SJNN Cycle 4 fellow Eiren Caffall recently published this lyrical longform reported essay, drawing on her SJNN research, on flooding and environmental racism in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood.
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By Lu Zhao NEWARK, OHIO — Jason has lived in a camp along a river in Licking County, in rural
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The Point-in-Time Count of Homeless Persons, a census held annually in cities nationwide since 2005, is organized in Chicago by the Department of Family and Support Services, and is meant to understand the homeless population in the city during a few hours on one given night in January. The data is used to guide federal funding, homeless services and resource planning, but it is far from comprehensive.
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For most Chicagoans keeping warm outside in the winter is not that hard: you just need parkas, gloves, boots and the chance to retreat to a warm home or car. But for the estimated 5,450 people who are homeless and living outdoors in Chicago, the situation is different and difficult.
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Like many Chicago neighborhoods, the Mexican neighborhood of Pilsen is being heavily gentrified and many longtime residents are being displaced. Here is a small glimpse into what this looks like for those experiencing such changes and those fighting against them.
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An ache came from Abana Tabb’s legs. He looked down and saw the open wound bleeding like a leaking faucet. It seemed like a full cup of blood.
Tabb’s heart cannot pump well because of congestive heart failure, but it started beating rapidly. He felt dizzy. He lay down on the street.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to die.’ It’s crazy,” he repeated. “It’s crazy.”
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The screech of a train, the ring of paleta-cart bells and the chatter of children—these sounds define Pilsen in the summer. And artist Amanda Gutiérrez is listening to every sound the neighborhood has to offer. She has called Pilsen, a neighborhood on the Southwest Side of Chicago, home for over 15 years. “I feel very emotionally and historically attached to this neighborhood,” she said.
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