of U.S. youth (over 2.5 million) had severe depression.

Based on these findings, MHA has two priorities for the coming year: • More mental health education and supports in schools, especially for students of color; • Implementation of 988 as a new national three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline in place of the cumbersome 10-digit number.

Legislation for the hotline was signed by President Biden in October 2020. This July, the Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Mental Health was scheduled to work with six Lifeline call centers that will operate like air traffic controllers. Instead of law enforcement, the call centers will dispatch mobile crisis outreach teams 24/7, to take people to short-term crisis centers for assessment, rather than hospital emergency rooms.

Vendor A. Allen also wrote about emerging from homelessness and addiction after voluntarily going to a state-run mental health center.

StreetWise had earlier opened Suicide Prevention Month (September 6-12), with an op-ed by Gabriel’s Light founder and president Carol Hufford Deely, whose son Gabe was lost to suicide Nov. 14, 2018. She stressed communication with one’s children, the importance of kindness, computer apps that alert family members and schools to risky behavior and medications that can put mental health at risk.

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Chicago '

s Grow ing Hom el e s s e ncampm en ts

February 15-21 Just ahead of January snowstorms, StreetWise visited four encampments, which according to their leaders, had grown during the pandemic: • Dan Ryan-Roosevelt Road, 50 people in 42 tents alongside an on-ramp • Belmont-Kedzie under the Kennedy Expressway, a fixture for 15 years • Uptown, under the Lawrence and Wilson bridges over Lake Shore Drive • 51st and Wentworth Avenue, which grew from 12 to 50 people in 17 tents Dan Ryan encampment residents protested when construction on the Ryan’s Jane Byrne interchange threatened the camp’s existence. Illinois Department of Transportation officials told StreetWise that given the onset of winter, the pandemic, and shelter capacity, IDOT would coordinate with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) and the City of Chicago before any work began.

There had been two fires at Belmont-Kedzie: one from a propane tank that exploded and one investigated for arson, according to Chicago Police. People from across the city have also supported residents with food and tents, which also happens at 51st and Wentworth.

The Uptown encampment had 33 tents and had been receiving new people nearly every day, people who had lost their jobs and who figured they would get housing through being in the encampment, said unofficial mayor Tom Gordon. Since the pandemic, the encampment had port-a-potties, handwashing stations, twice weekly garbage pickup.

The Night Ministry also made visits to Uptown every Thursday with its Street Medicine outreach team (covered separately April 26-May 2). The Night Ministry uses a van to literally meet people where they are at encampments and stops all over the city. A social worker deals with paperwork needed to obtain housing; a nurse helps with wound care, blood pressure, checks for HIV, syphilis and COVID-19 and inoculations against COVID. They also give food, clothing and survival supplies. Long term, the goal is to connect people to primary care. A new addition is treatment for opioid dependency with the drug Suboxone.

CTA outreach Monday and Wednesday nights helps an average of 120 people at the Forest Park terminal on the Blue Line and 80 to 100 people at the 95th Street terminal on the Red Line.

StreetWise's Annual Editions

Since StreetWise is sold by vendors as an alternative to panhandling, entrepreneurship – creating better lives for low-income people – is a theme that runs through all our regular special editions.

Our annual Rummage Sale guide is an answer to the “wealth gap” in that it helps people shop charity sales and save money while fitting into an increasingly affluent world. Simultaneously, the guide promotes sustainable living, much like our Recycling Guide, which this year showed how “alley pickers” of aluminum cans and ferrous metals preserve resources that must otherwise be imported to the U.S. Small, Chicago-based makers and non-profits that promote fair trade employment were keystones of our Holiday Gift Guide.

We promote emerging artists in our quarterly Concert Guides and neighborhood events in our festival guide – a reason to visit new areas of the city.

The Farmers Market guide focuses on small food artisans and also ways to make good food more accessible to low-income communities. This year’s 11th annual NonProfit Resource guide provided information on our partners that make Chicago better, while the Giveashirt guides showcase designs donated by artists for handscreened T-shirts, all proceeds to benefit StreetWise.

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Chicago's indigent memorial service

by Suzanne Hanney

A lunchtime congregation stood in for the families of people buried by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office at the 35th annual Interfaith Memorial Service for Indigent Persons, October 27 at the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple.

The Medical Examiner’s Office provided dignified final disposition for 988 people from the beginning of 2000 through the week of the ceremony, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in opening remarks. COVID-19 was responsible for 89 of those deaths.

Because of the pandemic, last year’s ceremony was postponed.

“We do not know the stories or the challenges of the people we are honoring today. But we do know that each of their lives had meaning,” Preckwinkle said.

“As their neighbors, we become their family – and we are entrusted to see them off in a respectful and dignified manner,” she added.

“Cook County, through the Medical Examiner’s office, takes our responsibility of being good stewards very seriously.”

Keynote speaker Betty A. Bogg, executive director of Connections for the Homeless in Evanston, thanked the congregation for attending the service. They would make the peoples’ deaths meaningful, she said, through their actions to end homelessness.

FROM THE STREETS

Connections was founded in 1984, just when homelessness was emerging in its present form, due to social policies that eliminated safety nets Bogg said. An interfaith group similar to those at the service banded together to demand that the City of Evanston allow them to create a homeless shelter. When they were turned down, they held a candlelight march and an all-night prayer vigil. The city ultimately addressed zoning issues that led to Hilda's Place, run by Connections at 1458 Chicago Ave.

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“They understood that if any of us is to thrive, all of us must thrive,” Bogg said. “One cannot thrive without an affordable and safe place to live. With that act of faith and determination and civil disobedience, Connections was born.”

The Rev. Brian E. Smith recalled his great-grandfather looking at him and telling him “’Before you were born, you lived in the mind of God.’

Connections specialized in eviction prevention, shelter and housing, Bogg said. “If you were evicted today, you wouldn’t find a place by afternoon; that’s where the shelter comes in.”

“We gather today to recognize that every name we call out carried a divine spark from the mind of God,” said Smith, who is director of advancement and strategic partnerships at Chicago Theological Seminary.

During the pandemic, Connection's response increased fivefold.

The agency prevented 1500 people from becoming homeless last year and sheltered 300 people – 70 of them children, Bogg said. It doubled the number of its apartments, from 100 to 200; and quadrupled its numbers in hotels, to 80.

The reading of more than 520 names of people buried by the county, listed alphabetically by first names, took eight readers more than 20 minutes and comprised 7½ pages of the printed program for the noontime service.

Muslim, Buddhist and Christian speakers repeated the theme of community. “They were not afforded the dignity of burial by loved ones, so we remember them today,” said Tariq I. El-Amin, resident imam and chairman of the board of Masjid Al-Taqwa.

“As we go through life, we are never alone. We are all interconnected,” said Ms. Asayo Horibe of the Buddhist Council of the Midwest.

“We would not be here but for the efforts of others in this world. We have been born, we have a mother and a father. There’s the nurse and the doctor and the aide.”

The homeless memorial service was founded by W. Earl Lewis (1949-1999), who was a doorman working in Chicago when he read about the burial of indigent people in mass graves. He worked between 1984 and 1986 with the Cook County Coroner’s Office and the United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple to raise public awareness. The first service was May 1, 1986. The annual service was intended to “give the community an opportunity to act as a ‘surrogate family’ to individuals who died poor and without family or friends to claim their bodies or mark their passing,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (above) and Executive Director of Connections for the Homeless Betty Bogg (below) speak at the Indigent Memorial Service on October 27 at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St. (Suzanne Hanney photos).

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Streetwise 11/21/16 Crossword

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Sudoku

4 1 8 6 9 2

55 Ammunition casing 58 Top-notch 60 S-shaped curve 61 Grimace 62 Waste conduit 63 RimskyKorsakov’s “The Tale of ___ Saltan” 64 Chirp 65 Offer one’s two cents

5

©2021 PuzzleJunction.com

8 Sapporo sash 35 Washes up 9 Cygnet’s 38 Go for the gold mother 39 Dehydrated 10 Pre-entree 41 Ward off courses 42 Music genre 11 Form of ether 44 Gun dog 12 ___-tiller 45 Court 13 Scornful cries 47 Blind followers 19 Pandemonium 48 Sean Connery, 22 Coffee maker for one 24 Gelatin 49 Labels substitute 50 District 25 Cupolas 51 Fit of fever 26 Panache 52 Fuzzy fruit 27 Be an Down 53 Emphatic inhabitant 1 Nukes agreement 28 Rival of Paris 2 Hip bones 54 Yesteryear 29 Kind of acid 3 Take it easy 56 Little trouble30 Gave in 4 Chinese tea maker 31 Promotes 5 Well-earned 57 Female 32 Throat flap 6 Back street antelope ©2021 Goat PuzzleJunction.com antelope 7 Honk Copyright33 59 Gym unit

7

1 6

5

9 1 7 2

7

5

6 2

3 1 8

Copyright ©2016 PuzzleJunction.com

©PuzzleJunction.com

last week's Puzzle Answers Sudoku Solution Solution

9 2 3 8 1 6 4 5 7

5 4 8 2 9 7 1 6 3

7 1 6 4 5 3 8 2 9

1 7 9 3 2 5 6 8 4

3 6 2 7 8 4 9 1 5

4 8 5 1 6 9 3 7 2

8 2 6 5 9 3 4 1 Solution 7Sudoku 9 6 5 3 7 4 1 8 2 2 5 7 4 3 9 6 1 8

Find your nearest StreetWise Vendor at

PuzzleJu

Crossword

Across 1 Know-it-all 5 Comfy spot 9 The Beehive State 13 Religious law 14 Ship’s front 15 Lymph bump 16 Skips 17 Have coming 18 Way up the mountain 19 Honeybun 20 Periodic event 22 Jingle 23 Squeeze 24 Clavell’s “___-Pan” 25 Chaplains 28 Semidarkness 32 It shows the way ©2016 PuzzleJunction.com 33 Hat-tipper’s word 57 Where “Aida” 8 Grass part 35 Understood 9 Inconceivable premiered 36 Half-moon 59 Dog in “Beetle 10 Jug type tide Bailey” 11 Genesis man 37 Take by force 12 At this point 60 Sheltered, at 38 “Green 13 One of the sea Gables” girl finest 61 More than 39 The skinny 21 Survey choice miffed 40 Sweat source 22 Ewe’s mate 62 Acquire 41 Treat badly 23 Offering 63 Friendly 42 Rope hitch 24 Proctor’s call 64 Pizzazz 44 Romeo’s love 25 Lose one’s 45 Charged cool Down particle 26 Hippodrome, 1 Up for it 46 Fern-to-be e.g.

2 Condo 48 Rub the wrong division 27 After bank or way down 3 Go bad 51 Short-legged 28 Stupor 4 Loosen dog 5 Eyeglasses 29 Lassitude 52 Lion’s home 30 Taste, e.g.

6 Tough tests 55 Sari-clad royal 31 Like dessert 7 Driver’s 56 Wanderer wines warning

33 34 37 41 43 44 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 56 58

Plaintive cry It’s inspired Pair of oxen Ear “MS. Found in a Bottle” writer Trot Judicious Introduction Hot rum drink Pro follower Voting “no” Fizzy drink Prima donna Leprechaun’s land Affirmative action Turn left Be in pain

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How StreetWise Works

Our Mission

Orientation Participants complete a monthlong orientation, focusing on customer service skills, financial literacy and time management to become a badged vendor.

Financial Literacy Vendors buy StreetWise for $0.90, and sell it for $2. The profit of $1.10 goes directly to the licensed vendor for them to earn a living.

Supportive Services StreetWise provides referrals, advocacy and other support to assist participants in meeting their basic needs and getting out of crisis.

S.T.E.P. Program StreetWise’s S.T.E.P. Program provides job readiness training and ongoing direct service support to ensure participants’ success in entering the traditional workforce.

THE PLAYGROUND

To empower the entrepreneurial spirit through the dignity of self-employment by providing Chicagoans facing homelessness with a combination of supportive social services, workforce development resources and immediate access to gainful employment.

Solution

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