As I begin this story, I want to take you back to August 30, 2008 as I arrive in the chicago area, I had heard many stories of how rough it is to live in chicago especially for minorities. mainly african americans, as I arrive on a saturday, I decide to check out what services were available to the poor and homeless, I found out about a place called the pacific garden mission located in downtown chicago. so I decided to check into the pacific garden mission. so as the evening arrived I was checked in by the senior chaplin on duty. given all all information on the rules of the mission.
I really needed to get chicago's prospective on homelessness. as the evening is now in place. all clients are preparing to be served dinner. and as we line up for dinner. there are your everyday knuckle heads, who carry on like a knuckle head. I am about the nineteenth person in line. and about fifteen people back, one person begins to get very loud. and makes threats to another guy behind him. and suddenly a ruckus breaks out in the dinner line. two younger guys are going at it punch for punch. and the staff breaks it up and hauls both individuals out for the night. it is late summer so both parties really don't care about being kicked out. anyway moving on after dinner we are being bedded down. after our showers, we are issued these very thin gowns which reveals more than they should. the next morning I take a tour of the city.
and as I find out about another shelter farther north of the city. so I decide to give it a try to see what they have to offer the homeless. well' I talked with one staff member on duty, that person was fairly nice, and he seem to be very helpful in answering some of my questions. but later on there was a different staff member at the contact desk, and this person was not so nice. I think he was having a very bad day. he manners were not very pleasing. which is the case with alot of staff at various missions and shelters. in the chicago area. unemployment is very high. there are no jobs for alot of people. I decided to talk with the staff at the newspaper streetwise in chicago. I was able to meet with a vendor I meet with a vendor that I met in washington dc some years back when streetwise came to washington dc. streetwise left washington dc, due to management problems. but streetwise is doing well in chicago, I guess that is because streetwise has been in the chicago area for so long. I tried to checkout other services such as soup kitchens, medical services for the homeless, they very rarely exist. chicago is a rough town, one would have to have pretty thick skin to live in chicago. my hometown Indianapolis, Indiana is not very far from chicago. I was sent to chicago's great lakes naval training center back in the 1970s to perform basic training. but this city has changed tremendously. but then nothing is ever expected to stay the same. but chicago needs to help its poor citizens and stop all of the red tape it holds towards them.
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