Homelessness Awareness Month: A Call to Action for Health Justice

November is Homelessness Awareness Month, a time to shed light on the critical issue of homelessness and the complex challenges faced by those who experience it. At Legal Council, this month resonates deeply with our mission to advance health equity and ensure access to justice for vulnerable populations, particularly individuals experiencing homelessness.

Our Homeless Outreach Program (HOP) reaches individuals facing homelessness or at risk of it, particularly those with mental health challenges. Through partnerships with social services agencies, HOP staff engage directly with clients on the street, in encampments, and in temporary housing, providing essential legal support where it’s needed most.

Understanding the Connection

Homelessness is not just a lack of stable housing; it profoundly impacts health and well-being. Many individuals experiencing homelessness face significant barriers to accessing healthcare, legal resources, and essential social services. Our work at Legal Council is intended to address these barriers by providing legal support tailored to the unique needs of those experiencing homelessness:

• Access to Healthcare: People that are without shelter are living in crisis. Crisis makes it hard to identify, seek and persist with longer term solutions. Individuals without stable housing often struggle to obtain necessary medical care, leading to untreated or undertreated health conditions. Our team advocates for healthcare access, ensuring that clients can obtain Medicaid, Medicare, mental health support, and other crucial medical services.
• Public Benefits Advocacy: Many people experiencing homelessness are unaware of the benefits available to them, or have lost hope in their pursuit of them, given the obstacles that homeless people face daily such as no mailing address, no phone, no access to email and frequent loss of all material belongings, including paperwork from SSA and ID. Programs such as Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can be accessed with support. We work tirelessly to help our clients navigate these systems and secure the resources they are entitled to and need to survive and thrive. Since the pandemic, the Social Security disability system has been particularly overwhelmed due to a shrinking congressional budget for administration and low staffing,  making the obstacles to obtaining these benefits greater than ever.
• Education and Support for Families: Families facing homelessness encounter additional challenges, especially when it comes to accessing education and support for children with special needs. Our Children’s Program provides vital legal assistance to ensure that these children receive the education and resources they deserve. Living in crisis makes every day persistent activities like school seem less pressing or meaningful, especially when trying to find a safer place for one’s children.
• Combating Stigma: The stigma surrounding homelessness can be debilitating. We strive to foster a more inclusive environment through trauma-informed and culturally-competent advocacy and education, ensuring that individuals are treated with dignity and respect.

Taking Action

During Homelessness Awareness Month, we encourage everyone to join us in advocating for change. Whether through volunteering, donating, or raising awareness about the issue, every action counts. Together, we can work to dismantle the systemic barriers that perpetuate homelessness and advocate for policies that promote health and well-being for all.

Donate items, food, or other supplies:

• Breakthrough: Breakthrough partners with people to build connections, develop skills, and open doors of opportunity.
• Deborah’s Place: Deborah’s Place opens doors of opportunity for women who are homeless in Chicago. Supportive housing and services offer women their key to healing, achieving their goals and moving on from the experience of homelessness. In addition to monetary support, donations of necessary items (gifts in-kind) provide Deborah’s Place residents resources to turn housing into home. When you donate items to Deborah’s Place, you facilitate independence and well-being for women in Chicago who’ve experienced homelessness.
• Facing Forward: Facing Forward ends homelessness for families and individuals by offering hope, help and housing. Facing Forward provides permanent housing, education, advocacy, and social services. New families and individuals are entering Facing Forward’s programs year-round and are in need of supplies to help them get settled in their new homes.
• Franciscan Outreach: Franciscan Outreach is a leading provider of homeless services in Chicago. They operate as a system of support for men and women who are marginalized and homeless and empower people to gain the stability they need to transition into permanent housing.
• Matthew House: For 30 years, Matthew House, a nonprofit community-based organization, has provided food, daytime shelter, permanent supportive housing, and supportive services to men, women, families, and children who are experiencing or at risk of becoming homeless.
• The Night Ministry: The Night Ministry is a Chicago-based organization whose mission is to provide human connection, housing support, and health care to members of our community who are unhoused or experiencing poverty. You can support The Night Ministry by donating items from their wish list, which helps provide essential services to those in need.
• Sarah’s Circle: Sarah’s Circle provides a full continuum of services for women, including housing, life necessities, and supportive services, to help them permanently end their homelessness. Sarah’s Circle will gratefully accept in-kind donations purchased from their online registry lists.

At Legal Council for Health Justice, we are committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness. This month, let’s amplify our efforts and work together to create a future where everyone has access to the resources and support they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives.