{"id":106412,"date":"2025-07-31T02:32:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T02:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/106412\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T02:32:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T02:32:07","slug":"chicago-house-ceo-michael-herman-no-one-should-be-punished-for-being-unhoused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/106412\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago House CEO Michael Herman: No one should be punished for being unhoused"},"content":{"rendered":"

Statement:<\/strong> As housing costs rise, the lack of affordable options continues to push more people toward homelessness. Criminalizing low-income individuals and families, particularly those living with HIV or other chronic illnesses, is not a solution to crime in America.<\/p>\n

The\u00a02025 Point-in-Time (PIT)<\/a>\u00a0count in Chicago revealed a significant increase in homelessness, marking the highest numbers since the national survey began in 2005. Alarmingly, many are experiencing homelessness for the first time. The report states:\u00a0\u201cThe post-pandemic housing and economic situations locally have strained low-income households and made it harder for people to remain or get housed.<\/p>\n

\u201dDespite its title,\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cEnding Crime and Disorder on America\u2019s Streets,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0the recent\u00a0<\/strong>Executive Order<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0favors criminalization and incarceration over proven solutions like treatment, therapy, job training, and\u2014above all\u2014stable housing. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago House was founded on the belief that everyone deserves a safe, stable home. Without housing, individuals cannot begin to address the challenges that led to their homelessness. Moreover, housing is essential to health care. In 1985, when people living with HIV were evicted, discriminated against, and alienated from their communities, Chicago House became a beacon of hope\u2014offering housing, health, and dignity to those who were being criminalized simply for being unhoused.<\/p>\n

Today, we remain steadfast in our mission. Chicago House continues to lead in providing housing and support services for communities disproportionately impacted by HIV and housing instability. We are expanding our reach with new housing developments in Englewood, North Lawndale, and soon, East Garfield Park. We remain vigilant in supporting those most in need, ensuring that every individual is treated with dignity and respect.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the effects of the Executive Order, please read this\u00a0post<\/a>\u00a0from our friends at the National Alliance to End Homelessness.In solidarity,<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Michael HermanChief Executive Officer<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Statement: As housing costs rise, the lack of affordable options continues to push more people toward homelessness. Criminalizing…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":106413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,210,7065,5386,1818,3228],"class_list":{"0":"post-106412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-housing","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-illinois","13":"tag-law"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114945507141854009","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}