May 25 - 31, 2020

May 25 - 31, 2020 Vol. 28 No. 21

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YOU MATTER Your legacy matters.

Help our community.

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StreetWise Vendors are Feeling Supported StreetWise has been honored by the tremendous support for our vendors and jobseekers during this very crucial time.

StreetWise works in a unique nexus between homeless and employment services. More than 250 people rely on StreetWise for immediate employment through the sale of StreetWise Magazine and workforce development services to reenter the labor market. The pandemic effectively laid off more than 120 magazine vendors as they are unable to purchase the magazine for 90 cents, then sell the magazine in the community for $2. Jobseekers in the workforce development program face challenges with employment and skills gaps for the current available new jobs.

But that isn't how the story ends!

Each week we have: • Distributed more than 400 meals and pantry items to our community. 45% of our vendors rely on StreetWise as their main source for food (thanks so much to our friends at World Central Kitchen, Isaiah Project, The Zwirn Family and The Daily Planet Ltd.); • Handed out more than 150 hygiene kits including extra soap, and more than 200 masks-and now disposable gloves (thank you to the staff and families at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy); • Encouraged regular hand washing and sanitizing to keep all our vendors and their families safe.

This week, we stocked up on 5 gallons of hand sanitizer for people to continue staying safe at StreetWise Headquarters (thank you to our new friends at Thornton Distillery and Apologue Liqueurs).

These items are essential for the health and safety of our participants and allow them to direct other cash relief toward housing, utilities, phone, transportation, and medications.

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Contributions to the Vendor Emergency Relief Fund provide a lifeline for those cut off from income earning opportunities. Since the shelter-inplace went into effect, we have: • Distributed more than 250 cash subsidies totaling over $15,000 so far; • Provided critical technology access and support to assist vendors and jobseekers applying for additional emergency relief including federal stimulus and private funds (thanks to our partners at the YWCA).

You can also support your vendor by purchasing digital issues and subscriptions to StreetWise Magazine. To do our part to flatten the curve, we have: • Launched the "I'm Still Here" Campaign to encourage purchases and subscriptions of StreetWise Magazine - published exclusively online. Since the launch, digital sales have increased by 150%; • Kept our promise to provide socially-conscious news and raise awareness on the impact of poverty and homelessness in Chicago, across the nation, and around the world.

These efforts provide vendors with some income and preserve the StreetWise model to provide a hand up, not a handout.

It is essential for StreetWise to keep its doors open to provide emergency relief and support, to serve as a place for vendors to get up-todate information, and to check in and maintain their connection to the broader community. Your continued support is crucial in this effort!

We thank you for all you have done to support our vendors at this time and look forward to a time when we can reconnect in person. We know our vendors can't wait to see you again!

Please stay healthy, Julie Youngquist Executive Director | StreetWise

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

Get to know StreetWise Vendor (and SportsWise Team member) Russell Adams as he reviews the 2020 NFL draft.

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: Memorial Day

Memorial Day brings an opportunity to check in on veterans' homelessness in Chicago, where structural poverty, racism, and a lack of affordable housing drive the stubborn numbers.

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From the Streets

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The Playground

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Educational policy analyst Diane Ravitch spoke on her new book, “Slaying Goliath� in a presentation hosted by the Chicago Teachers Union. Also, people struggling to pay rent during the COVID-19 crisis can seek help with a Rentervention, presented by the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing and Pop Culture Hero Coalition continues its anti-bullying campaign, even during the pandemic.

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

Vendor Russ Adams chats about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

Vendor Russ Adams

players all at the same time on split screen. The first four picks were no surprise: taken first by Cincinnati was Joe Burrow, second pick by Washington was quarterback Chase Daniels, followed by Detroit's pick of defensive end Jeff Okudah, with the Giants selecting offensive lineman Andrew Thomas. After these first four, it got unpredictable: I thought Miami would take Justin Herbert, but they took quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and I'm still not sure why.

Herbert went number six to San Diego.

Patrick: Takes just one move to twist everything up, don't it?

Russ: It does...and it did.

That’s why I'm leaping to the 19th selection, the Raiders' pick from the deal with our Chicago Bears. The Raiders selected cornerback Damon Arnette out of Ohio State-a good pick--but I believe we got the better of that deal

2020 NFL Draft

with the pickup of Khalil Mack a couple of years ago.

Patrick: Agreed. Definitely The Man. Russ: Another good thing about watching it was that we, the fans, got to see the selectors in their true nature. Dallas's owner, Jerry Jones, chose from his yacht for the number 17 pick: wide receiver Ceedee Lamb--a solid selection.

Patrick: With a name like "Ceedee," gotta imagine he's built for success.

Russ: Plus, even though Dallas doesn't win the big one as they're built to do, Jerry Jones is good at finding the treasures. Another team that drafts well is New England, Tom Brady's now-former team. I figured they’d select a quarterback to replace Brady, but they traded the pick away.

So, the quarterback-to-pick on the board at that time, Jordan Love, was selected by Green Bay--didn't see that coming.

Patrick: So, what and how did the Bears do?

Russ: The Bears selected Notre Dame's tight end Cole Kmet. We have tight ends, but they're not good enough for what we expect in Chicago. Cole is young and could be the refresh we need.

Patrick: Overall, which teams won?

Russ: Baltimore tops my list. Drafted a ton of defense, which is their thing. Dallas ranks second, with Minnesota, Arizona, and Cincinnati rounding out the list.

Patrick: Thanks, Russ, for that detailed breakdown; I know way more then I knew before. So, anything else you'd like to add?

Russ: Yeah. I miss sitting in the SportsWise room with John and Don, but we--you included--will be back in action soon and better than ever. And, fans and supporters, "Thank you" for staying in the game with us.

www.streetwise.org

SPORTSWISE

Patrick: Russ, when did you begin at StreetWise?

Russ: 2004.

Patrick: When did you become SportsWise?

Russ: About six years ago, say, 2014, the idea was sprung to get a sports department; because I talked, walked, and dressed the part, I was asked to join. As it currently stands, I’m the last remaining original member from the team of Vince Collaso, Bill Coats, Craig Barrow, and me.

Patrick: Wow...

Russ: I know, right?

Patrick: Why do you stay with StreetWise?

Russ: This is my job. When we’re off of lockdown with coronavirus, I’ll return to selling the magazine and working at the office because everything about StreetWise is fun. I love it.

Patrick: Thank you, Russ.

Now, let's get on with it. 2020 NFL Draft.

Russ: The draft was awesome. With the lack of live TV sports, the need to watch something became overwhelming. I was able to view the owners, coaches, and the

on the

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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

Show Unity!

Chicago Acts Together T-shirt The Chicago theater community is “acting together” to raise funds for the Chicago Theatre Workers Relief Fund, a League of Chicago Theatres initiative that directly assists theater personnel who have lost work as a result of COVID-19 and who are facing financial uncertainty.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has led the effort because its ethos is “ensemble:” that we are stronger when we act together, said Steppenwolf Director of Audience Experience Aaron Aptaker. “With COVID-19 presenting a massive threat to the well-being of not only Steppenwolf but the entire Chicago theatre ecosystem, we wanted to meet this challenge as a united front.”

After Steppenwolf reached out to the theatre

community, the proposal was quickly embraced by over 100 other local theatre companies. The result is a new, limited edition “Chicago Acts Together” T-shirt, which features the names of all participating companies. Steppenwolf Graphic Designer Christopher Huizar said of the pink skyline-on-black design he developed, “For this illustration I wanted to depict Chicago in a way that was simultaneously complex and simple. I wanted the many details to reflect how it takes the many aspects of our creative community to reveal the form of our city.” T-shirts are $30 each, with an option to donate more.

To purchase, please visit Rowboat Creative and their Creatives Who Care initiative at https:// creativeswhocare.org/collections/chicagoactstogether. All proceeds will go directly to the Workers Relief Fund.

(HOME) ENTERTAINMENT

Get Into the Groove!

Deeply Rooted Dance Theater At 11:30 a.m. on May 28, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) offers its Continuum Process, which encompasses education, conversation and performance: both a response to COVID-19 and integral to the company's mission.

Under the leadership of DRDT Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer and members of DRDT's artistic team, The Continuum Process is a series of virtually guided discussions on self-awareness and personal growth informed by each participant's creativity. Students participate in a warmup class to learn choreography phrases of a specific work and transition into guided conversation about that work. The May 28 session will be led by Fana Tshabalala from South Africa. Tshabalala previously worked with DRDT on the 2017 premiere of a Chicago adaptation of his work, "INDUMBA," which will comprise the content of his Continuum session.

He has choreographed and performed with Lena Dance Company in Sweden, Dance Umbrella 2018 in Geneva, and Dance Dialogue Africa, which toured Germany and 12 African nations. He is a co-founder and director for Broken Borders Arts Project at the University of Johannesburg. Participation in The Continuum Project is free, with registration on Eventbrite.

Donations are encouraged.

Take a Run!

Virtual Run for the Zoo For the first time in its 42-year existence, Run for the Zoo will go virtual! Get out and enjoy nature run or a walk in your neighborhood, take photos, log your time and miles and share your experience with the Lincoln Park Zoo. The annual run helps keep the zoo free and open 365 days a year.

All ages are welcome. Price for both the 5K and 10K virtual runs is $39.99 (members receive a $5 discount).

The Safari Stampede kids' virtual race is $25.99. Register by June 7 and complete your distance by June 21. More information is available at lpzoo.org/events

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Life After Service:

Support For Homeless Veterans

by Suzanne Hanney, Lee A. Holmes assisting

C

says that homeless veterans are recent combat survivors hiding out from society, but in Chicago, they are primarily African-American men over age 50 combatting structural poverty, racism and a lack of affordable housing.

onventional wisdom

The latest figures show 530 homeless veterans, of whom 417 are over age 45. The largest number (221) are age 5665, followed by 104 more age 46-55, and 92 over age 66.

There are also 37 homeless women vets, both single and with children, typically in their 30s and 40s, post Persian Gulf-era. Only seven vets are age 18 to 25. The data comes from the Chicago Dashboard to End Homelessness, which showed similar figures in mid-December. Among 608 vets, 456 were over 45: 232 were age 56-65, 121 were 46 to 55 and 103 were over 66.

The reason Chicago’s Ending Veterans Homelessness Initiative (EVHI) can identify vets by age is a centralized database, with a single, “by-name” list, says Jessica Smith, senior program manager with CSH, which is the lead entity for the federally mandated coordinated entry system. EVHI’s centralized database has led to a 28 percent reduction in veterans experiencing homelessness since 2015, according to a June 2018 report by All Chicago: Making Homelessness History, which aligns the 91 agencies working to end homelessness in the city.

“EVHI can be credited with significant silo-busting,” says the report. That’s because the by-name list allows the veterans’ housing team -- which includes the mayor’s office, All Chicago, the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration medical center and staff from emergency shelters and other housing programs -- to discuss veterans across the board, even in programs that are not their own. In addition, funders provide housing resources that can be used by all agencies. Before, veterans were calling around to various programs on their own, trying to find the right fit.

The American and POW/MIA flags are centerpieces of the VSF table, which provides a wealth of information on not only federal veterans' benefits, but help from local government and other agencies.

Vendor Lee A. Holmes interviews Marvin Gardner, vice commander of Veterans Strike Force (VSF), a volunteer-led service organization at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

(Suzanne Hanney photos)

Chicago veteran homelessness is not for lack of money, said Abraham House-el, program coordinator at Featherfist, which has five veterans’ programs in Chicago and whose program has the navigator for EVHI. “One of the hardest things I do there at Featherfist is spend the money given to us by the Veterans Administration,” House-El said. “Everyone that’s in need of help doesn’t necessarily want it. Chronically homeless veterans that are sleeping around on the streets in tent cities, when our Featherfist folks approach them, they want nothing to do with our people. Sometimes we have three or four conversations before we can even get a name. Sometimes doing an assessment is next to impossible. There’s also a number of veterans that have mental health challenges that make it impossible on their own to get to organizations. That’s where a system navigator would come in.”

There have been increased capacities for navigators, who set up appointments for a vet to see a housing unit and who help with transportation, documents, emotional support and education around leasing an apartment, Smith said. Afterward, the navigator is someone the vet can call for support if there is an issue with the unit, or if they want to pursue other goals like employment training or financial literacy. “It’s not like we place them in a unit and are never heard from again,” she said. “The goal is always housing retention, identifying folks who need help before someone is at risk of housing loss.”

Chicago began conducting the federally mandated Point in Time (PIT) count each January, rather than every other year, in an effort to find homeless veterans. This year, the system was in place to identify vets; a couple of them were found during the count at shelters and connected to housing providers, Smith said. During the outdoor count, volunteers found a couple more people who identified as veterans.

However, they did not meet VA eligibility guidelines: at least one day of active duty without a dishonorable discharge.

People can apply for a discharge status upgrade, particularly if the discharge was years ago, because the VA is now being more transparent, Smith said. In addition, people who served in the reserves or the National Guard but who are not called to active duty are ineligible for VA benefits, even though they count as veterans on the by-name list. Service providers seek civilian services for them, perhaps Supple-

mental Security Income (SSI) for aged or disabled people with little or no income; or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), for people with more work history.

An exception, she said, will be the reservists who are now helping out with COVID-19, which counts as active duty.

The 450 to 600 average number of homeless veterans on Chicago’s official list is “just the tip of the iceberg,” says Marvin Gardner, vice commander of Veterans Strike Force (VSF), which he said is the only volunteer-led organization in a VA Hospital.

VSF, whose mission is “Vets Helping Vets” to become selfsupporting, staffs a table at the end of a long, skylit corridor four mornings a week at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, 820 S. Damen Ave. Vets from all branches of the military stop by to talk and to pick up information on VA benefits and on city, county, state, federal and non-profit agencies that can help with emergency housing or even reentry for veterans who have been in prison.

“A lot of guys coulda seen something in the military, had an experience, don’t want to come into the VA for help, just live off the land,” Gardner said. “Some don’t even want benefits, they just want to be left alone because of how they were treated in the military, what they saw in active duty.”

Racial discrimination, he said, could have caused them to have received an “other than honorable” discharge, which affects their benefits. “A lot of them went there, went into combat, saw the damages of combat and wanted out, so [the military] said, ‘you want out, we are going to give you a discharge but put “personality disorder” on it so you can’t get benefits,’” Gardner said.

PTSD is also a factor; vets lock themselves into the basement, and their parents, who can’t deal with that, send them out onto the streets with no income and no benefits, he said.

“A lot do have PTSD,” Gardner said. “I was undiagnosed for at least 20 years. I didn’t even know I had suffered from it. I couldn’t fit into mainstream society. I couldn’t hold down a decent job, couldn’t provide for my family. I couldn’t sleep because I had dreams of what happened to me in the military.”

Gardner served in the Marine Corps from 1972 to 1975 during the Vietnam era in Thailand and off the coast of Cambodia.

They were doing exercises and on standby for the rescue of civilians during the fall of Saigon in 1974.

Because he contemplated suicide, Gardner went to Jesse Brown VA from 7 a.m. until he went to work at 3 p.m., “just to feel safe and nobody hassling me. Luckily, I ran into these guys,” he said of VSF. Unlike Vietnam, which was fought in the jungle, the Iraq War was guerrilla warfare in a city, he said.

Soon after the Iraq War started, one young Marine Corps returnee was real shaky. “He left an urban environment [in Iraq] and came back to one. Now he’s real leery about riding past dumpsters, riding down the street, period.”

The average vet stopping by the VSF table is 40 to 60 years old, although they see former service personnel as young as 20, Gardner said. Showers are available at Jesse Brown VA and VSF members often know homeless vets by name.

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He worked in the pharmacy of a South Side hospital for 23 years and was in his senior year at the University of Illinois-Chicago when he was injured in an auto accident. Police were chasing another vehicle, which rear-ended his. Bending became difficult and he quit his job for fear of being fired. He also lost his dreams of continuing his education in architecture.

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is another issue VSF hears about, Gardner said. Women volunteers will walk a female vet down the hall to hear her story more privately.

But MST doesn’t affect just women, said Reginald Lee, 58, who happened to stop at the VSF desk during our December interview. Lee served in the Navy starting with the Iranian Revolution of 1979. “I was on a ship and went out with officers. I had been warned but I thought it was a joke. They were married. They said, ‘I want to have sex with you.’ It was a macho thing, before ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’,” which allowed gays to serve in the military, even though it forced them into secrecy about their sexual orientation.

Lee said he was forced to sign papers that he was gay, a “personality disorder” on his discharge that affected his benefits.

He had gone into the military to escape gangs in Chicago and didn’t seek VA help until he read a GQ magazine article on MST among men in September 2014.

He receives $771 in Supplemental Security Income (SSI). He had lived the last seven months in a transitional housing program with Thresholds, which provides services to people with mental health conditions. He said he was unsure if he was on the Chicago Dashboard list of homeless veterans, but he knew he was on a Chicago Housing Authority list.

On the other hand, Jeffrey Wade said his Marine Corps experience from 1976 to 1979 was the best of his life, followed by a literal crash in his civilian life. Wade, 62, attained the rank of lance corporal and visited Washington state, Alaska, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the Mariana Islands.

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Wade lived in various shelters, including one in Lincoln Park he liked because of activities like concerts, plays and soccer games at Soldier Field. He later spent time in a program that was closed because of bedbugs, then at Hines VA Medical Center, because he had developed an addiction to pain pills following knee surgery related to the auto accident.

He weaned himself off the pain medicine and lived with his daughter before getting into Catholic Charities’ St. Leo’s Ministries housing for veterans. Later, he met a lady and moved out. He was living with her on a Section 8 voucher in Auburn Park and receiving Social Security Disability Income (SSDI).

“Whatever services were out there to get me income, I used,” Wade said.

He started coming to a Jesse Brown VA Medical Center pain clinic four times a week in 2004 and now goes to a weekly psych clinic there because of depression over the losses the accident caused him. We met him at the VSF information table.

Walking through the doors of Jesse Brown VA Med Center “is like home,” he said. “We all have something in common. It’s like a brotherhood regardless of whether it’s males or females.

It’s just an awesome experience to be around people who have been through what you’ve been through. The euphoria never fails me, the camaraderie. It’s a little like taking a pill, a psych pill.”

The VA has shifted its focus to housing veterans with barriers such as insufficient income, unemployablility, recent evictions, bad credit, mental or physical health challenges, or just inability to pay market rent. This is a population that is receiving VA or Social Security benefits and unlikely to see increased income anytime soon, House-El said. They’re rent-challenged, a population in their 50s and 60s – like more than half the veterans on Chicago’s Dashboard to End Homelessness. The VA formerly emphasized chronically homeless veterans, but vouchers have brought those numbers down, and the VA has

found it difficult to process large enough numbers of them.

The VA introduced a “shallow subsidy” last October 1 for veterans who can’t get Section 8 vouchers in high-rent, gentrifying cities like Chicago, Honolulu, Seattle, New York City, five cities in California, and Washington, D.C. Since it began, the subsidy has assisted 53 veteran households in Chicago by providing 35 percent of the fair market rent; vets pay the remainder.

More people can be served with the shallow subsidy than with vouchers, especially in a gentrifying city, because the subsidy covers only 35 percent of housing rather than 80 percent for a conventional veterans’ voucher, House-El said. However, the subsidy covers only the cost of “light touch” case management, so it would not be appropriate for veterans who need more aggressive case management.

The key variable for the shallow subsidy, however, is income, Smith said. It prioritizes veterans who are seniors with an income at 30 to 50 percent of the Area Median Income, (AMI) or $18,720 to $31,200 for a single person.

The vets are encouraged to receive supportive services through other programs, such as the Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program for job-related activities; Thresholds; Jesse Brown and Hines VA Medical Centers.

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Both House-El and Smith remain optimistic that while the shallow subsidy may be just a test, it has lasting potential if it proves successful in getting veterans housed. “If the data suggest it’s one of the best things we could have done, that more veterans are staying housed, it’s a factor in eliminating veteran homelessness, it won’t go away,” House-El said.

Veteran homelessness is multifaceted, Smith said. It encompasses people with chronic physical or mental health issues, substance abuse, domestic violence, perhaps even the death of someone with whom they stayed. “A lot are in survival mode, some having to do with military time, some not. Being a veteran is just one piece of the puzzle. There’s a lot of other stuff going on that may impact housing status, not just poverty. There is the impact of institutional racism on our veterans and it’s important to capture the complexity of all these things. Not every landlord wants to work with vouchers. The reason we have not ended veteran homelessness is because of structural poverty, racism, and a lack of affordable housing in neighborhoods with access to stores, jobs and transportation.”

Reginald Lee, left, suffered Military Sexual Trauma nearly 40 years ago and didn't come to the VA until he read about MST in GQ Magazine, while Jeffrey Wade says his Marine Corps experience was the best of his life. (Suzanne Hanney photos)

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Educational Policy analyst Diane Ravitch Author talk with CTU: 'students deserve more'

by Hannah Knitter

FROM THE STREETS

Educational policy analyst Diane Ravitch spoke on her new book, “Slaying Goliath, The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America’s Public Schools” in a presentation hosted by the Chicago Teachers Union February 19 at their headquarters.

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Ravitch served as assistant secretary of education from 19911993, under President George H.W. Bush. During this era, Ravitch promoted No Child Left Behind, an educational reform movement that used standardized tests and value-type scales to deem students and schools successful or “in need of improvement.” But since her time in the government, Ravitch has changed her views. Now, she openly denounces standardized testing, and points to charter schools and any form of educational privatization as a major component of the destruction of the public school system as a whole.

In Slaying Goliath, Ravitch identifies two main groups fighting for educational policy “reform”: the Disrupters and the Resisters.

The Disrupters are those who want to change the public school system by shifting toward more charter schools and privatization, and the Resisters are those who fight this. The Disruptors are identified as those who have the power to affect structural change through their wealth alone. In a chapter of Slaying Goliath, Ravitch simply lists the millionaires (and billionaires) who are supporters of a privatized school system. Among them are the Koch brothers, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and, as a CTU host pointed out, Reed Hastings, the CEO and founder of Netflix.

On the other hand, the Resisters are the “little guys”: parents, teachers, and private citizens who value education as one of the

last truly public institutions. Both groups recognize that the public school system has major problems but push for very different solutions. Ravitch clearly sides with the Resisters, as do her hosts of the evening, the Chicago Teachers Union.

One major issue that Ravitch focused on during her discussion was standardized testing. This testing is something that every student is required to undergo, or the schools will lose funding.

This testing is used to grade schools on a scale, which is said to “assess progress,” but, as Ravitch points out, it has little to no educational value for students.

She pointed out multiple major flaws with standardized testing, from topics not relating to the actual curriculum students deal with, to results coming back when children are in the next grade and the information is no longer related to what they are actually learning. Ravitch also shared that she did not think that she could pass a standardized test above the elementary school level, and that this obviously had no bearing on her intellect or success as an adult.

A graduate of Wellesley College and Columbia University, Ravitch is a research professor of education at New York University and author of 11 books. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the winner of the 2011 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize presented by the American Academy of Political and Social Science for work to improve public policy – in her case, on urban education.

Confidently, Ravitch stated, “I would like for every legislator who votes for these tests to take them.” She went on to say that the tests would be abolished soon afterward.

A 'Rentervention' for those struggling to pay rent during shelter-in-placE

by Suzanne Hanney

If you have been struggling to pay bills in the wake of COVID-19 and don’t know what will happen if you can’t pay rent, the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing has introduced an online tool you can use from home: Rentervention.com

When asked to what extent racism played into standardized test scores, Ravitch responded by pointing out that rather than there being an intelligence gap, there is an opportunity gap between white students and students of color. Non-white students often face a profound lack of resources when compared to other students, and Ravitch explained that this was what caused them to have lower scores. When children of color were consistently labelled failing, Ravitch stated, “[besides racism]… what else would you call it?” This is, Ravitch pointed out, a major failure of the current system and how schools are ranked.

Ultimately, Diane Ravitch strongly sides with the views that the Chicago Teachers Union holds: students deserve more. Teachers deserve more.

And no matter the test score, all students, says Ravitch, are “equal in dignity.”

CTU Chief of Staff Jen Johnson interviews Diane Ravitch (Hannah Knitter photo). "Slaying Goliath" book cover and Diane Ravitch (courtesy photos).

Rentervention.com is free legal help for Chicago renters who need to protect their rights when it comes to eviction, security deposits and repairs needed in their homes. You can go online 24/7 to Rentervention.com or text “Hi” to 866-7-RENTER. Next, provide your ZIP code and your issue: eviction, security deposit or repairs. Then “Renny,” the chatbot, will be prompted to offer a variety of support. Renny can create more than 30 types of letters about issues to be sent to a landlord and can refer users to reliable sources of legal information not found online. For low income renters with complex problems, Renny can connect tenants to a virtual clinic for free attorney assistance.

Rentervention is the first step for getting support from the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing (LCBH). Since its May 2019 launch, nearly 5,000 people have used Rentervention, but calls have soared since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, Rentervention had 235 chats, or engagements with the website, while in April, there were 589 chats -- a more than 200 percent increase, said Conor Malloy, Rentervention project director at the Lawyers Committee for Better Housing.

“Every day we keep seeing more and more people visit the site. People want to know how to pay rent, what to do about utilities. How can they get sources of funding or grants.”

Rentervention has received calls from 58 of Chicago’s 63 ZIP codes. The highest number of calls have come from 60640 (Uptown), followed by 60657 (Lakeview), 60626 (Rogers Park), 60649 (South Shore) and 60647 (Logan Square), Malloy said.

“When it comes to volunteering money, the rule of thumb that we’re giving to tenants is to open communication with your landlord,” said Malloy, who is an attorney himself. “If the tenant does pay certain money, there’s nothing stopping the landlord from giving you a notice, to say you owe back rent. If you pay half, they might accept that, but they might give you a five-day notice. But we’re all in this together, landlords are looking to get something. It’s a good idea to work out these agreements. Put this in writing.

It could be a text exchange or a formal printed document where the landlord has certain obligations, they are working with you on this payment plan and understand how much is going to be paid and when it is going to be paid.”

Tenant access to legal help makes a measurable difference in results, LCBH said in prepared materials.

Between 2010 and 2017 an average of 23,000 evictions were filed each year in Chicago. In the same eight-year span, LCBH found a vast imbalance in rates of representation between landlords and tenants: landlords had attorneys 79% of the time, while tenants had attorneys 11% of the time. When tenants didn’t have legal representation, 62% of the cases ended in eviction. When a legal aid attorney got involved in the eviction case, only 22% of the cases ended in eviction.

“At Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing, we have about 10 staff attorneys able to get cases as part of Rentervention, along with two dozen volunteer attorneys from law firms across Chicago hungry to provide pro bono assistance: a collaboration between the profit and nonprofit world,” Malloy said. “They might not be standing next to you in front of a judge because the case might not demand full representation but they can provide legal advice, they can negotiate with your landlord. But if push comes to shove, they can make a referral for a full range of services to a legal aid agency so you can have that person standing next to you in court.” www.streetwise.org

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Pop culture hero coalition aims to end bullying by relating to students through pop culture examples

by Rachel Koertner Katie was bullied in the first grade and is the inspiration for Pop Culture Hero Coalition (Pop Culture Hero Coalition photo).

Do superheroes exist in real life? The Pop Culture Hero Coalition is proving that they do. This organization works to help kids connect with a superhero. For example, they show kids that Batman went through childhood trauma, but that he made the choice to heal and eventually help others, so they can too. The group believes in the power of helping kids understand their emotions and how to communicate them. They also believe that connecting kids with heroes helps the victim as well as the bully. The organization wants to show kids that they can be real-life heroes.

The story behind the Pop Culture Hero Coalition starts in 2010, when a 7-year-old girl named Katie in Evanston, Illinois, was bullied. The kids in her class said she couldn’t have a Star Wars backpack and water bottle because Star Wars was for boys.

Carrie Goldman, Katie’s mom, went online asking for support, and within days 82,000 people viewed the post, with thousands of those people sending messages of support.

One of those people was Star Trek actress Chase Masterson.

For two years she had been at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles mentoring people coming out of gangs, so the need to help others was already in her heart. When Masterson reached out to help Katie, it was the start of Masterson and Goldman working together to end bullying.

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Working towards this goal, Goldman decided to write a book.

She interviewed a few people for her research, including Masterson. Her book, “Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear,” was published in 2012. It received countless awards and glowing reviews.

Now, Goldman has become one of the country’s leading keynote speakers and teachers on ending bullying.

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In 2013, Masterson and Goldman founded the Pop Culture Anti-Bullying Coalition and created the first-ever panel on ending bullying at a pop culture convention. Since then, the organization has continued to grow. It changed its name to the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, and was approved for nonprofit status.

The organization takes lessons on bullying and connecting with a hero to many schools, but especially the ones in need. For example, they came to the aid of the kids that were traumatized by the San Bernardino mass shooting. In addition, they have worked hard to create a school curriculum called The Heroic Journey. According to their website: “Using examples [from] critically acclaimed television, comics and film, which children and teens find relatable and accessible, the Coalition’s pop-culture-savvy clinical psychologists and experts have developed a comprehensive, thirty-two lesson plan curriculum.” The group has worked hard to bring this curriculum to schools over the last few years.

On top of all these programs, the Pop Culture Hero Coalition stepped up to the plate during this pandemic in two major ways. First, they created content and support for those struggling

during this time of social distancing and quarantine. Some of the programs include: “Resilience is my Superpower,” “When Social Distancing Becomes Social Isolation” and “Managing Family Conflict.” They realized that issues of depression, anxiety, shame, loneliness and fear are exacerbated during this crisis, so their psychologists and educators created these mental health support tools.

Second, they put out a call for cosplayers and costume creators to make “shields” (masks) for healthcare workers. This is strictly volunteer based, and they are asking people to help make masks for physicians, and others who need to be out working in this time. They are rallying their “pop-culture-savvy” followers to help in this country’s time of need, and they are doing their part to provide much-needed items.

People can get involved with Pop Culture Hero Coalition by helping to create masks, buying the curriculum, spreading the word, subscribing to their newsletter and of course donating.

Also, all of the proceeds from their “Be Kind” products support the work of increasing mental health skills and ending bullying, and this merch has been worn by many celebrities. More information can be found on their website at popculturehero.org.

CBS News said: “[The] Pop Culture Hero Coalition is turning fantasy into the real world, with justice and heroism.”

Streetwise 4/27/20 Crossword numbers 1 to 9.

Sudoku

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the

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2 Certain soft drinks 3 Medicinal plant 4 Bank claim 5 Come after 6 Smudge 7 Grab a bite

9 Greek letter 32 Actress Miles 10 Bearded or Ralston animal 33 Anteaters 11 Gawk at 37 Less common 12 Tugboat 39 Gloomier sound 40 ___-de-France 13 Meager 43 Ambulance 17 Wine and VIP dine 46 Request own 20 City north of sweetener 1 Bizarre Cologne 47 More spine2 Choir voices 23 Forget to use tingling 3 Hidden valley cut and paste 49 Parting word 4 Sunglasses 24 Yale student 51 Leg bone 5 Address book 26 Container 52 Cove abbr.

27 Magical 53 Viewed 6 WWW drink 54 Shoestring address 29 Author 55 Thames town 7 Entertainer Ferber 57 Blanched ___ George 30 Eye drop 59 Apply gently 8 East Indian 31©2020 AssistPuzzleJunction.com in 60 Annex Copyright aristocrats crime 61 Old Fr. coin

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Solution Puzzle Answers Last Week’s

Solution

Sudoku Solution

Find your nearest StreetWise Vendor at www.streetwise.org

Crossword Across 1 Title-holder 6 Percolate 10 Highway hauler 14 Eagle’s home 15 High point 16 Aid in crime 17 Billiards shot 18 Hoodlum 19 Sharpen 20 Distress letters 21 Mishmash 23 They can be magic 24 Kind of admiral 25 Billow 27 Casual attire 29 Court figures 34 Temperate 35 Shoestring 36 “... ___ he drove out of sight” 37 Capt.’s guess 38 Delighted 41 Panel truck 42 A Bobbsey twin 43 Pull down 44 Faction 45 Bier gardener?

49 Rub the wrong way 50 Stocking stuffers 51 St. Louis team 53 TV offering 56 As a result 57 Young newt 60 Kind of car 61 One of the Muppets 63 Pancho, for one

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65 66 67 68 69 70

Lion’s pride Low dam Sink Places Diner sign Foil relatives

Down 1 Street fleet 2 Achilles, e.g.

3 War god 4 Soccer star Hamm 5 Black tea 6 Type of play 7 Audio effect 8 Easily tamed bird 9 Dowel 10 1943 Bogart film 11 Black, to poets

12 Repair, like socks 13 Residents (Suffix) 22 Terhune novel, ___: A Dog 23 Walked into the water 24 Wine choice 25 Neptune’s realm 26 Story starter 27 Colossus 28 Spiral-horned antelope 30 Meat cut 31 At no time 32 Field’s partner 33 Dispatched 34 Waiter’s offering

38 Big name in Argentina 39 After curfew 40 Historic times 44 Close relative, briefly 46 Short compositions 47 Miscues 48 Maid’s cloth 52 Date place 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 64

Haunch Isaac’s eldest It’s overhead Spew out Dresden’s river Skedaddle Tiny bits Female sheep Grazing ground Rascal

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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.

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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.

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