On December 1st, North Side took over a 50-bed Interim Housing Program in Uptown that the REST agency previously operated. REST had been around for decades serving the Uptown community and city of Chicago. However, as it often does, the road turned and the agency was no longer able to manage the program. It’s ironic that North Side acquired the program, as the agency closed its own 30-bed Interim Housing program in December of 2010, the result of several variables. Now, almost a year-to-the day, the call was made to move forward with the 50-bed program in Uptown.

Taking over an existing 50-bed interim housing program for men homeless is no easy task. But, its what making the call looks like. After initial assessments, case managers reported that 10 of the 54 guys living in the space are veterans. North Side hopes to transition these guys and others who live there, into permanent housing in the very near future. With the war in Iraq ending, available transitional and permanent housing is critical–because unfortunately many veterans returning to America won’t be going to a home! Many times veterans make the initial decision to join the military due to broken family relationships and therefore really didn’t leave for war from a stable home environment, and therefore do not return to a stable home environment. At other times returning combat veterans who do have stable home environments do not return to those homes because at the end of war, they have become a stranger to themselves and their families (Dave Rogers, personal communication, 2011). What ever the case, available housing is desparately needed–and again, this is a huge challenge–but it’s what is needed for right now. We said we would make the call and are asking others to do the same. After all you never know whose life you might be saving…and people are worth saving.

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