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Vol. 34 No. 50

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December 9, 2020

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austinweeklynews.com

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Meett B M Barbara b McGowan, PAGE 5

West Side shelter experiences COVID-19 outbreak

Cases at Franciscan Outreach in North Lawndale illustrate threat to people experiencing homelessness By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago

A coronavirus outbreak at a West Side shelter for people who are homeless reveals housing must be a priority when addressing public health, shelter leaders said. With dropping temperatures driving up demand for shelter beds, a crisis could be on the horizon for people experiencing homelessness and the organizations serving them. About 65 guests have tested positive for COVID-19 since September at the Franciscan Outreach shelter in Lawndale, which currently houses 130 people, said Executive Director Richard Ducatenzeiler. Franciscan has stopped taking referrals for guests until the outbreak is under control. The shelter put in place precautions to ramp up testing, sanitation and protective gear in early spring with the help of experts at the city’s health department and local medical centers. But the unavoidable challenges of running congregate housing plus the high medical vulnerability among people experiencing homelessness creSee SHELTER on page 9

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PRESERVING A GEM: Galewood’s ‘Miracle House’ could be Austin’s newest property to be given landmark status.

Galewood’s ‘Miracle House’ could get landmark status

Landmarks commission voted unanimously Dec.3 to grant preliminary landmark designation to iconic home at 2001 N. Nordica Ave. By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

The Chicago Commission on Landmarks voted unanimously during its Dec. 3 virtual meeting to grant the preliminary

landmark designation to Galewood’s socalled Miracle House at 2001 N. Nordica Avenue. The 1955 house stands out thanks to the abundance of glass walls and two sets of spider-like steel arms on the sides that

keep the second floor suspended like a bridge. The owner, Dr. David Scheiner - a retired physician who was Barack Obama’s personal doctor until 2008 - reSee MIRACLE HOUSE on page 8

Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

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Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

Plans for new West Side STEAM academy scrapped

Building North Lawndale academy would have meant closing 3 neighborhood schools – a proposal that prompted pushback By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago

monthly community meetings on the STEAM Academy since 2018, as well as additional meetings with local school councils and school communities. But opposition mounted once it became clearer Crown, Sumner Elementary School and North Lawndale Community Academy would close to support the new school. Students from the closed buildings would have been guaranteed seats at the STEAM academy. Some said they felt the prospect of closing the schools crept up on them without enough input from the families who would be impacted. Opponents staged protests and formed the North Lawndale Parent and Community Coalition in the fall to pressure the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council and CPS to abandon plans to close the three schools. The coordinating council briefly adjusted the proposal to build the academy on the campus of one of closing schools before withdrawing it. Enrollment at Crown and Lawndale has dropped by more than half since 2010, CPS data shows. Enrollment at Sumner has decreased by about half in the same time period. Currently, 178 students are enrolled at Crown, 207 at Lawndale and 235 at Sumner. According to the coalition, underutilization of Lawndale schools isn’t just about program options. It has more to do with social conditions that have shrunk the neighborhood population, such as unemployment, a lack of affordable housing and high crime. While the proposal is paused, the groups said they will work to build more community support for the new school. The neighborhood community council organizers will continue to engage residents

to develop a plan that takes into account the needs and concerns of those opposed to the STEAM school. “We will hold additional meetings with the parents, community residents and essential stakeholders to ensure that this school is built for our beloved community,” Green said. Meanwhile, the parent and community coalition will “begin the process for a parentled proposal that will address the root cause of under-enrollment these schools face,” said Dixon Romeo, a spokesman for the group. Instead of building a new school, the district and partners behind the proposal should improve STEAM program options at the three existing schools by making “same investment of $65 million to address the root cause of disinvestment that the students in North Lawndale face every day,” Romeo said. A CPS spokeswoman confirmed the district is not currently considering the STEAM school proposal since it was withdrawn. But district leaders will remain open to evaluating the plan in the future as the community builds a stronger consensus around improving educational offerings in the area. “We are grateful for the time, planning, participation and consideration from community members who led these efforts. Looking ahead, the district remains fully committed to continued engagement with the North Lawndale community in support of strengthening educational opportunities,” said CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton.

Development of a state-of-the-art STEAM school on the West Side has been postponed indefinitely following weeks of community pushback. The plan would have closed three neighborhood schools and consolidated them into the North Lawndale STEAM Partnership Academy. But some teachers and parents from those schools resisted, saying their communities have seen enough closed schools. The North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council worked for years on the plan and submitted its proposal Nov. 2 to Chicago Public Schools. A month later, group leaders withdrew the plan from consideration and said they won’t revisit it until after the pandemic. “We share mixed emotions, but we are committed to bringing the STEAM Academy to the children of North Lawndale,” said Betty Allen Green, co-chair of the neighborhood’s education committee. Since the initial plan involved closing schools, some opponents said this was an esPascal Sabino is a Report for America corps pecially bad time to even consider it. member covering Austin, North Lawndale “During this time of uncertainty with an and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago. ongoing pandemic, and community violence and lack at an all-time high, a sense of CONTACT: Pascal@blockclubchi.org normalcy and wellbeing has taken center stage in the lives of our children,” said Tasha Dudley, a teacher at Crown Academy, one of the schools that would close. “Their voices are speaking loud, and I want to make their opinions clear: not now.” The school specializing in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics was part of the neighborhood council’s resident-driven quality-of-life plan for addressing social issues in the neighborhood. Neighborhood education leaders envisioned the school as a way to address the issue of West Side students traveling to other areas to seek challenging educational programs not available closer to home, Green said. “Whatever options our children choose, we should be able to provide PASCAL SABINO/Block Club Chicago it to them right here in the North Lawndale community,” Green said. VOICES HEARD: Parents, teachers, students and alums rally at Lawndale Community Academy Education leaders had held against the STEAM school.

AUSTIN WEEKLY

news Editor Michael Romain

Senior Editor Bob Uphues Contributing Reporters Bonni McKeown, Igor Studenkov Reporting Partners Block Club, Austin Talks Columnist Arlene Jones Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designer Debbie Becker Sales & Marketing Representavies Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner ≈ Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich ≈ GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA Board of Directors Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson , Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer ≈ HOW TO REACH US 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 773-626-6332 FAX 708-467-9066 CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com ONLINE www.AustinWeeklyNews.com TWITTER @AustinWeeklyChi Austin Weekly News is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. It is distributed free of charge at locations across Austin and Garfield Park. Our hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advertising rates are available by calling our office. Printed entirely on recycled paper. © 2020 Growing Community Media NFP.

Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

How Madison Street crumbled By MICHAEL ROMAIN

Commentary

ast month, ProPublica Illinois published an in-depth report, “Disinvested: How Government and Private Industry Let the Main Street of a Black Neighborhood Crumble.” That main street referenced in the title is Madison Street, once the most bustling retail corridor in East Garfield Park. But the street also teemed with activity beyond that West Side neighborhood. “Back then, stores, often with apartments above them, lined Madison Street from downtown west to the city limits,” reporters Tony Briscoe, Haru Coryne and Mick Dumke explain. “The east-west axis of Chicago’s grid system, the street once thrived as a commercial beltway known as the ‘Equator of Chicago’ and the ‘Heart of the West Side.’” Today, Madison Street is lined with empty lots. ProPublica estimates that roughly a quarter of the corridor’s land is vacant. The dominant narrative attributes the current blight to the 1968 riots that followed Martin Luther King’s assassination. But the ProPublica report shows why this narrative begs more questions than it answers and

why it’s also haphazard. The desertification of Madison Street and much of the West Side actually began prior to the riots, as the reporters show. “It’s important to note that the area began losing resources even before the 1968 rioting,” they state. “Starting after World War II and accelerating in the 1950s and ’60s, the population of Chicago’s West Side turned from almost all white to nearly all Black. “Thousands of Black Southerners and residents of the cramped South Side moved into communities like East Garfield Park, while white West Siders relocated to the suburbs and the city’s North Side. And as Congressman Danny K. Davis told ProPublica, when the white population base moved away, the economic base followed. “As individuals moved away, much of the economy of these areas went with them, and government really didn’t do much to stop it — no unit of government,” Davis said. “It just never happened.” Instead, governmental attempts to improve the West Side have been piecemeal and centered on failed attempts to induce private investors to bet on communities that were by this point on a glide path to a point of no return in our capitalist system. No amount of tax credits or economic en-

Photo credits: Google Earth & Chicago Historical Society

BLIGHTED: Above, a current photo of a portion of Madison Street, a once bustling commercial corridor that hasn’t been the same since the 1968 riots, shown below. A ProPublica report, however, has shown that Madison’s deterioration started well before the riots.

MICHAEL ROMAIN

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terprise zones or “Model Cities” programs would be sufficient to return the West Side to its pre-riot state. The only investments that have made sense to most capitalists since then have been predatory (which is why we see so many loan sharks and liquor stores on the West Side). I have produced an alternative history of this episode in my head, in which local, state and federal governments joined forces after the riots in ’68, created an agency with the power to identify and penalize the private interests that created the ghetto-ization of the West Side in the first place — the predatory contract lenders who systematically stole from Black homebuyers in North Lawndale, for instance — and then systematically returned that stolen wealth to its rightful owners. In this alternative history, the government also investigated and penalized itself because many of its policies, particularly its housing policies, led to the economic apartheid that resulted in the ghetto West Side (see Arnold R. Hirsch’s Making the Second Ghetto or Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s Race for Profit to see how this happened). Instead, and in reality, the government created incentives to try luring the very private interests that plundered the West Side into “investing” in it. And it gave scraps to Black business interests (some small loans

or grants here and there) that chose to do capitalism where they had actually been forced to do it, anyway. In other words, the system was never held responsible for creating the mess we now see on Madison Street. The nasty truth of the ghetto is that it was created by the twin pillars of capitalist exploitation and systemic racism. In order to unmake a ghetto while avoiding displacement, we have to blow up those pillars — a process of “creative destruction” that entails identifying the real players, processes and policies responsible for the ghetto; penalizing them; and redistributing the wealth and power they plundered in a manner that is just and equitable. After decades of plans and programs and perks, Madison Street remains blighted because there has been neither justice nor any real accountability. The players and policies and processes responsible for the blight have never been held to account and the power and wealth those entities plundered from Blacks on the West Side have yet to be redistributed. Until that happens, and absent the government (i.e., the politicians and the police) joining market forces to gentrify East Garfield Park (i.e., to make it white again), Madison Street will continue to crumble.

CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com

Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

HONORED: Commissioner Barbara McGowan has been a member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 1998. Recently, she was inducted into the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame. Provided

West Side Lives

Barbara McGowan, 76, protector of water, lover of the West Side By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Barbara McGowan, 76, has been a member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) since 1998. Currently, McGowan is the MWRD’s vice president — the first African American to serve in the role. She was recently inducted into the 2020 class of the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame at the 33rd Anniversary MLK Dinner held by the National Civil Rights Library at Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, 4622 S. King Drive. Earlier this week, McGowan — often interjecting her joyous, infectious laugh — talked about the function of the MWRD, how she feels about being in a Hall of Fame, why she loves the West Side and staying safe during a pandemic.

On her life in Austin I’ve lived in the same house in Austin for 50 years. I love the West Side of Chicago. I love the people! Ain’t no people like West Side people! We are a great, great bunch of people. We really are! I was born in Mississippi and when you’re in Mississippi, everybody speaks. They don’t even have to know you. People in Chicago do the same thing. That’s what we do on the West Side. We speak. You know, the pandemic has made us more aware of each other, kinder, more courteous. And that’s important, because we have to reach out to each other. We have to wear our masks and give them to those who don’t have them. We have to be able to ac-

comdatoe each other during this pandemic.

On running for a seat on the MWRD I first ran in 1998, after working for another MWRD commissioner for seven years. After he passed, people kept calling me and asking me to run. I decided to listen to them. I ran and was blessed to win. It was the first time I’d run for anything. People said, ‘She can’t win. It’s a countywide seat.’ But I wasn’t listening to them. I listened to God.

On the functions of the MWRD The MWRD is responsible for keeping sewage and pollution out of your drinking water. The bottom line is this: We get what you flush. It’s as simple as that. We try hard to educate people about what we do, but a lot of times, we take things for granted. If guess people don’t think about this stuff often.

On learning of her induction into the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame I got a letter in the mail and I kept reading it and reading it and I think I started walking on air after the third reading. I am so thrilled and honored. I. Know I’m blessed. I wasn’t looking for it, but I thank the chairman of the National Civil Rights Library, William Thurman, and all of his colleagues for thinking of me. My mother would say, ‘You never know who is watching you.’ I’m honored.

On living through a pandemic I thank God that I haven’t had any relatives get COVID-19. We’re a big family, but we didn’t go to each other’s houses on Thanksgiving. It was something we felt we had to do. It’s hard, though. The only thing the women joke about is that we have to get out of the house, because we’re getting fat! (Laughs). We have a humorous side to this, but we also take it very seriously. Even my neighbors know not to ring my doorbell if they don’t have a mask on. I love life. I really do. I like life and I like people.

CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com

Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

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Google Earth

HOUSING COMING: United for Better Living wants to build a 43-unit affordable housing complex at 4531-59 W. Washington Blvd.

West Garfield nonprofit to build affordable housing

United for Better Living plans to build development on its parking lot

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By IGOR STUNDENKOV Contributing Reporter

United for Better Living, a West Garfield Park human services nonprofit at 4540 W. Washington Blvd., is looking to build a 4-story, 43-unit building across the street from its headquarters. The lot is located at 4531-59 W. Washington Blvd. The site currently serves as the nonprofit’s parking lot. United is applying for a zoning change to allow the project to go forward. The Chicago City Council’s Committee on Zoning, Buildings & Landmarks voted unanimously on Dec. 1 to send the application forward and it is currently expected to be approved by the full council during its Dec. 16 meeting. The nonprofit was founded by Bennie Allison, the founding pastor of the nearby Corinthian Temple Church of God In Christ, 4520 W. Washington Blvd. Originally established in 1983 to provide scholarship programs for West Garfield Park youth, it has since significantly expanded its mission to include tutoring and GED preparation, various after school and summer programs, computer training, clothing drives and networking events for local businesses. A representative from the nonprofit

didn’t respond to requests for comment by deadline. But according to the zoning application documents, the application was filed by Rev. David Todd Whittley, the Corinthian Church’s current pastor and United’s current president. Whitney serves on the governing board of the Public Buildings Commission of Chicago, which is responsible for planning, designing and building the city’s municipal buildings. According to the application, United has owned the property since December 1990. The building would be 42 feet and six inches tall, with 23 on-site car parking stalls and 18 bicycle parking stalls. The application doesn’t detail what kind of units it would have and what kind of amenities would be included, but attorney Thomas Moore, who represents the nonprofit in the application process, testified during the Dec. 1 meeting that all units would be affordable. He also said that he believes the project is using “state or federal funds,” but he didn’t elaborate any further. Moore told the committee that the plans for the project have been revised several times. He said that Ald. Jason Ervin, whose ward includes United, the property and the Corinthian Church, submitted a letter supporting the project. The committee voted to send the application to the full council unanimously and without asking questions.

CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com

Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

2020 will be the most memorable year ever!

normally don’t pay attention to commercials when I’m watching Hulu on my cell phone. But there was one that truly caught my attention because visually, I just wanted to know what it was. The commercial being broadcast is absolutely 100 percent ingenious. Satan is in hell and bored to death. He uses his cellphone to log on to match.com. He puts in all of his information and voila! A match. Next he’s standing under a bridge and a beautiful young woman appears. He looks at her and she looks at him. She gives him a devilish grin. “Hi … my name is 2020!” she says. They go on multiple dates and the two of them prove to be a perfect match. That said, I can’t wait for three more weeks to pass so 2020’s match with the devil will be a thing of the past. This year will officially always be the year of COVID-19. Unlike other years, there will be many moments from this year that will be permanently etched in our memories. That disease has affected our lives in so many different ways. The lies, deceit, misinformation, and who knows what else about the disease have had worldwide implications. Instead of finger-pointing about how China lied or the United States lied, the truth is that people died. Young and old. Sick or healthy. The disease picked and chose the ones it could kill. If there’s any positive aspect of this, it’s that it didn’t devastate Africa the way scientists had predicted. The first go-round with COVID-19 had people I knew, but was not necessarily close

with, die from it. This second go-round has hit closer to home. Friends and family members are being diagnosed with it. The current strain seems to be not as strong as the initial one. My son thought he had it, and thankfully I could build a separation wall using plastic so that he could remain on the first floor while I had access to the kitchen and second floor. Thankfully the test he took came back negative. But as we endure the second go-round, what plans are people making should a family member actually get the disease? I know of one young man whose mother refused to let him come home even though she owns a huge house. He couldn’t stay with his elderly grandparents in their home because they feared the disease. As karma would have it, the mother ended up getting the disease anyway. But if you don’t have multiple bathrooms so that the sick person can have their own space, what are the plans? This past weekend, hundreds of young people were milling out and about downtown. Masks were an afterthought. Should those young people get sick, are their parents prepared to deal with them in the house? Just like an emergency evacuation plan needs to be in place before a fire and an emergency plan in case of a natural disaster, there needs to be one in case a family member within the household has COVID-19. Because if it doesn’t leave with 2020, the implications of the carnage it has rendered or can render is immeasurable.

TOGETHER, WE CAN POWER THROUGH ANYTHING.

ARLENE JONES

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A brighter future

Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

Loretto to test new COVID-19 vaccines, Crain’s reports Hospital representatives say testing could start in February By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Loretto Hospital, 645 S. Central Ave. in Austin, will be among the sites that will test individuals taking the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines, according to a Dec. 4 report in Crain’s Chicago Business. The hospital is one of a few dozen safety-net community hospitals in Chicago, serving primarily low-income and uninsured patients. “Too often in our past, we’ve seen vaccines or drug regimens come to market that didn’t work as expected on minority populations, because they weren’t appropriately tested on these groups,” according to a statement Crain’s obtained by Dr. Lois Clarke, Lo-

MIRACLE HOUSE Unique design from page 1 quested the designation. He told the commission that he enjoys the house and wants to see it preserved. Now that the preliminary designation has been approved, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development will research how landmarking the home will affect the community. The proposal to landmark the home will then go back to the landmark commission for a vote before the City Council takes the measure up for final approval. If approved, the Miracle House will be the first city landmark in the Galewood neighborhood and the 14th landmark in the Austin community. In 1954, the St. Williams Parish launched a raffle to raise funds to build a new church, and the house was conceived as a grand prize. Edo Belli, the co-founder of Belli and Belli architecture firm, came up with the design. Jim Belli, Edo’s son and the company’s current head, told the commission that his father wanted to design something that would accommodate a family of five, like his own. The city staff explained that the abundance of glass was part of the elder Belli’s signature style. The firm did the design pro-bono, with General Electric donating appliances, retailer Sol Polk donating furnishings and General Bridge and Steel company providing the steel arms. The name “Miracle House” was first used on the raffle ticket. The raffle raised enough money to not only pay for a new church, but a new parish rectory, a convent and a school. Since

that the hospital retto’s director of expects to start clinical research. testing “three po“If we, as a comtential COVID-19 munity, want to vaccines as early benefit from a as February,” but COVID-19 vacdeclined to identicine, it’s time to fy the drugmakers. step up and make Crain’s reported sure we’re being that “a source farepresentatively miliar with the included in the impending trial trials.” said at least one is Crain’s reported manufactured by that FDA CommisMerck.” sioner Dr. Stephen Eric Allix Rogers The news of LoHahn stressed the retto’s status as a importance of di- TESTING SOON: Loretto Hospital could start testtest site comes as versity in clinical ing for new COVID-19 vaccines early next year. community leadtrials. “To further promote and protect public ers have been demanding that the federal health, it is important that people who are government prioritize Black communities in clinical trials represent the populations in the process of distributing the COVID-19 most likely to use the potential medical vaccine. On Nov. 29, a group of West Side faith leadproduct,” Hahn said. A representative for Loretto told Crain’s ers convened a press conference at the JLM

Abundant Life Center, 2622 W. Jackson Blvd. The leaders were particularly referencing the distribution of the initial batches of the COVID-19 vaccine that will soon be given to essential healthcare workers and people working and living in long-term care facilities. “We understand healthcare workers should be first, that those first-responders should be first, we understand that those in hospital rooms should be first, but we’re saying that since those in the African American community and the Latino community have been greatly affected by [the COVID-19 virus], we’re asking Congress to mandate the distribution of it. We should be next in line,” said Rev. John Harrell, the founder of the faith-based social service organization Black Men United. Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (8th) referenced the CDC guidelines determining which groups of people should receive the initial doses of the vaccine before calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to establish a commission “to make sure” that the initial allocation of the

then, the building has only had three owners. Scheiner purchased it n 1999. “I walked into the house, my jaw dropped and, the next day, I bid on the house,” he told the commission. “Every time I walk into the house, my heart skips a beat. It’s an amazing house. It doesn’t overwhelm, it just envelops me. Dan Lempa, a School of Art Institute of Chicago graduate student, kicked off the landmarking process. He grew up on the same block as the Miracle House and, after preparing a hypothetical application for a course assignment, he reached out to Scheiner to see if the owner would be interested in applying for real landmark status. The two spent the next several years working on the application, they said. Owners rarely ask for landmark designations, city officials said. Scheiner’s involvement speeds up the process. The city won’t need to request consent or hold a public File hearing before moving on to the final recommendation. HAPPY HOMEOWNER: David Scheiner looks through a window in a bedroom inside of the “Miracle The city staff recommended the House.” landmark designation, because the house had a distinct design that rep“My wife and I drive by all the time and “[Galewood] is a wonderful community resented mid-1950s optimism and served as a and, as far as I know, it will be the first desig- we’re going to visit it one day together, berare example of Belli and Belli-designed resi- nated landmark in Galewood neighborhood cause it’s a stunning house,” he said. dential buildings. And the report noted that, specifically,” she said. “It’s a fantastic examCommissioner Tiara Hughes was among sevwhile the house got an addition in the rear in ple of mid-century architecture and I believe eral commission members who praised Schein1965 and a minor alternation in 1999, most of it will the first Belli and Belli designation in er for asking for the landmark designation. the original design survived. Chicago.” “I want this to set the precedent, moving Lisa DiChiera, director of advocacy at the Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), whose ward in- forward, for the owners to see the value of Landmarks Illinois historical preservation cludes the Miracle House, repeatedly described preserving the historic fabric of their prononprofit, said that her organization sup- the building as “breathtaking” and said that he prieties,” he said. ports the landmark designation, because it appreciates the way Scheiner maintained the house and offered tours to neighbors. would be valuable for Galewood. CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com

Austin Weekly News, December 9, 2020

SHELTER

COVID outbreaks from page 1 ated a “perfect storm,” Ducatenzeiler said. “Just from the sheer number of additional cases in Chicago … we had to believe that it was going to resurge within our shelter,” he said. Whether they are living in outdoor encampments or staying at a shelter, people experiencing homelessness typically can’t practice social distancing, making it difficult to control exposure. Guests share sleeping quarters and bathrooms, and while Franciscan Outreach screens people during intake and constantly monitors guests for symptoms, shelters usually don’t have the space to isolate and quarantine people. “Where they’ve been staying and who they’ve been around — it’s very difficult for us to be able to control all of those factors …,” Ducatenzeiler said. Social conditions often cause people experiencing homelessness to be especially vulnerable to catching COVID-19 and developing a severe infection, Ducatenzeiler said. Homelessness makes it tough to live a healthy lifestyle, eat nutritious food and manage stress, so pre-existing medical conditions and underlying mental health challenges are common, he said. “We’re working with individuals that already don’t have access to health resources. They’re not getting ongoing regular medical care,” he said. “Many individuals are over the age of 60, or have health conditions, have comorbidities already.” Franciscan Outreach’s center in Lawndale typically serves up to 200 guests, but it reduced its capacity by a third to reduce crowding and promote social distancing. The staff installed partitions to create cubicles between beds and redesigned the layout of the shelter to separate those with symptoms.

When the outbreak was identified, many of the most vulnerable guests at Franciscan were taken to isolation facilities that had been created with city support at a nearby shelter run by A Safe Haven Foundation to prevent spread. A Safe Haven’s medical respite is available for anyone who has tested positive for COVID that needs a safe place to isolate, but it also connects people to wraparound services that address the deeper issues that make some people, especially those who are homeless, so vulnerable. “Once they’re out of the woods … we are able to discharge them to the next level of care,” said Neli Vazquez Rowland, president of A Safe Haven. “The medical respite is able to start healing them from a nutrition level, a mental health level … to heal what’s at the root of what’s ailing these individuals.” But the isolation center at A Safe Haven has only 50 beds, which is not enough to control the outbreak at Franciscan Outreach. Though the medical respite is a powerful short-term resource for shelters, hospitals and individuals, Rowland said a more complete solution requires a reimagining of how health care and social services are delivered to the communities that need them. For that to happen, housing must be a priority because homelessness is a public health issue, Ducatenzeiler said. Conditions that create homelessness allow COVID-19 to spread in shelters and throughout communities, he said. “Housing is health care. Housing leads to improved health care outcomes,” he said. “Until we are able to find a viable housing solution, it will be very hard to come up with any public health solutions.” Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago.

CONTACT: Pascal@blockclubchi.org

Provided

CRISIS REVEALED: Beds at Franciscan Outreach, where a COVID-19 outbreak reveals risks to people who are experiencing homelessness.

STILL THRIVING: West Side businesswoman Charmaine Rickett, who owns Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken, recently opened her fourth location in suburban Bolingbrook. Courtesy: Uncle Remus/ Facebook

West Side restaurant chain expands amid pandemic Charmaine Rickette’s Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken opens fourth location in Bolingbrook By KELLY MILAN Contributing Reporter

While local food businesses struggle to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, Uncle Remus, perhaps Chicago’s most popular West Side chicken franchise, recently expanded its business after opening a fourth location at 339 N. Weber Rd. in Bolingbrook. The family-owned business is currently run by West Side businesswoman Charmaine Rickette, the youngest of 12 children in the Rickette family. She said her Austin roots and her parents’ compassion are the backbone to the business. “They just wanted to create jobs for the community,” said Rickette, who is a board member of the Austin African American Business Networking Association. “That’s what he [her father] set out to do and that’s what we have been doing for over 50 years.” Rickette’s father, Gus Rickette, 94, continues to serve his customers at Rickette’s World Famous Chicken, Fish and BBQ, located at 8601 S. Stony Island Ave. In 1963, Gus and Mary Rickette opened G&G Chicken, which was later named Royal Chicken before becoming Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken. The restaurant also has a location at 5611 W. Madison St. in Austin, along with two other locations in west suburban Broadview and on the South Side. Rickette’s compassion to give back runs in the blood. Ever since Gus and Mary Rickette migrated from Mississippi to Chicago in 1963 and opened what was then called G&G Chicken, they found a purpose to give to the Austin neighborhood. “I grew up in a modest way,” Charmaine said. “I grew up watching my parents give

it all away, so I kind of inherited that.” Fifty years later, Uncle Remus continues to serve its homemade chicken to customers with the help of Charmaine Rickette expanding the business from one joint to four. “I want to emphasize that it may look easy from the outside, but it’s not easy,” Rickette said. “You have to be resilient. You have to have that physical strength, mental strength, especially with slinging chicken, you know. It’s just not easy, but it’s something I know has a purpose and the bigger purpose is to be philanthropic to my community. “This business is going to allow that. I love the Austin community,” she said. “I love my people. I love our creativity. I love our ingenuity. I love our entrepreneurial visions and goals and I want to be able to continue to fuel and birth that within the community. That’s what really keeps me going because I need to make a whole lot of money to give it back.” So far, Rickette said, Uncle Remus has created 20 jobs during the pandemic. “It’s not 200. It’s not 200,000, but 20 is better than zero,” Rickette said. “I guess it is a nod to my parents for their resiliency and their legacies of doing the same during these times.” Rickette waited seven months to kickstart the opening in Bolingbrook due to COVID-19 restrictions on local businesses. Rent bills were high, but Rickette pulled through. She leaned on the values her parents taught her as a child. “Be resilient,” Rickette said. “I love to use the reference of boxing. You know there’s twelve rounds in a boxing match, but the great thing is, in each round you get knocked down, you get a 10-count before you’re knocked out. Life is a continual boxing match. So when you get knocked down, don’t stay down. You gotta stay down for the nine counts, make sure you get up for the 10th count. You get knocked down, but don’t get knocked out.”

CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com

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