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At Tent Cities, Homeless 'Excited' — But Wary — Of New City Housing Program

By Josh McGhee | April 29, 2016 8:47am
 Gary Miller and neighbors enjoy
Gary Miller and neighbors enjoy "the best baked potatoes" in Chicago.
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DNAinfo/Josh McGhee

UPTOWN — On Wednesdays, 39-year-old Gary Miller looks forward to one of the few predictable joys in his life: a warm baked potato.

As a homeless resident of a tent city under a viaduct in Uptown, he doesn't know where his next shower will be, if the police will arrest him the next time they see him, or if he'll ever have a permanent place to call home.

But the potato delivered from a blue minivan — "the best in the city," he said — also reminds him of something else: his passion for cooking. And that passion, he hopes, could be rekindled if he's accepted to take part in a pilot program by the City's Task Force to Reduce Homelessness. 

The program, aimed at attacking "chronic homelessness" — promises 75 people living under the viaducts in Chicago permanent housing if they've been found to be homeless for the last year, or four times over the last three years.

Reporter Josh McGhee details the pilot program to help the homeless.

"I'm so excited. I can't wait. I love to cook, and I can't wait to get behind a stove again," Miller said this week while enjoying a warm potato with broccoli with other residents of the tent city.

About a month ago, the Department of Family and Support Services came down to the viaducts, set up a table on the west side of the street and handed out applications for the program. Though all the applicants from the various viaducts along Lake Shore Drive hope to get housing, Miller, who's been homeless off and on for the last 15 years, knows his situation has its own complications.

At the age of 20, Miller was convicted of predatory sexual assault of a minor in Marion County. Though the charges were dropped on appeal, they weren't expunged from his record, forcing him to register as a sex offender, which he hasn't been able to do without a permanent address, he said.

The conflict has landed him in a jail cell several times, said Miller, who also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and social anxiety.

"I will never be in trouble again as long as I get housing," he said. "This whole thing has gotten to a point ... I don't want to be anybody. I just want to be nobody. I'm just trying to move on with my life."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called the pilot program a "holistic, comprehensive and compassionate manner" of attacking chronic homelessness.

“This pilot will enlist stakeholders from all over the city to ensure that we are all doing our part in ensuring that our neighbors have a place to call home and that those who are struggling can get the support they need to get back on their feet," Emanuel said.

Although Emanuel boasts of increasing spending on fighting homelessness by 10 percent since he took office five years ago, and he pledged to end homelessness among veterans in 2014, the problem has proved to be stubborn. 

The city confirmed this week that it has seen an increase in the number of homeless people in Chicago.

The Department of Family and Support Services said it typically provides housing to 3,000 people a night through shelters and interim housing. While many who live under the viaducts were happy for the opportunity the pilot program presents, they fear it won't help everyone, and tent city will remain.

"Now that the winter is over, the shelters are starting to close. Slowly, you're seeing more and more people. They may be left behind," said Patrick, who's lived under the Lawrence viaduct since December.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless visits the viaducts several times a week to stay in contact with the applicants, but the only timeline they've been given is that the transition would occur in the next 60 to 90 days, he said.

Residents of the tent encampment at the Foster Avenue viaduct were less trusting that the program will give them housing. With multiple advocacy groups visiting the tent cities and also often asking for names and social security numbers, the residents remain wary — especially because they say they've seen few results.

"Everybody promises everything, but nobody does nothing," said one resident, who identified himself as Tony. "I'm scared now because I give all these people my social security number, you know, maybe they can use it."

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