Street Outreach in Chicago

What is a "tent city"? The real term is an encampment. There are sanctioned and unsanctioned encampments. Sanctioned ones are protected from local governments from being destroyed or cleared out by public works employees or police. These benefit from services like donations of food from local restaurants and more effective social work and medical services because followup is much easier. Since these last longer, the people who live in them develop a sense of community. People look out for each other. There isn't a constant fear of eviction hanging over their heads, so they feel more settled. Unsanctioned encampments are in somewhat secluded areas where people have been able to live undisturbed for some time. The vast majority of them are unsanctioned. The better they're camouflaged and the cleaner they're kept, the longer they are tolerated. Where are tent cities? Two sanctioned encampments in Chicago are located on Belmont and 90/94, and on DesPlaines Ave. ...

There re two reasons for this. 1. Social connection. Many people have families and friends in the area that they don't want to leave. Communication is a little tough- not so many text or email on a regular basis. They don't want to break the few connections they have with the people they know and love. 2. Resources. It takes some time to learn where the churches are that host PADS nights, where the food is given out, where the clinics are they don't turn away Medicaid patients. Learning the where's and what's of a new city is daunting. You probably wouldn't want to move and start your life over twice a year, and neither do homeless people. Their lives depend even more on being connected to local governments, churches and resources. Once they've established connections to a place, it's tough to uproot them. Even if the weather is better.

Stephan Koruba is the senior nurse practitioner of The Night Ministry's Street Medicine program. After working in a rural health facility in Montana for 3 years, the Loyola Chicago Level 1 ER for 3 years, and their highest level burn unit for another 2 years, he received his Nurse Practitioner certificate and began treating low-income patients in Aurora, Illinois. His passion for community development met his medical skills when he changed careers and became the lead medical personnel at The Night Ministry in 2019. While the people he meets on the streets of Chicago have their own incredible stories, Stephan and the team he works with are constantly moved by their experiences and friendships. In the following weeks and months, we will be learning with them how the human spirit grows to care for the poorest, most needy folks living on the streets. Street Medicine was pioneered in Boston and Pittsburg. The Night Ministry piloted their own program in Chicago with a van, one outrea...

Question: I have limited time and resources. I can't prioritize caring for the homeless, but I honestly feel like I want to be doing something . What can I do to help? Answer: Start seeing the homeless people around you. They make a living out of being inconspicuous because that usually keeps them safe. Being "seen" tends to cause trouble in that they get arrested or kicked out of their comfortable places. Homeless people are easily overlooked. Overlooking homeless folks feeds into the social isolation aspect of the problem, which then leads to de-humanizing this vulnerable population. Question: Aren't homeless people wary of overly-friendly strangers? Answer: Totally. It can take multiple encounters with a persistent stranger for someone to feel comfortable responding positively. If you say Hello and offer a helping hand, they might even tell you their name. After a while, you might even get to hear their story. Until then you can offer food, or water, or, if y...