Winter in the city, oh what a sight to see. Holiday lights are strung ready to illuminate the dark, cold nights ahead. The warmth of the holiday spirit flows with the crisp air, but it is not enough to warm up the 138,575 homeless Chicagoans, like Dan.
I rode the Red Line to Chicago and explore near Water Tower Place, in an effort to see what diverse creature I will have the pleasure of hearing their story today. A chill was in the air at a measly temperature of 25 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considered nice, in comparison to Chicago’s bitterly cold temperatures from last season’s polar vortex. I was “freezing” and in desperate need of a real voice recorder for interviews, so I headed over to Best Buy and that was when I saw Dan. All I could focus on was his piercing blue eyes. They were like ice, but not cold. There was warmth to them, almost like a snowcap melting and getting lost in deep in the water. I stopped and read his sign that said, “homeless, lost my job, looking for work, and hungry.” I liked the fact that his sign said he was looking still; he did not give up hope.
Excited to hear Dan’s story and escape the cold I jogged to Best Buy. I bought the cheapest audio recorder, assembled it, and sped-read the instruction manual all in five minutes. I then went into the obnoxiously beautiful Water Tower Place shopping mall and bought Dan a huge slice of cheese pizza and water. I have approached two people on the streets for interviews and have been denied and yelled at by some crazies, so I should have been nervous to ask Dan, but something in his eyes had assured me he was different.
I introduced myself, explained my website, and bribed him with greasy pizza. He was more than happy to talk, but wanted to make sure it would be brief. Dan, a 50-year-old native of California, was brought to the city by love about nine years ago. Dan and his girlfriend moved here to take care of her ill father living in Rosell. Even before meeting Dan, his girlfriend’s father disapproved of him because of his past. He was judged by his old tattoos, gang involvement and lack of education. The father’s judgments soon rubbed off on Dan’s girlfriend.
“She was embarrassed of me and every time she got drunk she made sure I knew it. I wasn’t up to her standards,” said Dan.
His girlfriend was in charge of all of the household’s money, which he would soon realize was a tremendous mistake.
“I could not take the abuse anymore, so I left. It has been so bad out here that I even thought about going back to her to escape the streets, but I just can’t,” proclaimed Dan.
Dan is currently spending his cold nights on the Presbyterian Church steps with four other guys, but that will not last for long.
“You have a church the size of a stadium, utilize it. They wake us up at 5:30 a.m., rain or shine and make us leave. It is so cold and you are the biggest church in Chicago and cannot let us stay in the basement? It is ridiculous,” said Dan.
Dan claims he cannot take it much longer because of the cold, but ironically he puts his faith in the higher power.
Dan applied for Chicago lottery housing. “I am next on the list. The first place is a 40-person house that is free. Hopefully within the next six months I will get into an apartment of my own, but for now this is what I need to get back on my feet,” Dan said.
Dan used to work at a restaurant when he lived in Tennessee called Moe’s Southwestern Grill. Once put together, Dan has dreams of getting back into the restaurant business and is determined to make them come true.
“I am going to get a job right away, my skill set is above and beyond in the restaurant industry, but they won’t hire someone without a stable home, or who isn’t clean, I wouldn’t higher me” Dan said.
The weather is not the only a struggle in the life of a homeless person like Dan, but morale.
“It is hard out here; people look down at you a lot, but a lot of people are a step from being homeless nowadays. I was like them. I had a good job and suddenly lost everything. Money is not everything but you need it to survive,” Dan said.
“People go through hard times not everyone sitting on these stoops are drug addicts and alcoholics; I am living proof of it,” continued Dan.
But not all people look down at Dan. He does take notice to the kindness of strangers who help him. “You should give to people, whether it is a slice of pizza, a dollar, or a smile, we are all humans, and we are all trying to make it here in Chicago,” Dan said with a smile on his face, the only thing still keeping him warm.