In Memoriam of Sister Patricia Crowley

Sister Patricia Crowley

It is with heavy hearts that we relay that Sister Patricia Crowley, a guiding light of H.O.M.E. since its inception, passed away on October 14th. Patsy holds a sacred place in H.O.M.E.’s heart and history. This is only in part because her mother, Patty Crowley, was a founding Board member and that her father Pat Crowley’s upstanding “spirit” as “a wise, gentle and compassionate man,” in the words of Lilo and Michel Salmon, inspired our first intergenerational, communal building. 

On the contrary, we love Patsy – Sister Patricia Crowley, O.S.B., of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago, St. Scholastica Monastery – because she was herself: a warm, remarkable woman with a passion for housing justice. Her successes, especially with and for women who fled or lost their homes, are reflected in these women’s stories and in the thriving agencies and coalitions she led in Chicago such as Deborah’s Place, Bethany House of Hospitality, and the Chicago Continuum of Care. 

Add H.O.M.E. to the list. It was Patsy who identified the Edgewater building that became the Pat Crowley House. At the time, in 1982, she directed the Howard Area Community Center. As she recounted the story to me

“It is hard to believe that the Pat Crowley House has been open for 40 years. I remember offering to connect H.O.M.E. with the Sacred Heart Fathers who owned that building. In facing the reality of homelessness in the ‘80s, we had begun a shelter in their other building but were not able to take on a second building at the time. I was telling my mother about that, and she told me to offer to connect with H.O.M.E. about their possible need for a building. It worked!”

Patsy helped H.O.M.E. celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pat Crowley House in a congratulatory video, which we filmed in the Rosemont residence. What you don’t see in the video are her hugs.

Patsy walked the talk of her remarks on the occasion of H.O.M.E.'s anniversary last year, words that I meditate on each day, which is that "H.O.M.E. offers not just a place but a set of relationships at a time in life when a lot of seniors don’t have that opportunity. So H.O.M.E. is a real inspiration to me as I continue to advocate for more housing in Chicago, which is needed." 

Patsy’s words reached beyond H.O.M.E. as an instruction for doing justice, showing mercy, and walking humbly. Patsy’s own life was an example of grounding one’s spirituality and good works in the power of relationships: human, natural, and divine. 

H.O.M.E. is proud to follow Patsy’ example and offer relationships, service, and advocacy so every Chicagoan is safely and affordably housed in a welcoming community. 

Gail Schechter

H.O.M.E. Executive Director

Voices from H.O.M.E.: Meet Tresa

In life, many of us work to provide for ourselves, our families, and others, for the majority of our lives. We look forward to retiring from the job force and enjoying the lives we have worked so hard to create and maintain. In Illinois, the average age of retirement is 62, with social security benefits becoming available at age 67 – and so for many, retirement is not just a choice, but a privilege that comes with new problems and challenges to overcome.

When retirement finally arrives, many seniors transition to living on a fixed income with little room for unexpected housing repairs. Miss Tresa was lucky enough to have an engaged alderman that made connecting older adults in the 21st Ward with resources a priority. As soon as she approached the cusp of entering “older adulthood” Alderman Brookins provided her with a list of resources & agencies, including H.O.M.E. Though she had not yet retired from her job as a Caseworker for DCFS, she was excited to take advantage of these new opportunities and called Mr. Mike to arrange for housing repairs.

A native of the south side of Chicago, Miss Tresa is used to taking care of things herself, including fixing things around the house but the number of small repairs piled up quickly as she recovered from a major medical procedure. Her neighbors know her as an incredibly helpful person who's always willing to lend a hand—and now she's found an organization that she says helps her do even more.

In the summer of 2021 a simple request to replace a broken faucet transformed into pipe replacement, light fixture installations, and even repairing issues from a less-skilled electrician. Miss Tresa beams with joy as she recounts the installation of her new ceiling fan, purchased by one of her children for mother’s day. “My old one stopped working, so my son bought me a new one and I was excited to put it up… but he wasn’t around to help! So when the Technician came out and saw the fan wasn’t working, he installed the new one quickly. I’ve told several people about H.O.M.E., and god willing I’ll tell several more about the good work being done for older adults.”

While many older adults live on a fixed income after retiring, they still need to be able to afford housing repairs when they suddenly come up. For more than two decades, H.O.M.E. has filled a much-needed service gap for low-income senior homeowners living in Chicago's south and west-side neighborhoods. and we couldn't do it without our beloved community of supporters. Your generous donations allow us to assist older adults like Miss Tresa in living with pride and dignity in their homes for as long as possible. Miss Tresa says she's "looking forward to peace, quiet & happiness" — those are the things we all deserve in our golden years.

Caring for our Children: The Power of Grandfriends

Written By Gail Schechter, Executive Director

“The greatest lie we tell ourselves as a society is that we care for our children.” I meditate on this somber truth every day since I heard Rabbi Bruce Elder of Congregation Hakafa utter it in his sermon for this Jewish new year. He put a mirror in front of us and I cannot turn away.

If we truly cared for children beyond those in our families, he said, we would not allow refugees to suffer at our southern border, neglect public schools in Black, brown, or indigenous neighborhoods, or fail to protect them from disease. 

Above all, we would have addressed climate change long ago. According to a new study released in Science, children born in 2020 will experience two to seven times more catastrophic events like heat waves than those born in 1960 – and that’s assuming that already adopted climate pledges around the world are kept.

It’s no wonder that among young people, depression and anxiety are rising.

But I discovered that there is a solution we have yet to tap in Chicago: seniors’ tremendous empathy for children. 

I spent much of the last year listening to more than two dozen randomly selected low-income seniors H.O.M.E. has served on the South and West Sides of Chicago through our Upkeep & Repair, Moving, and Shopping Bus programs. Most are women, and all but one are Black. We decided to solicit their advice for how H.O.M.E. could best support them through practical services, new housing, or advocacy for racial and economic equity.

Today, as I cull through my notes, what surprises me is how little they focus on themselves, even though they live on low incomes and often in physical pain. 

Although I went into these interviews with an open mind, I expected I would hear a resounding “yes” for more affordable housing for seniors, and for an expansion of services. But this was only the case for a few.

When asked what they love about their neighborhoods, half of them highlighted a family-oriented community. “We look out for each other, we love each other, and remain concerned about our neighborhood,” said one Chatham resident.

Their main concern is safety. But while a few blamed “young buckaroos,” as one man put it, for their own behavior, most connected the dots between violence and diminished job, educational, and recreational opportunities for young people. 

“The street is their family” because they have no other, observed a 63-year-old West Side man.

“When you see young guys without jobs, it's racism. School systems don’t get what they should get. You have to catch the kids when they are young, truant officers are long gone.  You have to keep children in school. [I recommend an] affordable boys and girls club or after-school programs. Kids have nowhere to go after school most days. My grandkids hate the police and don’t feel they are keeping them safe. They don’t trust the police at all.” (Chatham)

A retired teacher in West Garfield Park, Gloria, aged 67, was most expansive in her response:

“You can see the difference for majority-minority neighborhoods. The local schools have no pianos, at most one desktop computer in the back of the class, no laptops, no gym or art. Only one elementary school on the West Side even offers a foreign language, compared to non-Black counterparts. We’re not giving children the opportunity. 

“I would change the whole scenery and give children and adults something to do with their time. I would like to see the community open back up. [Emphasis hers] I would make the public library more alive and wholesome. I would add a community center open from 8 AM to 8 PM where people could play chess, checkers and other games. I would like to see basketball, baseball, tennis, and a pool – available and for free as when I was a child. There was not a block, when I was a kid, that you couldn’t find something to do. When I was a child, there were opportunities to learn ballet, pottery, painting, drawing, swimming, the Girl Scouts. That just vanished. I have two grandchildren sitting with me at home because camp is too expensive for my daughter.”

What’s tragic to me is that this passion from older people for giving disadvantaged young lives a chance has few outlets for expression. 

That’s where intergenerational communities and H.O.M.E. come in. 

Hope Meadows, a village of grandparents, parents, and adopted foster children in central Illinois, has tapped into what founder Brenda Krause Eheart, in her book Neighbors, calls “the power of caring relationships among people of all ages.” Older people find meaning and purpose at Hope Meadows as they read to, watch, and encourage the children in their midst. And the children flourish in the love and attention of their “grandfriends.”

I am very excited that H.O.M.E. is embarking on developing a new intergenerational residence in Washington Park together with The Renaissance Collaborative. In our new 74-unit building, we envision two dozen “grandfamilies” living and thriving alongside older adults and younger people living and working as Resident Assistants mirroring H.O.M.E. 's North Side Nathalie Salmon House and Pat Crowley House.

Also on the South Side, we are assisting One Roof Chicago to create an LGBTQ+-centered intergenerational community. LGBTQ+ youth are among the most ostracized people. Who better to give them the warmth and nurturance of a genuine family than elders?

Our moral imperative as a society is to care about our children no matter their race, sexual or gender identity, or income. This is not a question of choice. The same can be said for our seniors. What better solution than to bring young and old together?

Gloria says it best: “Every day when I get up, I get fully dressed. I show my grandchildren we have to care about something more than ourselves.”

The Senior Rainbow Assistance Program: Champions of LGBTQ Seniors

This month of June is a time to celebrate #Pride Month and here at H.O.M.E. we believe that the best communities are the most inclusive ones! As advocates of elderly adults, H.O.M.E. believes that all aging adults, regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation deserve the opportunity to remain independent and age with grace safely within their own homes. In the spirit of inclusion and community, we would like to introduce you to our community partner, The Senior Rainbow Assistance Program.

The Senior Rainbow Assistance Program was founded in 2019 with a vision to provide LGBTQ seniors with the support they need to remain safe, warm, and healthy at a time of most need. This idea started because of a significant life change through the loss of one of our own incomes.  We were fortunate to have a plan and support from family and friends.  But there were the “what ifs.” What if we didn’t have savings? What if we were older?  What if we didn't have family support? What if we had a family to support? So, we started to plan and build our “Three C’s: Compassion, Communication, Commitment.”  

In August 2019, we introduced the Senior Rainbow Assistance Program to our friends and family.  We highlighted our Compassion.  Our Compassion and respect for all members of the LGBTQ community. And our Compassion and respect for all members of the Senior community.  Senior Rainbow’s main program was to offer assistance to LGBTQ seniors with groceries or utilities, so they didn’t have to choose between food or medications.  We were able to Communicate our Compassion and Commitment and had what we considered a very successful Kick-Off event that raised nearly $4000.  We now had something to build on and to plan for.  Until March of 2020.

COVID-19 changed the world.  We had plans to visit local agencies and senior centers to offer our services, but now the doors were closed.  How were we to raise more funds when we could not be in the same space as other people?  Our team at Senior Rainbow had to pivot and adjust.  Our original vision was to help senior LGBTQ Illinoisians, but when our very first applicant told us she lost her long-term job due to the pandemic, we realized there might be a greater need for a different reason.  Senior Rainbow still honored the commitment to seniors, but we soon also accepted those 18-55 years old who lost their jobs due to COVID-19.  This pivot was good for the whole LGBTQ community because we then were awarded our first grant from Chicago Foundation for Women (www.cfw.org).

In the late 2020 & early 2021, as the world continued to be closed, we solidified partnerships with agencies such as Center on Halsted, AgeOptions, Howard Brown and H.O.M.E.  Applicants and relationships come through these agencies, and we expand our reach to more and more people in need.  In October and December 2020, we conducted webinars via Zoom to the Sage Program at West Suburban Senior Services and AgeOptions, respectively.  These were great experiences to communicate our message.  One takeaway from the presentations was why we did not have a housing element to our program. 

We started Senior Rainbow in hopes of keeping people in their homes and at this point, we had helped over a dozen people with their grocery or utility bills, but our applicants were also asking about rental assistance.  Because of COVID-19, more government programs for food, utility and housing assistance were being utilized. Unfortunately, many of these programs took time to get accepted into.  We asked ourselves, could Senior Rainbow be that short-term bridge to get people through the immediate challenge?  So, we looked to expand.  

Our original Basic Necessities program offered assistance in two $250 payments for groceries or utilities.  In March 2021, we expanded our Basic Necessities Program to increase an applicant’s lifetime assistance amount to $1500 and introduced our long-awaited housing assistance. We reached out to a partner agency to offer their clients additional money, and several took advantage.  One such applicant was Thomas L., whose fixed income could not cover his rent and groceries.  We were able to help him earlier in the fall and he was very grateful for any assistance we could give.  In March, we reached out to Center on Halsted to have him be our first housing assistance client.  Thomas L. was working with social workers on applying for subsidized housing, but help was months away.  Senior Rainbow was able to supplement Thomas’s rent until permanent solutions could be found.

Since the inception of our Basic Necessities program, we have been able to provide over $10,000 in assistance to help 19 members of the LGBTQ community remain safe, warm, and healthy! We truly appreciate all the support and commitment we have received from our donors for this program and look forward to continued service to the LGBTQ Senior Community in Illinois through their generosity.  

People First, Housing Second: H.O.M.E.’s Intergenerational Model

Sometimes an action we take has consequences beyond the reason we take it. We might decide to forgo eating meat for our health but it benefits the environment too. When the federal government instituted labor laws to prevent children from being exploited in factories and farms, we also paved the way for universal public school education.

In the same way, the philosophy behind the founding of Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly is only tangentially about housing. This may be a surprise to some because when one hears H.O.M.E.’s name and the needs it meets, it is only natural to conclude that H.O.M.E.’s purpose is to help solve the housing shortage for older people with low incomes. 

In fact, the origin of H.O.M.E.’s intergenerational housing is more connected to the progressive spirit that undergirded the Catholic Worker Movement than to affordable housing policy. 

H.O.M.E. is born of a spiritual philosophy of community, of all people in all their precious individuality equal under one tent. The way Dorothy Day describes collaborating with Peter Maurin to found Catholic Worker houses during the Depression could very well serve as the raison d’être for H.O.M.E. Here is Day telling the story to Robert Coles in his Lives of Moral Leadership:

“We started with a soup kitchen, and in no time we had a community of us, living together. It wasn’t ‘us’ versus ‘them,’ a few with ‘ideas’ and ‘ideals’ and the hungry poor ‘we’ worked to feed; it was a mix of people – some who had no place to stay, and ‘us,’ who were searching, you could say, for our place to stay!” 

The key word is “our.” H.O.M.E. started not with a soup kitchen but as an outgrowth of Little Brothers of the Poor (now Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly), whose volunteers visited lonely elderly widows and widowers in Paris in the aftermath of WWII. Its credo of “flowers before bread” means that all people need social and spiritual connection, even over physical sustenance. 

Michel Salmon came to Chicago in 1959 to start Little Brothers in this country. He later married Lilo, another volunteer and a social worker from Germany. They found that substandard housing, homelessness, and out-of-reach rents burdened low-income Chicago seniors on a daily basis; on a practical level, this issue rose to the top of any issue facing older people. Together, Michel and Lilo launched H.O.M.E. in 1982 with a small seed grant from Little Brothers.

Housing, for H.O.M.E.’s founders, was intended to be a means by which to heal a broken community, to turn “us” and “them” into “we.” Housing is not the end in itself. Although nonsectarian, to this day, H.O.M.E. is animated by a faith-inspired vision of mutuality. 

When people ask me what makes H.O.M.E.’s intergenerational housing unique, I can respond with confidence that H.O.M.E.’s family-style communal arrangement that allows a dozen older people to live under one roof with a handful of young adult Resident Assistants, sharing meals and activities together, is unparalleled. Groups around the world contact H.O.M.E. to learn more about our “Good Life Senior Residences” – Pat Crowley House in Edgewater, which also incorporates a family with a kindergartner, and the top floor of Nathalie Salmon House in Rogers Park – which blend privacy and camaraderie, access to community nursing and resident-led events, all with H.O.M.E. staff support.

But the secret to H.O.M.E.’s success lies in its intergenerational intent. That intent was not what one might think, of having younger people “do for” older people so they can live comfortably. It was to create a joyful amalgamation of equals.

“From the start we had a good sense of community, of caring, of ‘being in it together,’” wrote Lilo of the 1983 establishment of Pat Crowley House. She elaborates in her history of H.O.M.E.:

“The community dinners once a week at the house reminded us of our community life at Little Brothers. It was like a seamless continuation of a lifestyle to which we were accustomed, only better, because we had the old people live with us, so to speak. At Little Brothers, we always had to take the old people home, after parties, after a vacation, after an outing, we had to take many of them back to miserable conditions until ‘the next time.’ At the Pat Crowley House we could provide all the things which they had lacked in their former circumstances.”

Older people with low incomes are among those people society most marginalizes. The genius of H.O.M.E. was in turning “intergenerationality” into a verb, solving for isolation by providing age-integrated housing and housing outreach services, and serving as a conduit for ordinary people from all walks of life to share their time, energy, and resources with older people and with one another. 

The secret of H.O.M.E.’s intergenerational housing is communality. It is that “seamless continuation” of a world in which there is no “Other,” shaped by mutual upholding as a way of life. 

Flowers for Seniors: A beautiful partnership in bloom

If there’s one thing that is a widely agreed upon fact, it is that 2020 has been a stressful year for all of us. In an effort to alleviate this common stress and bring a smile to the face of our friends at H.O.M.E., one gloomy Tuesday in October our team set out on a mission with the help of Ashland Addison Florist Company. 

 A small group of volunteers composed of leadership, staff, and associate board members teamed up to deliver fresh bouquets to the door of every resident at H.O.M.E. 's three affordable intergenerational living buildings: Blackhawk Manor, Pat Crowley House, and Nathalie Salmon House. 

It's incredible how a small gesture like an unexpected bouquet of flowers can brighten someone's whole day, and we cannot express how much H.O.M.E. appreciates community-minded businesses that think creatively about how to give back. With every bouquet delivered kind words and smiles were exchanged,  providing the gift of joy & connection in this unfamiliar “social distanced” world we all currently live in. 

Our team is looking forward to fostering more partnerships and creating new initiatives to bring smiles to the face of our residents, while keeping the health & safety of our seniors a priority. If you are with a business or organization that may be interested in partnering with H.O.M.E. to continue fostering joy, independence, and connection for our seniors this winter please reach out to Cassidy Olson, Direct of Development, at cassidyo@homeseniors.org.

Thank you again to Ashland Addison for their generous and thoughtful donation, and our flower delivery volunteers for their help! Together, home is what we make of it.

Free Hearing Aids for Seniors: H.O.M.E. and MDHearingAid Partnering for Better Hearing Health

H.O.M.E is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with MDHearingAid to provide $100,000 worth of hearing aids to approximately 250 seniors most in need in the Chicagoland area. MDHearingAid is a proud Midwest company that has provided affordable hearing for over a decade to more than 500,000 Americans. 

“I am floored by this very generous offer of hearing aids,” said Gail Schechter, Executive Director of H.O.M.E.

MDHearingAid will start by providing free hearing test screenings and free hearing aids to residents at the three H.O.M.E. buildings (Nathalie Salmon House, Pat Crowley House, Blackhawk Manor) with assistance from H.O.M.E. staff Cassidy Olson (Director of Development) and Nikki Moustafa (Housing Director). 

“We’re absolutely thrilled about this partnership,” said Cassidy Olson. “It’s in all of our best interest to take our time and make a strategic plan about how to roll out the program.” 

“This is so exciting,” added Nikki Moustafa. “Thank you for all your hard work. Our residents will be so excited; these hearing aids will be life-changing!” 

Once established, MDH will leverage H.O.M.E.’s outreach capabilities to increase the number of seniors served by this program. H.O.M.E. will act as a conduit between MDHearingAid and seniors to facilitate the free hearing tests and the ordering of free hearing aids.

Improved hearing is linked to well-being in seniors

October is both National Audiology Awareness Month and National Protect Your Hearing Month, and what better way to highlight the significance than by providing seniors with free hearing tests and hearing aids.

According to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), half of Americans over the age of 60 suffer from some level of hearing loss. With our aging population, PCAST estimates that the number of Americans with hearing loss will soar to 82 million by 2040.

Extensive research links hearing loss to social isolation, Alzheimer’s, other dementias, cognitive decline, loss of speech comprehension, higher risk of unintentional falls, and depression. However, many older adults with hearing loss struggle to access hearing aids, which can often exceed $3,000.To meet this need, MDHearingAid developed the MDHearingAid PRO a device that usually retails for $399 a pair, which they will be donating to the seniors H.O.M.E. serves.

The idea of helping to restore the independence of low-income seniors was an especially strong motivation for MDHearingAid when developing this initiative. The majority of residents at H.O.M.E. sites do not have family or friends to act as advocates or advisors who could help facilitate an appointment with an audiologist and help navigate the financial components of purchasing hearing aids. By partnering with H.O.M.E, we hope to help shoulder that burden, making the process of obtaining a hearing aid more convenient and without cost to those most in need.

A perfect partnership

There is a great mission alignment between MDHearingAid and us. A Midwestern company with over a decade of experience, the MDHearingAid team has a single goal: to improve patient access to affordable hearing solutions. Combine that with our aims of fostering joy, independence, and connection for older adults with low incomes, and you have the perfect match of technological know-how and local hands-on knowledge.

“This is such an incredible partnership, and I am so happy that this is moving forward,” said Brittany Norment, Communications Consultant at Karma in Bloom Media. “I am really excited for what this will do for low-income seniors with hearing loss here in Chicago.”

MDHearingAid’s partnership with H.O.M.E is just the first step in providing support to seniors in need. Eventually, MDH would like to expand to more seniors in the Chicagoland area who may not be living in one of H.O.M.E.’s residences, but still may be part of our database. 

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#READABOOKDAY: America’s Intergenerational Stories

I hit the road to Vermont with a 15-CD set of Dr. Martin Luther King’s complete speeches and sermons. I had over 1,000 miles of listening on my way to a two-week retreat in a hidden room in the back of a barn. I was to be “Philosopher in Residence” at the Museum of Everyday Life. That’s a fancy way of saying a life of solitude on the cheap. I had just completed formal training at the University of Rhode Island to become a certified trainer in Kingian Nonviolence and I wanted to immerse myself in Dr. King’s life, philosophy, and the movements that both shaped him and he shaped.

(Photo: Gail Schechter)

Once at the barn, I jettisoned technology and read. Stride Toward Freedom (1958) was Dr. King’s first book, written when he was just 28 years old and a reflection on the birth of his own activism for racial justice. He grew into his own during the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott, launched by Rosa Parks and ultimately successful in chipping away at Jim Crow laws. This short book lays out in one chapter, “Pilgrimage to Nonviolence,” his Six Principles of Nonviolence. 

But beyond the Principles, what stuck with me most is the story of many generations of Black Americans walking or carpooling together in Montgomery for day upon day. 

“While the nature of this account causes me to make frequent use of the pronoun ‘I,’ in every important part of the story it should be ‘we.’ This is not a drama with only one actor. More precisely it is the chronicle of fifty thousand Negroes who took to heart the principles of nonviolence, who learned to fight for their rights with the weapon of love, and who, in the process, acquired a new estimate of their own human worth. It is the story of Negro leaders of many faiths and divided allegiances, who came together in the bond of a cause they knew was right. And of the Negro followers, many of them beyond middle age, who walked to work and home again as much as twelve miles a day for over a year rather than submit to the discourtesies and humiliation of segregated buses. The majority of Negroes who took part in the year-long boycott of Montgomery’s buses were poor and untutored; but they understood the essence of the Montgomery movement; one elderly woman summed it up for the rest. When asked after several weeks of walking whether she was tired, she answered, ‘My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest.’”

The words of this woman, Mother Pollard, are so powerful because she knows she is doing what is right and true, and joining with others in that cause. 

Coming together across generations is about “we” above “I” for virtually all cultures. But those bonds are fragile in an America that turns human beings into economic units. The Earth Knows My Name: Food Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans (2006), by Patricia Klindienst, is a meditation on intergenerational communities in this country.

I treasure the lyrical prose of the author, a gardener and writing instructor at Yale. She begins with her own heritage as an Italian American and in eight chapters, takes the reader on a national tour of food gardens of Native Americans, Cambodians, Puerto Ricans, Japanese, Germans, and the Gullah people of South Carolina. They have in common a sad story of dislocation and cultural loss as American consumer habits take over new generations. 

But woven in are stories of the caretaking of plants and customs surrounding it that literally ground friends, grandparents, and children, of which these are two:

One son of Italian immigrants in Massachusetts recounted how his father, having moved into a basement (“not a basement apartment but a basement, we were so poor”) in New York City, broke up the asphalt in an unused parking lot. “There was pretty good soil underneath, it turned out. He dug it up and before you know it he had this incredible garden…. He got his seeds from friends. They would go to each other’s gardens and investigate and talk. If somebody’s crop – say, lettuce – didn’t do well, they’d give them some. There was a lot of exchange. That was a gift they could give to their neighbors. They never bought seeds. They didn’t spend money on the garden. Otherwise, they thought they were defeating the whole purpose of a garden. There was a fellow up the street who had a slightly bigger garden who used to give away tomato seeds.”

A Cambodian refugee remembered the peaceful rice fields before they became killing fields. Speaking of the cold season when rice is shorter, he said, “Late in the evening before [the villagers] go home, they build fire, put rock inside the fire, then wrap towel around it, and you take it to your bed with you, to warm you up. Or if a house not too tall, like an elephant height, ten or fifteen feet, then you make a fire under the house and then you spread charcoal. There’s no insulation, so in winter it’s really difficult, but also enjoyable, because family members, friends, all sit around the first telling ghost stories until midnight, when you go to sleep.”

Reading these books, I am reminded that interweaving our families – by blood or by choice – into our lives is a generative act, nourishing in every sense of the word. “As we stroll” in a garden, Klindienst writes of one of her hosts, “she fills my arms with food.”

• Stride Toward Freedom, by Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Earth Knows My Name: Food Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans, by Patricia Klindienst

The Concerned Residents Association

The Summer of 2020 has brought changes and new experiences to all our lives. Face masks and hand-sanitizer are our new everyday essentials, along with hand-washing and socially distanced gatherings. With these new changes we have all adapted and reworked our lives and spaces to reflect our new normal. Within this time, we at H.O.M.E. have been looking at how we can alter and redesign spaces within the Good Life Residences to make them more enjoyable and comfortable for our residents, how we can support social activities while maintaining social distance. A challenge, no doubt! And while our Leadership Team worked to develop and implement a fundraiser to redesign the Nathalie Salmon House Garden Room, the housing staff at H.O.M.E. was putting together their own project: the Concerned Resident Association.

Inspired by the collaborative approach of the focus groups facilitated by Alt Architecture in the planning of the garden room rehab, the housing staff at HOME wanted to create a concerned resident association to continue this streak of inclusion and activity. Since the Focus Groups ended in July, the Concerned Resident Association (CRA) has met twice so far to strategize and brainstorm together to ensure the garden room, as well as all elements of their home fulfill their current and future needs.

The residents’ concerns and plans include: 

• Mask wearing in all parts of the building when not in your own apartment
• Limiting the number of people in the elevator 
• Picking out a new patio set to facilitate safe distanced outdoor socialization
• Activities like:
• Line Dance Class meeting twice a week
• Movie night twice a month 
• Chair exercise class meeting once a week
• Socially distanced BBQ’s 

The residents are continuing to brainstorm other activities they would like to lead and see in the building. Along with planned activities and new rules/regulations, residents elected four floor leaders that will meet with the housing director, property manager, and maintenance supervisor monthly to address resident concerns and ideas. 

By empowering our residents to become involved in the process of rehabbing one simple (but mighty important) room an entire movement was created! We at H.O.M.E. are overjoyed that these last few months our residents have uncovered the resiliency and power that lies within us all: our voice. The seniors who have felt empowered to take on these new roles as active participants in the Good Life Residences embody H.O.M.E.’s vision of older adults living independent and socially engaged lives.

 With the winter months coming quick, the CRA will continue to meet and advocate for improvements to increase their safety and comfort at home, and the staff of H.O.M.E. couldn’t be more proud to be of service.

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It Takes A Village: Discover Senior Organizations in Chicago

For over 30 years, H.O.M.E. has been committed to helping seniors in Chicago maintain independent and enriched lives within their communities. Our work reaches beyond the Good Life Residences located on North Sheridan in Chicago -- it expands to the South and West sides of Chicago, where many of our upkeep & repair and shopping bus customers reside. 

In these unprecedented times we were given the opportunity to continue serving our beloved community of seniors throughout the Chicagoland area, thanks to the COVID-19 relief fund from The United Way Metro and The Chicago Community Trust. Grocery, hot food, and essential deliveries replaced our shopping bus, moving, and upkeep & repair services.

While we have been happy to answer the call, and continue to be a valued resource for low-income seniors in Chicago there are many other organizations in Chicago that have dedicated their time and resources to uplifting and supporting our most vulnerable and valuable community, at all times. In the spirit of unity, we at H.O.M.E. would like to highlight some of the other incredible organizations in Chicago selflessly serving our seniors.

My Block My Hood My City (M3) is an organization whose  mission is to educate, empower and engage youth from low-income and moderate income communities of Chicago to work together to advocate for social, economic and educational justice and become agents for positive change. My Block My Hood My City’s purpose is to expose youth to their impact within their communities and communities beyond.

While M3’s purpose is rooted in exposing youth to their impact within their communities and communities beyond, they have cleverly combined this opportunity with another radical form of activism: advocating and supporting our elderly, by way of the youth. Throughout our most extreme weather months M3 has risen to the occasion and met the needs of our most vulnerable community. Whether it be galvanizing volunteers to shovel snow for the elderly who can not in Englewood or delivering water bottles and fans to seniors in need, M3 has risen to the occasion and met the needs of seniors in need.

Most recently, M3 launched a new program focused on intergenerational connection and support: the Youth-Senior Connect, to a new initiative to employ out-of-school youth to provide services for seniors throughout Chicagoland. This remarkable program’s application process is currently full, and promises a cross-generational impact that will provide much-needed resources and support to seniors in need. To learn more about My Block, My Hood, My City and donate to their programs please visit https://www.formyblock.org/

Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly is a national network of non-profit volunteer-based organizations committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly. Before founding H.O.M.E., Michael Salmon worked to establish the Chicago chapter of Little Brothers. This long-standing non-profit organization has dedicated its services to the elderly for over _ years with a myriad of programs, including monthly birthday parties, summer vacations, social clubs, and essential services like social work support and emergency weather assistance.

At Little Brothers’ building and across the city, elders meet with good friends to celebrate life and stay connected to the community, as well as their hobbies and interests. All their programs are available at no-cost, and provide vital companionship and connection to older adults across the city. Their organization has been an incredible inspiration for H.O.M.E., and is a shining example of the benefits of intergenerational connection.

 If you're interested in connecting with isolated seniors through LBFE, learn more at https://littlebrotherschicago.org/wecare

Chicago Food Depository is another long-running organization committed to supporting Chicagoland’s seniors.  The Food Depository provides food for ten Older Adult Community Markets throughout Cook County. In these markets, older adults can choose from a variety of fresh produce and nonperishable food items. Additionally, the Food Depository provides food items to low-income senior residences to help stretch tight grocery budgets by providing older adults with nutritious food to prepare at home. Their broad reach also includes support for Chicago Cook County veterans with a variety of innovative programs and partnerships.

Year-round, the Great Chicago Food Depository’s program is far-reaching, providing food to communities throughout the city. As we all rise to the occasion for our communities, the Food Depository has extended itself to reallocate a large amount of their resources to the south and west sides, Black and Brown communities that have been particularly impacted by the pandemic. With their generous and passionate response to COVID-19, the Food Depository more than doubled the amount of residents they serve since January. To learn more about their response and to donate to ending food insecurity for all Chicagoans visit https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/

Casa Central is the largest Hispanic social service agency in the Midwest. Since 1954, Casa Central has delivered evidenced based, award winning programming in response to the needs of the Hispanic community. This Pilsen-based organization’s myriad of services include programs and care to Latino and other older adults, 60 years of age and older. The Center offers Home Care services, in addition to their Adult Wellness Center.

While their Adult Wellness Center is temporarily closed and awaiting guidance from the Illinois Department on Aging and Governor Pritzker’s office to re-open, their Home Care Services Program continues to provide essential in-home services to older adults in need so they may remain safe and independent as they age. Casa Central’s programs provide day-to-day caregiving, help with meals, mobility, and personal care, and strives to support each participant's independence and improve their quality of life.

To learn more about Casa Central’s impact on the lives of Latinos and other older adults in the city of Chicago, visit https://www.casacentral.org/our-programs/seniors/

Other wonderful and dedicated organizations in Chicago serving seniors to familiar yourself with:

St. James Food Pantry

KOCO Community

Beyond Hunger

Chinese American Service League

There have been many organizations that have met the call for action to assist Chicago’s community of older adults in these times of uncertainty, and we are proud to be able to uplift and honor those that are doing the work all across the city. From Roseland to Uptown, we are all working towards the common goal of ending isolation for seniors, creating space in community for seniors, and ensuring they are safe, healthy, and allowed the joy of aging independently. 

Together, we are stronger, and together we have the power to make this world a better place for all human beings. Thank you to all of those doing the work daily. We encourage you to follow them and get involved with the organization that speaks to you!