Fall 2014 - All Chicago

IN THE NEWS
Fall
2014
Treina, a 48 year old mother of two children, felt like she was trapped after fleeing an abusive
husband and winding up in a shelter on Chicago’s south side. “It’s like being in a hurricane,” says
Treina, “but I didn’t give up hope and I didn’t feel sorry for myself.”
Soon, the Inspiration Corporation, a partner agency of the Emergency Fund, helped Treina find
stable housing. However, Treina was still struggling to become self-sufficient in her new life. “Life
throws curves at you and I had to make a choice between paying my rent and feeding my children.”
Treina made the difficult decision to feed her children with her saved money and, as a result, she
fell two months behind in her rent payments. With nowhere left to turn and the possibility of an
eviction notice threatening the security of her family, the Inspiration Corporation used the
Emergency Fund which quickly paid for two months of back rent, allowing Treina and her family to
move forward with their lives.
Today, Treina is proud to report that, thanks to the support of the Emergency Fund, her situation
has stabilized. “I am so glad you were there for me,” says Treina, “but it’s all for my kids.” The
support of the Emergency Fund also allowed her to save money for other things, such as school
uniforms for her children. Her son, Julius, is now starting 8th grade and plays football. Her
daughter, Julianna, is in the 6th grade and loves working with computers. “When you overcome
true adversity in life, it helps you understand resilience,” says Treina.
“ Training
scientists to tackle
problems that really matter” is the
purpose of The Eric & Wendy Schmidt
Data Science for Social Good fellowship
summer program at the University of
Chicago. The Chicago Alliance is
honored to have been one of 10
organizations selected to host a team of
fellows working on a special project in
Summer 2014.
The team of fellows from the
University of Chicago have been
developing a comprehensive historical
analysis of the data provided by
homeless services in Chicago that will
inform future policy and practices. They
will help us set up a plan to match
homeless individuals and families with
the best service provider programs in
Chicago. The data scientists are there
to m easure our im pact. Using
information from the data scientists, we
can make a promising impact.
Since assuming full responsibility
for Chicago’s homeless management
information system (HMIS), the Chicago
Alliance has made homeless data
collection a top priority.
Criminal records are an often
overlooked but highly challenging
barrier to housing. The existence of a
criminal record can prevent individuals
and families from regaining selfsufficiency by finding a job and staying
housed. In 2013, the Emergency Fund
formed a partnership with Cabrini
Green Legal Aid (CGLA) to help
respond to the collateral consequences of
these legal challenges because housing
stability is about more than just rent.
Since we began this new
partnership, the Emergency Fund has
provided financial assistance to a total
of 276 individuals who needed
emergency legal support.
Here’s how it works. CGLA
assists individuals in clearing their
arrest or conviction records through a
range of legal remedies available in
Illinois. These include expunging, sealing,
C. Chen, C. Shan, L. Mayse-Lillig (Vice President
at the Chicago Alliance), C. Bopp, I. Hollander
McCreery, and Y. Kim
In this new and improved system, we
have seen Chicago’s homeless data
quality improve dramatically. For the
first time ever, we are able to begin
analyzing Chicago’s service provider
programs and assess which programs
are achieving the best outcomes for
homeless individuals and families. With
the help of the Data Scientists for
Social Good, we can provide the best
276
Individuals improved their
legal standing with the
support of All Chicago and
CGLA.
and establishing clemency of records
for clients. However, many of these
clients do not have a rainy day fund to
cover the cost of these legal services.
The Emergency Fund, in partnership
with CGLA, supports these people
though their crisis.
Thus far, of the total people
served by this partnership, 92% have
successfully improved their legal
standing. We are proud of these
successes because this form of legal
assistance is new for the Emergency
Fund. It is a prime example of the
services to achieve the security and
stability of hom e in Chicago.
Homelessness is a largescale, complex social phenomena that
does not lend itself to simple solutions.
However, by making data informed
decisions we will ensure the most
effective use of valuable resources
while at the same time providing for the
most efficient homeless services
system possible. Our work is not a
quick fix, but rather a long-term,
solution.
Thanks to the collaborative
efforts of community members,
bus ines s es , s ervic e provid ers ,
philanthropists, individuals with the lived
experience of homelessness, and data
scientists interested in making a
difference, Chicago’s homeless
services system is in the process of
transforming into a dynamic community
that can achieve the goals laid out in
Chicago’s Plan 2.0 - A Home for
E v e r yo n e . U s i n g d a t a d r i v e n
strategies, together we can make sure
that Chicago is a city where everyone
has a place to call home.
ingenuity behind the Emergency Fund’s
service delivery model; a network of
partnerships collaborating to achieve
outcomes that directly change the lives
of individuals and families. Our formula
is a recipe that works. Financial
assistance combined with legal support
services and job training yields longterm positive results. This is why the
help we provide to individuals and
families is critical.
However, our work is not
possible without the generous support of
concerned individuals and organizations.
Together we are making a tremendous
impact in the city of Chicago this year!
For over 40 years, we have provided
services to people struggling with a
crisis. Now, our new partnership with
Cabrini Green Legal Aid is continuing
this work established by the founder of
the Emergency Fund, Norman H. Stone.
All Chicago’s 2nd Annual Purse
Power event was held on September
18th at Germania Place. This year
the purse raffle included 23 designer
purses generously donated to All
Chicago. Some of the brands
included Balenciaga, Coach, Michael
Kors, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs,
Kate Spade, Lulu Guiness, Kenneth
Cole, and many others!
It was truly a night to
remember! There were some familiar
faces and some new ones, as well.
Tawnee, an individual with the lived
experience of homelessness, shared
her story of the support she received
from the Emergency Fund that
allowed her to become stably
employed and discover a new life.
Thank you, Tawnee!
We would like to extend our
appreciation to our sponsors: Chase
Bank, Waterton Residential and the
“Ladies of Waterton”, the Lisa and
John Pritzker Family Fund, the
Chicago Association of REALTORS,
Pierce and Associates, and Peoples
Gas for making Purse Power an
unforgettable night. Congratulations
to all the winners and we look
forward to seeing you all again next
year!
The Chicago Alliance will be hosting
the 10th Annual Breakfast with Mayor
on Thursday, October 30th held at
Chase Tower presented by CHASE
for the second year in a row. This
event will unite organizations from
both the public and private sectors,
as well as business leaders,
philanthropists, and individuals with
the lived experience of homelessness.
We will all come together to celebrate
the collective work accomplished in
the homeless services community this
year. A special thank you to the
sponsors: Chicago Association of
REALTORS, Waterton Residential,
Pierce and Associates, Brinshore
Development, Peoples Gas, McMasterCarr Supply Company, BMO Harris
Bank, and Bowman Software.
In June, All Chicago launched a
Young Professionals Board for
motivated young professionals to get
involved and support the goal of
making homelessness history.
The Young Professionals
Board is composed of a diverse
group of individuals representing a
wide network of companies and
organizations in the city of Chicago.
Currently, the Young Professionals
Board is planning a networking event
to raise funding and awareness
within the community about Plan 2.0
- A Home for Everyone. They are an
inspiring group of people and we are
proud to have their expertise and
support for the organization!
The All Chicago Young
Professionals Board members are
passionate supporters of the work
being done by All Chicago. “I went
from being a concerned participant
to the Young Professionals Board
President,” says Louis Sanders, the
current President. “I have very
quickly become one of the most vocal
ambassadors for the organization’s
mission. As I continue to grow as a
volunteer, I hope to be able to make
For further information please visit:
www.allchicago.org/get-involved/
events or contact Stefanie Skaggs at
Mayor Rahm Emanuel with Chairman of All
Chicago’s Board of Directors and son of the
founder of the Emergency Fund, Alan Stone.
a difference at All Chicago.” The
Young Professionals Board is a
great way to get involved in the
Chicago community.
Is someone you know interested in
becoming a member of All Chicago’s
Young Professional s Board?
Contact Stefanie Skaggs
(312) 379-0301 ext. 26 or
sskaggs@allchicago.org