June 22 - 28, 2020

June 22 - 28, 2020 Vol. 28 No. 25

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$1.10 goes to vendor

YOU MATTER Your legacy matters.

Help our community.

Fill out the Census at my2020census.gov

We ARE STILL HERE and Stronger Than Ever!

What a long strange spring it's been. We are still here and stronger than ever!!

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. It’s hard to believe what our lives looked like coming out of winter, ready to embrace spring in Chicago. That was back before StreetWise merged with YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, moved from Uptown to the South Loop, and completely shifted our operations online to support the vendors who all lost their jobs in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, this sudden loss, sudden change, and sudden shift to a new normal is, well, normal for many of our vendors.

Because of you, our readers, supporters, and loyal customers, our vendors ARE STILL HERE! “I am getting most of my meals here so I can save the money to pay rent.”

StreetWise has served over 3,000 meals with the help of World Central Kitchen.

“This cash assistance means the difference between sleeping in a bed and sleeping on the street.”

StreetWise has distributed over $23,000 in emergency cash assistance.

“It’s scary out there. I gotta have a mask so I don’t get sick.”

Provided essential PPE including 250 masks, hundreds of pairs of gloves, and containers of hand sanitizer.

I WANT TO WORK: From Magazine Sales to U.S. Census Outreach Workers Like many, our vendors and job seekers are getting anxious to get back to work. The dignity of employment at the heart of the StreetWise mission to give a hand up, not a handout, is at the core of our hard-working folks. Until our vendors can come out of furlough to do what they do best, StreetWise is offering another opportunity to earn an income.

In partnership with the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, StreetWise has received a grant to provide stipends to vendors and job seekers to conduct street outreach with homeless individuals throughout the city. This partnership gives vendors a chance to get back to work, perform important civic engagement work, and earn a living.

Please stay healthy,

Julie Youngquist

Executive Director | StreetWise

DONATE

To make a donation to StreetWise, visit our website at www.streetwise.org/donate/ or cut out this form and mail it with your donation to StreetWise, Inc., 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60616.

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SportsWise

The SportsWise team pays tribute to those we have lost.

Arts & (Home) Entertainment

As all Chicago events and gatherings are cancelled until further notice, we are replacing our usual calendar with recommendations from StreetWise vendors, readers and staff to keep you entertained at home!

Cover Story: 2020 Census (part II)

Illinois is a national leader in census returns so far, but is now entering crunch time with the hardest-to-count populations.

5 6 8

From the Streets

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The Playground

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SNAP participants can now order groceries online. Also COVID-19 health activists ask for $21.9 million for "shelter housing" in Chicago hotels.

Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher

dhamilton@streetwise.org

Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief

suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

Amanda Jones, Director of programs

ajones@streetwise.org

Julie Youngquist, CEO

jyoungquist@streetwise.org

Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60616

StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI LEARN MORE AT streetwise.org

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

Remembering

talent evaluator, which shows he was good at hiring those who were elevated in that partment.

Patrick: I want to give a shout out for Jerry Sloan, the NBA's Utah Jazz head coach, twice making it to the Finals. Unfortunately for him and the Jazz, both times were against a Bulls team that was not to be denied. Jerry Sloan was a cool dude.

Richard Herd, perhaps best known for his role on Seinfeld as George Costanza's boss with the N.Y. Yankees, passed on recently. The scenes with Richard Herd, "George Steinbrenner," and George, will live on in comedy legendry. We'll save the last word for Donald--Russ, what you got?

Russ: Once again, I'm working from home and, today, I'm mourning three icons: Don Shula, Phyllis George,

and Michael McCaskey. Don Shula, 90 years old, an icon forever. His team did something no other team has done: a perfect season. Add in his total 347 wins, and this puts him with Vince Lombardi and, of course, Papa Bear Halas. My '85 Bears couldn't even get an undefeated season because they had to go through Shula's Dolphins.

I would also like to acknowledge Phyllis George. She was truly an icon and a pioneer.

Michael McCaskey, former Chicago Bears chairman, was a good man on and off the field. “He volunteered with several causes to help kids,and he also helped lead the Bears to the championship. Enough said. Rest in peace, Mr. McCaskey.”

Donald: A couple mentions above I wasn't even aware had passed, and I'm glad I now know. No one's death should go unnoticed. No

one’s. Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. With everything going on, their death feels like eons ago. Kobe, essentially, gave us his life. He was in the process of moving into a new phase, something we as a community are struggling with currently. R.I.P. Kobe and Gianna. Often, it takes a taking away to remember what we were given.

Lastly, I want to give ups to George Floyd. I realize that the symbolism of his death overshadows the man himself; take a moment to feel what his family and friends are experiencing. They have lost a friend, a son, a father. While they still have his memory, he is no longer of this Earth.

Many may not know George Floyd starred as a tight end in high school and helped lead his team to the state championship game. R.I.P. George Floyd and all others who have gone on - sports-related - or not.

www.streetwise.org

SPORTSWISE

John: Thanks. I want to mention three NFL personalities who have recently passed away. Don Shula, the former head coach for the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins. During his tenure, Shula was known not only to get the best out of his players, but he was also great at making adjustments. For example during the early 1970s, the Dolphins were a smashmouth team with Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, a contrast to the explosive thrill-a-minute airshow with Dan Marino and the Mark Boys: WRs Duper and Clayton.

Phyllis George, Miss Kentucky in 1971, and former NFL Today host alongside Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, and Jimmy the Greek Snyder. Phyllis was a trailblazer for women in sports and was responsible for changing the perception of how women are viewed. She demonstrated that women also love sports and are capable of knowing what's going on with them.

Michael McCaskey, former Chicago Bears CEO, had a hand in the Bears Super Bowl XX Championship. He was more of a businessman than a

the sports icons we have lost

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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 and why you love them to: Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org

Virtual Camp!

JUNE 22-JULY 31 Virtual Conservation Camp When: 10 a.m. - Noon & 2 - 3 p.m.

What: Lincoln Park Zoo educators will help mold the young minds of kids in Pre-K-4 through activities that help them explore the wonderful world of animals! Each day of the session, kids will have an opportunity to do a variety of crafts and activities, see the zoo animals, meet the zoo scientists and interact with other campers in breakout sessions. The topics for the sessions can range from learning about how animals adapt to survive in the wild to how certain animals maintain a healthy ecosystem. $60 per household per session ($50 for members) at www.lpzoo.org/camp

(HOME) ENTERTAINMENT

Beer & Convo!

JUNE 25 Virtual Happy Hour with Lincoln Park Zoo When: 5:30 p.m.

What: Join the director of the Urban Wildlife Institute, Seth Magle PhD, for a chat about wildlife conservation! He studied how wildlife has been impacted by urbanization’s effects and is inviting people of all ages to come and discuss the topic. The zoo’s guest engagement leader, Alex Shahbazi, will also be there to explore beer culture with guests. Although the event is open to people of all ages, the happy hour portion is restricted to adults 21+. After online registration, guests will receive a Zoom link to attend the event. 100% of revenue from tickets go towards worldwide conservation efforts, Lincoln Park Zoo’s animal initiatives and local education programs. $15 at lpzoo.org/events

Celebrate Pride!

JUNE 25 The Infinite Wrench Gets Prideful: 30 Queer Plays in 60 Straight Minutes When: 8 p.m.

What: The Neo-Futurist Theater’s annual Pride show is going virtual! Normally, the theater would offer glitter-filled queer shows every weekend, but due to COVID-19 concerns, they have been moved to live streams on Twitch. Cat Huck, Abby Pajakowski, Ale Ramirez and Annie Share are making their debut in this show. All the proceeds go to the first Black- and trans-led LGBTQ center on the South Side of Chicago by Brave Space Alliance. To get access to the show, viewers will have to subscribe to the theater’s Patreon and choose their donation level. $3 (subscribers can adjust donation level) at neofuturists.org

Support Female Filmmakers!

JUNE 25 LUNAFEST When: 6:30 p.m.

What: The gender disparity in film is real. Women are still painfully underrepresented in this medium where the overall percentage of female directors from the past 13 years remains at 4.8%. However, change is happening. New research from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reveals that 10.6% of the directors of 2019’s top movies were women — the highest percentage in more than a decade.

This year, seven short films range from animation to fictional drama, and cover topics such as gender identity, body image, relationships, cultural diversity and breaking barriers. These important films bring fresh perspectives and ideas that are changing the future of the film industry.

All proceeds from LUNAFEST will benefit Recovery on Water (ROW) as well as Chicken & Egg Pictures, a nonprofit organization that supports women nonfiction filmmakers whose artful and innovative storytelling catalyzes social change. To date, LUNAFEST has raised more than $5 million for nonprofit organizations, featured 162 women filmmakers, and hosted over 2,000 screenings across North America. Tickets are $10 at https://www. eventbrite.com/e/virtual-lunafest-chicago-tickets-107281309284

Play with Animals!

JUNE 27 Virtual Meet-and-Greet with a Lincoln Park Zoo Animal When: 10 a.m.

What: Lincoln Park Zoo invites guests to spend a morning with the curator of mammals, Mike Murray. Guests can learn about the animals’ diets, habitats and personality traits! There will also be an opportunity to ask other questions about the mammals. For this event, the video will be live from the Kovler Seal Pool with the Harbor and Gray Seals. Guests will receive the Zoom link once they have registered online. 100% of revenue from tickets go towards worldwide conservation efforts, Lincoln Park Zoo’s animal initiatives and local education programs. $15 (10% off for zoo members) at lpzoo.org/events

Visit Ravinia!

JUNE 27 Ravinia Virtual Fundraiser: Living Room Lawn Party When: 8 p.m.

What: This fundraiser hosted by Kristin Chenoweth benefits Ravina’s Reach Teach Play music education program. It serves over 85,000 members through its programs every year. Due to COVID-19 concerns this year, the programs have gone virtual. RTP instructors will be providing instructional videos to their members. FREE (Donations encouraged).

Take in a Play!

JUNE 28 Arlekin Players Theatre: 'State vs. Natasha Banina' When: 8 p.m.

What: This experimental play revolves around Natasha Banina, who is played by Elliot Norton Award-winner Darya Denisova. Natasha tells the audience about her desire to break free from the orphanage that she grew up in. The “Zoom” platform is used as a courtroom to let the audience become the jurors and ultimately decide Natasha’s fate. The play experiments with breaking the fourth wall and allows the audience to take a deeper dive into Natasha’s dreams. While the performance is free, registration is still required. Donations are also suggested and will be given to COVID-19 Emergency Relief for The Actors Fund. FREE. To register, visit CherryOrchardFestival.org

Work it Out!

JUNE 28 Virtual Zoomba Class When: 9:30 a.m.

What: People age 16 or older are encouraged to join Lincoln Park Zoo’s virtual Zoomba class! Participants can expect to learn Salsa, Merengue, Mambo and Hip-Hop with licensed Zumba instructors Zac and Tyler Crain-Davis. The class will run approximately 90 minutes and no dancing experience is required! 100% of revenue from tickets goes to worldwide conservation efforts, Lincoln Park Zoo’s animal initiatives and local education programs. $15 (10% off for zoo members) at lpzoo.org/events -Compiled by Camille Baranda

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You Still Count! The sta

by Suzanne Hanney

Completing the census is radical resistance, spoken word artist Bella Bahhs told 35,000 Chicago youth attending the We Gon’ Be Alright virtual concert that followed a May 23 youth summit hosted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first-ever youth commission.

“Ain’t I a woman, don’t I count? Ain’t it about time I get what’s mine?...Proactive care means calling on our community to fill out the 2020 census. I never would have thought of it as radical resistance if the Women’s Justice Institute hadn’t had it make sense. The U.S. census determines how many seats your state gets in the House of Representatives.

That’s the branch of Congress that actually approved Donald Trump’s impeachment.

“The U.S. census determines how billions of dollars in federal funding get distributed and spent,” Bahhs continued. “We need schools, jobs, offices, homes, shelters, community shelters, money to fund our businesses. I am here on behalf of all from whom I am descended. This is a head count. I have been present. They have been counting us out. Look at the resilience. I will not let you discount our experience.”

Illinois was in 8th place nationally in U.S. census response in early June, which Cook County, the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago and Forefront have termed “Census Awareness Month.”

As of June 15, Illinois had a self-response rate of 66.2 percent -- almost at its 70.5 percent finish in 2010. The Illinois returns are also ahead of the nation’s 60.8 percent average.

But officials say we could be doing better. “We want a complete and accurate count,” says Marishonta Wilkerson, director at the Illinois 2020 Census office.

Chicago’s self-response rate, meanwhile, was just 53.5 percent, with some tracts reporting only in the 30s. The lowestreporting neighborhoods include South Lawndale, North Lawndale, New City, Back of the Yards, Hermosa, West Englewood, Englewood, Pilsen, Austin and Belmont-Cragin.

Throughout June, messages from the city, county and state will target hard-to-count communities: those who are underserved, those with limited English proficiency, seniors and those under age 5, homeless people, returning residents, LGBTQIA and those with a mistrust of government.

The urgency is that census results determine not only seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, but as much as $675 billion annually in federal money distributed to states for programs ranging from Medicaid to food stamps, TANF and

Section 8 (see sidebar on page 11). The U.S. Constitution requires the census every 10 years and reallocates congressional seats as population shifts. Illinois could lose one seat relative to states that have gained population and a second seat if 2020's undercount is as high 2010's.

Given those high stakes, the state of Illinois spent $29 million on U.S. census outreach and education – more per capita than any other state in the U.S. – for a hub-and-spoke system of Regional Intermediaries (RIs), or “trusted messengers.” At Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s request, the Illinois General Assembly allocated an additional $14.5 million to continue this work for the current fiscal year through October 31, when census reporting closes.

The COVID-19 crisis made outreach difficult by eliminating face-to-face contact, so the RIs got creative with social media, from Zoom meetings to platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. Car caravans, with autos decorated with the census message and honking their horns, have snaked through undercounted neighborhoods to get attention so community groups can do phone bank or social media follow-up. Awareness Month events include car caravans in immigrant neighborhoods planned for June 17 and for the LGBTQ community on June 29. The Illinois Black Legislative Caucus was charged with events for June 19, or Juneteenth.

tate of the 2020 census From Left: Performance artist Bella Bahhs (courtesy photo). StreetWise Vendor Bessie Salter with a sign to encourage Census participation (Alexandria Maloney photo). The YWCA Metropolitan Chicago gives out free lunches at Parks Francis while educating and encouraging census participation (Susan Stewart photo).

gan Sonnabend, vice president of marketing and communications and census director at the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago.

The YWCA has been given the added responsibility of opportunity youth: those in New City, Englewood, West Englewood and Pilsen between 16 and 24 who are out of school and not working. These young people are not homeless, but they could be. The YWCA is also working to ensure a better count of children under age 5.

“It’s a new population but really our sweet spot,” Sonnabend said. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with a population that’s a big part of our daily work.”

Although a proposed question on citizenship was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, immigrants remain afraid to share personal information. Many other hard-tocount groups lack trust in government, which fuels their avoidance of the census.

Individual returns, however, are completely private, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said in public service announcements (PSAs). This year’s census is also the first time same-sex couples will be counted. And it is the only way to be sure communities get the federal funds for programs they need, according to PSAs by Lightfoot, by Center on Halsted CEO Modesto Tico Valle, by Equality Illinois CEO Brian Johnson and by South Asian American Policy & Research Institute (SAAPRI) Executive Director Shobana Johri Verma.

However, “The census does not collect Trans or Gender NonConforming people and that’s the problem we are having,” said LaSaia Wade, executive director of Brave Space Alliance, which works to politically empower queer and trans people, particularly those of color.

Brave Space is supporting census efforts by passing out small flyers in its Crisis Pantry delivery bags that encourage folks to fill out the census and be counted. “We know that despite the immense institutional violence trans people experience by being erased from the census, it is still incredibly important for us to be counted as individuals, and there are other ways on the census that we can make our voices heard, and let the government know that trans people deserve to be counted,” said Brave Space Alliance spokesperson Stephanie Skora.

Brave Space Alliance is a subcontractor to the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, which is the Regional Intermediary for LGBTQ and homeless people in the city. “What’s tricky about the population we’re working with is, it’s not strictly geographic,” said Re-

Just the same, the atmosphere since the COVID-19 pandemic began has been charged even further by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. “The question is how do we pivot our work to focus on these hardestto-count census tracts,” she said. “We need to be up close. How do we do that when there is so much volatility, when everybody is scared of answering the door and the phone. Everyone is on edge and understandably so.” On June 10, the YWCA used food distribution at its Parks Francis Center, 6600 S. Cottage Grove Ave., as an opportunity to include census information.

“It really comes back to the concept of trusted messengers, which is why it is so great to work with StreetWise vendors,” who will spread the word where they sell the magazine but also at any housing or service providers they frequent.

“We continue to embrace that concept,” Sonnabend continued. “We have to find the right new partners. Is it schoolteachers? is it clergy?

We have to find the right people to get that message out there that people will listen to and overcome those fears.”

www.streetwise.org

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Housing & the Census Illinois has only 36 affordable rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income households, but the 2020 census could help bring more funding for programs to meet this need, according to “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes,” report recently released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and Housing Action Illinois.

Extremely low-income renter households are those with incomes at or below the poverty line, or 30 percent of Area Median Income (AMI, which is $63,575). There are 450,590 extremely low-income households in Illinois.

“We need to count every single person in Illinois – and that includes renters, students, babies, non-citizens, people experiencing homelessness, and other populations that are hard to count,” said Bob Palmer, Housing Action Illinois’s policy director. “During the last census, 1 in every 4 Illinoisans went uncounted. We can’t afford to let that happen again. For each person who goes uncounted, we leave as much as $1,800 on the table. That’s money we need to build housing, assist low-income renter households, address homelessness, fix roads, put toward health care and to do so much more.”

Vital federal programs such as the HOME program, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and Housing Choice Vouchers support the creation of more affordable housing and all of them are pegged to the federal census taken every 10 years.

According to the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy, in Fiscal Year 2016, Illinois received: • $40 million+ for the HOME program, the largest federal block grant for non-luxury home purchase or rentals, (including demolition or site development costs) which is matched 25 percent by participating jurisdictions like Chicago.

• Nearly $346 million for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, created by the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which issues 10-year tax credits to state agencies that generally sell them in turn to private investors to fund acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction of rental housing – an average of 1,411 projects and 107,000 units annually between 1995 and 2017, according to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Qualified census tracts must have half their households earning below 60 percent of AMI or poverty rates above 25 percent.

• $926 million for the Housing Choice Voucher program, in which public housing authorities pay a subsidy directly to a landlord and the tenant pays the difference between the actual rent and the subsidy. Voucher families must pay 30 percent of their monthly adjusted gross income for rent and utilities and if the unit rent is greater than the payment standard, they must pay the additional amount, but not more than 40 percent of adjusted monthly income, according to HUD. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that vouchers supported 94,500 Illinois households in 2018.

-Suzanne Hanney, from prepared materials and online resources

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The Women’s Justice Institute (WJI), another YWCA Metropolitan Chicago subcontractor, has been reaching out to treatment and transitional housing programs with care packages for women who are being discharged after time in the corrections system. These packages contain not only hygiene products and COVID masks, but information about why the census is important.

Alexis Mansfield, senior advisor, children and family at WJI, said her favorite presentation was when spoken word artist Bahhs went down to the Logan Correctional Center and told people who were being released before April 1, the official census day, that they should fill it out once they get home – not in prison.

“You have the right to be counted in your community so the money goes to your community and not some overwhelmingly white community, which will get additional congressmen and additional money because they counted people in prison who don’t have the right to vote,” Mansfield said. “Even if they get out next month, the prison has the right to count them for the next 10 years.”

Taking a page from Bahhs, she compared prison census counts to the 3/5ths compromise in the pre-Civil War South, where individual slaves had no rights and counted as less than whole people, but collectively racked up numbers for slave state representatives in Congress.

“Bella started out with her spoken word piece regarding the census and woke the crowd up,” said Melissa Hernandez, program organizer for the census project and outreach specialist at WJI. ”Then I came and did a presentation on what the census is, what’s at stake, how it affects federal programs: SNAP, Medicaid, Section 8, grants to local education agencies, national school lunch – without that program some of our children wouldn’t eat. [And also] how it represents us, what stakeholders need to know about counting people in jail, the 3/5ths compromise. Confidentiality, which is huge. People of color – brown, black people – don’t trust government because we’ve been victimized so many times by the same people who are supposed to protect us.

“Everyone was pretty grateful because they had no idea,” Hernandez said of the Logan women.

“People were so energized they said they were going to call home and tell their families it was an act of resistance,” Mansfield said.

The census response rate as of June 15, 2020 (2020census.gov).

Federal $ & The census Here are the top 30 federal programs in Fiscal Year 2015 and 11 more of interest to urban readers among 132 line items – roughly $675 billion -- distributed using census data. The information comes from the report, “Uses of Census Bureau Data in Federal Funds Distribution: A New Design for the 21st Century,” prepared by Marisa Hotchkiss and Jessica Phelan for the U.S. Census Bureau and issued in September 2017. The full report is available at www.2.census.gov

Census information can even affect private sector planning, Mansfield said, which is why there are food deserts in parts of Chicago. “They look at population maps and if a population is undercounted, they’re not going to put something there.”

WJI emailed Mother’s Day cards to women in prison as a part of a COVID-safe event and included census info. They also partnered with two immigration organizations that are addressing issues in detention centers and spoke about the census.

“We fit right in,” Mansfield said. “We think of the census as this big dry thing when it is part of advocacy. The government is trying to get our involvement and count us but the reality is it’s something we should all care about.”

“I remember somebody saying, ‘wow, I didn’t know that.’ It was pretty common all across the board,” Hernandez said.

Her own family reacted with the same shock to the importance of the census, Hernandez said. “Our black communities are victimized every day to police brutality, the darker your skin color, the more stuff you go through.

"We have to be in survival mode. Some-

Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid) - $311.8 billion Medicare Part B - $70.3 billion Highway planning and construction - $38.48 billion Federal Pell grants - $29.92 billion National School Lunch program -- $18.92 billion Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) - $17.22 billion Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers - $15.76 billion Title 1 grants to local schools - $14.25 billion Special Education grants to states - $11.38 billion Head Start - $8.54 billion Special Supplemental Nutrition program for Women, Infants, Children - $6.06 billion Federal Transit formula grants - $5.45 billion Foster Care Title IV-E - $5.4 billion Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund - $5.31 billion Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments program - $4.37 billion State Children’s Health Insurance Program - $4.21 billion School Breakfasts Program - $4.05 billion Low-income home energy assistance - $3.39 billion Hurricane Sandy Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Grants (CDBG-R) - $3.35 billion Unemployment Insurance - $3.01 billion Vocational Rehabilitation state grants - $2.93 billion Adoption Assistance - $2.90 billion Improving Teacher Quality state grants - $2.32 billion Crime Victim Assistance - $1.93 billion Community Development Block Grants /Entitlement Grants - $1.78 billion Substance Abuse prevention/treatment block grants - $1.72 billion Social Services block grant - $1.57 billion Federal Transit Capital Investment grants - $1.49 billion Career and Technical Ed grants to states - $1.98 billion WIA Dislocated Workers - $1.01 billion Still other federal money of interest to urban areas….

Public Housing Capital Fund - $719.15 million HIV Emergency Relief grants - $645.49 million Maternal and Child Health block grants to states - $536.17 million Capital assistance for elderly and persons with disabilities - $432.09 million Special Education preschool grants - $352.91 million Emergency Food Assistance - $298.88 million Emergency Shelter grants - $289.35 million Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS - $174.78 million Violence Against Women formula grants - $133.02 million Supportive Housing for the Elderly - $129.85 million Urban Indian Health Services - $9.61 million www.streetwise.org

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times just walking out of the house is survival. When you hear ‘census’, it’s ‘don’t bother me with something so small,’ but education is key. I didn’t know the census data's effect on our community. Neither did my family.”

of North America (ICNA). IMAN distributes food and census information in Englewood. ICNA has a food pantry on Devon Avenue that also offers census information in Arabic, Urdu and English along with an 800-number.

People who live in public housing could lose their unit if they admit they have someone who has been in the justice system living with them, which is why it is so important to convince people about census confidentiality, Mansfield said. “That’s why it’s so good Illinois has put these resources there,” she said of the regional intermediaries.

But mostly, the coalition makes sure its community understands “the importance of being counted so we are represented in the political space,” Kamran said. Their outreach focuses on the $675 billion in federal programs tied to census numbers, especially programs their clients use, from school programming, to roads, to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (see sidebar page 11).

The Latino Policy Forum, meanwhile, developed a census version of the popular Mexican Loteria game, with answers matched to pictures about census importance, from representation to funding for education and services for seniors.

The Forum’s other creative strategy, with the Illinois Latino COVID-19 Initiative, a.k.a. Illinois Unidos, was 5,000 bookmarks with info about the census on one side and COVID on the other, which were given to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, meanwhile, has made over 10,000 phone calls to people in low-response areas, with the likelihood of a few thousand more.

The Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition has done combined census/COVID phone banking, calling around to their community and connecting them to any resources they might need, while also reminding them of the importance of the census, according to Director Reema Kamran. Kamran was planning to lead a June 17 census caravan in West Ridge, Rogers Park and Albany Park. Neighborhood residents would be able to hear the honking horns, to follow on Facebook Live, to wave – and then to receive a follow-up phone call with assistance in filling out the questionnaire.

Elders in her community lack confidence about filling out the census online, and language is also a barrier, Kamran said.

This census is offered in 13 languages, including Arabic, but not other South Asian languages. Privacy is also a huge factor.

“There is a lot of fear in these communities about their data being shared,” Kamran said, based on the proposed citizenship question that did not wind up on the census. Some of their members might be undocumented or not yet full citizens. “We do remind them the census is protected by federal law. It can’t be shared by ICE, immigration or the police, it’s safe.”

The Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition cooperates with groups like IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network) and Islamic Circle

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“But even getting language assistance for the election is determined by census numbers,” Kamran said. “We’re showing them the value of being counted long-term.”

Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the census self-response period has been merged into the follow-up period, which ends October 31. On August 11, census workers will start knocking on doors of people who haven’t yet responded. As a last resort, they will even ask neighbors for information, the Census Bureau’s Wilkerson said. But secondhand info is not as accurate as self-response. The workers might estimate an apartment holds four people – but a new baby or a couch-surfer could make five – an example of an undercount.

Final census information is normally due December 31. Because of the COVID crisis, however, the Census Bureau has asked Congress to extend the deadline until April 30, 2021 for delivering congressional reapportionment counts to the President.

Supplemental nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) participants can now purchase groceries online Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) users can purchase groceries online as of June 2, following the adoption of new rules pushed by state Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago).

The City of Chicago has successfully used “shield housing” to address COVID-19 risks in the homeless population, but its proposed $15.7 million investment in these rental units is over $5 million short of what is needed, according to a group of public health experts.

The Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity (CHHRGE), a coalition that helped identify and address these COVID-19 risks, urged city officials to designate $21.9 million in federal aid to fund 1,750 units of “shield housing,” rental units for people who are homeless and at risk of coronavirus death.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proposed an allocation of $15.7 million for 1,250 units.

CHHRGE praised the city’s prior initiative to requisition hotel rooms for homeless people over age 60 (or over 55 with comorbidities) and convert them into temporary housing, and said it was a key reason why COVID deaths among people experiencing homelessness have remained low. However, in a June 11 report, CHHRGE called for more shield housing to flatten the curve as well as a Chief Homelessness Officer to coordinate strategy across multiple city departments.

“Now more than ever, it is apparent that housing is healthcare,” said Dr. David Ansell, senior vice president for community health equity at Rush University Medical Center, and one of the original architects of the coalition. “The city has made fantastic strides in its response to COVID-19 for people experiencing homelessness, but we can’t risk relinquishing the upper hand in the effort to contain the disease by falling just $5 million short of the need. We urge the city to bridge that small funding gap and shore up its armor against a pandemic that threatens everyone as long as anyone is left unprotected.”

While shield housing would be supported by the CARES Act, CHHRGE also said that conventional apartments, accompanied by supportive services, would be cheaper than hotel rooms and effective as a bridge that helps residents regain permanent housing stability, instead of a recurring cycle that breeds more COVID infections. It urged the city to fund housing subsidies to create 2,000 additional units of non-time-limited housing by the end of 2021 to reduce the number of people dependent on overnight shelters.

Other recommendations include: • Maintenance of the pre-COVID number of shelter beds, with additional space for social distance.

Walmart and Amazon are among the retailers that have agreed to accept online orders once the program launches. Retailers interested in participating can visit www.fns.usda.gov/ snap/online-purchasing-pilot

• Defined standards of medical and housing care for the homeless population and funding to meet those standards.

-Suzanne Hanney, from prepared sources

• Ongoing COVID-19 testing and screening across the population of homeless and vulnerably housed in order to create an early warning system of a second wave, with a racial equity analysis to inform city priorities.

• Medical partnerships for every shelter in the city so that guests have access to timely medical and behavioral care, and shelter staff have access to information and resources.

-Suzanne Hanney, from prepared sources

www.streetwise.org

FROM THE STREETS

“Residents are appropriately concerned about the risks of visiting the grocery store, and they should not be forced to put themselves potentially in harm’s way because they are on SNAP,” said Harper, who is cochair of the Illinois House of Representatives’ bipartisan Food Accessibility working group, which encouraged Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state agencies to prioritize making SNAP purchases a reality as soon as possible. Their advocacy led to a May 21 announcement by the governor and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) that they have received federal approval to enable 1.8 million SNAP recipients to purchase food online from participating grocery retailers online.

Covid health advocates: $21.9 million needed for 'shelter housing'

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INSIDE STREETWISE

Streetwise 5/25/20 Crossword To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the Sudoku numbers 1 to 9.

7 8 9 10 11 13 15 17 21 26 27 28

Biblical plot 36 “Much Séance sound ___ About Refinable rock Nothing” Gothic 38 Cowboy’s Lady’s man moniker Fall guy 43 Play on words Peruvian coin 45 Undertake Reverberate 48 Court cry Tiny ___ 50 ___ souci Holiday mo.

52 Bring upon Draw out oneself River in a 53 Smells Strauss waltz 54 Pigpens wn 29 Doomsayer’s 55 Treasure map sign distances 1 Public spat 30 Place for a 56 Bridal path 2 Venom béret 57 One with a 31 Grimm 3 Waldorf salad beat ingredient character 58 Norse war god 32 Bearing 4 Salon supply 60 Per person 33 Update 5 Set straight 63 Israeli weapon Facts PuzzleJunction.com and 6 River Copyright35©2020 64 Bien’s opposite figures embankment 66 Italian numero

©PuzzleJunction.com

Copyright ©2020 PuzzleJunction.com

Sudoku Solution Last Week’s Puzzle Answers

Solution

Sudoku Solution

Find your nearest StreetWise Vendor at www.streetwise.org

1 Tricksters 5 Put on board 9 After coffee or paper 13 Blow the whistle 14 Ambience 15 Gibson garnish 17 Asia’s Trans ___ mountains 18 Surefooted goat 19 Type of jet or shrimp 20 Soup type 22 Leafy shelter 23 Heretofore 24 Artist Bonheur 27 Night before 28 Listening device 30 Islet 33 Cut short 36 Merit 37 Fizzy drink 38 Solidify 40 Good form 42 Soft shoes 43 Kind of club 45 Drifts 46 Chemical ending 47 Sweet wine 49 Driver’s helper?

50 Bread spread 51 Roofing material 54 Mutineer 57 Unabridged 59 In pieces 60 Losing proposition?

63 Woodwind 64 Code name

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65 66 67 68 69

Farm division Intellect Spring purchase Brewski “Piece of cake!”

Down 1 “Enchanted April” setting 2 Free-for-all 3 Factory 4 Narrow opening 5 Jack-tar 6 Spa spot 7 It needs refinement 8 Car wash option 9 Death Valley locale 10 Habituate 11 Life’s partner

12 Timber wolf 16 Postal creed word 21 Choleric 25 Witch whammies 26 “So that’s it!”

27 Feminine suffix 28 Units of work 29 Trying experience 30 “The Last of the Mohicans” girl 31 Reunion attendee, briefly 32 Tubers 33 Crowning point 34 Blessing 35 ___ and for all 37 Refrigerate

39 Malarial fever 41 Antigone’s cruel uncle 44 Prefix with system 47 Thawed 48 Wobble 49 To the point 51 Leg bone 52 “Reversal of Fortune” star 53 Povertystricken 54 Ewe’s mate 55 Heroic poem 56 Empty 58 Hefty volume 60 Apply gently 61 Curling surface 62 Bard’s “before”

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.

Crossword Across

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2 Loathing 5 Musician’s concern 7 Italian pie 8 Brusque 9 Quaint dance 0 Astronaut Armstrong 1 Store posting (Abbr.)

2 They, in Trieste

PuzzleJunct

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THE CHICAGO PREMIERE

THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF

MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON James Ijames Directed by Whitney White By

The recently widowed “Mother of America”—attended to by the very enslaved people who will be free the moment she dies—takes us deep into the ugly and thorny ramifications of America’s original sin.

RADICALLY VULNERABLE, OUTRAGEOUSLY HILARIOUS

APRIL 2 – MAY 17 | steppenwolf.org | 312-335-1650 MAJOR PRODUCTION SPONSOR

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