Ann: Absolutely. There's actually a bill that was cosponsored by a number of legislators in Springfield -- there's federal money that comes to Illinois all the time from different pots, and you know, I don't know all the ins and outs of where this money is coming from, but I know that it's federal money for homeless services. You know, it's different grants -- some of it is from HUD, some of it's from Home, etc. and it got a lot of support.
So we actually met with the governor, okay? We were part of a group here, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is an advocacy group and all the youth providers in the greater Chicago area and a few that actually made the trip from downstate, to come up and try to meet with the governor. It took quite a strategy to even get in to see the governor, but we did get that meeting. Okay? We got that meeting. It was on a Friday recently and we even brought some of our youth -- the young lady I was discussing whose baby father was shot in front of her and told her story to the governor and it's so fresh that she started tearing up when she started to tell the story. She hasn't told this story very often, you know -- it only happened 7 months ago, and so the governor actually stood up and asked to give her a hug. Later, his staff called the coalition-
Rob: Wait, you broke up for a second. You said the governor got up and asked to give her a hug?
Ann: Yeah, and he did. He gave her a hug. Right? But then two days later, his staff called the coalition and says no go, we're not going to unfreeze these federal monies that are coming to Illinois for homelessness to help you keep your programs open.
Rob: Wow.
Ann: So what do we do now? I mean, we're going to protest, we're going to do all that, but let me tell you something, rather than protesting, I'd much rather be down there in the trenches working with the youth, which is really what I should be doing. You know, I love my job. I look forward to working with the youth. I'm a part-time administrator and I work part-time directly with the youth in multiple programs that we offer. I know most of our clients by name and I know their stories and I love working with them every day. Instead of having to go protest the governor, or having to go protest the legislator, I want to be down there working with these youths and giving them the help that they need. But you know, a lot of my time and energy right now and the time and energy of our other staff is being diverted to fighting this fight, rather than helping the people we need to be helping. So again, it's another human cost that isn't factored in.
Rob: Can you put this into the context of the bigger, national picture? How does this story and how does it fit in with what's going on around the country?
Ann: Well I think we have an exceedingly polarized politically nation, right now, you know. We have, you know, people are going to the fringes, rather than coming to the meeting table, and you know, we have extreme stuff going on with all these debates, the Republic debate, the Democratic debate and so forth. It just seems that people are going extreme right and extreme left and not ever meeting. The people that our government is supposed to be serving are not getting served with this. I think this is a reflection. I think Illinois is a perfect portrait, in miniature, of what is going on at the federal level right now.
I mean, every time I watch some of these debates, I want to vomit. I'm serious. You know, I don't hear them talking about how people are going to be helped or how there's really going to be more jobs or how the economy is going to get better, or how they're going to deal with the fact that in Chicago -- 47% of African American young men under 30 are unemployed and not in school. 47% - I don't hear anybody talking about how they're going to solve that. I just hear them yelling and screaming at each other, trying to find dirt in their backgrounds.
Rob: That's a tough situation. What are some things that people listening can do?
Ann: Well first off, if you know anyone that is in a foundation or corporation that would be willing to help meet this budget hole that we have, this $185,000 hole and you know, not permanently, hopefully eventually the state will sort itself out -- I don't know when that's going to happen. Maybe after everybody that's in office leaves office? I don't know. But hopefully, eventually everything will sort out and government will be what it's supposed to do.
But in the meantime, we don't want to sacrifice the lives of these kids, so if you could come and make a donation, offer us a grant, you know. We don't have any professional fundraisers at Unity Parenting. All of our people are program people. We write grants on the side when we get time, and so, we're not experts at going out there and trying to raise money. We're experts at keeping these kids alive and giving them futures, and so we need help that we can get.
So, you can go to our website, it's -- and I'll say it again www.unityparenting.org and that's where you can contact me and anyone else that works for our agency. It's pretty easy, it even shows pictures of a lot of the youth we serve. I took a lot of the pictures for the website with my cell phone. So anyway, you'll actually see the youth that we're serving and it'll give you even more of a reason to want to help when you put a face on the issue -- the real people that are here, that are struggling. We need help.
Rob: And you've got a list of other things that people can do and I'll get that put up on the podcast page where this show will--
Ann: Absolutely. Call the governor! Call your legislators. Call the Speaker of the House and call the Senate President. You know, let them know that we need help -- try to get them to see behind the dollars and cents that there are lives at stake.
Rob: Okay. All right. Rob Kall, Bottom Up Radio Show. I've been speaking with Ann Holcomb of Unity Parenting and Counseling and Harmony Village. Let's hope that something can come of this conversation and you can get some help.
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