Despite facing an uphill battle to find affordable housing in the city, LIFT volunteers worked with Van to determine his options. LIFT’s comprehensive intake process uncovered Van’s military service history, which enabled volunteers to put him in touch with a close community partner specializing in veterans’ assistance. Van received an appointment the next day and soon obtained a placement with a transitional-to-permanent-housing program in a subsidized veterans’ housing facility.
Throughout the process, Van appreciated LIFT’s welcoming environment and the volunteers’ positive and determined attitude that they could work together to find a solution, saying, “LIFT listened to what I had to say and helped me come up with a plan. I was involved in the decision making.” Because LIFT developed a relationship with him, they were able to uncover the crucial piece of information that led to his eventual success. Van adds that LIFT’s emphasis on strong relationships, not only with him, but with social service agencies in the community, proved critical to his success. He says, “LIFT was different because they provided a wealth of services and resources. They did not hesitate to summon outside help. In a short period of time, LIFT made real progress with my goals, when other agencies took months with no results.”Chicago
LIFT-Chicago
Uptown Office
4554 N. Broadway, Suite 329
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (773) 303-0700
Fax: (773) 303- 0702
LIFT-Chicago
Pilsen Office
c/o National Able Network, 3rd floor
1700 W. 18th Street
Chicago, IL 60608
Phone: (312) 994-8387
Fax: (312) 994-8351
LIFT-Evanston
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 431
Evanston, IL 60204
Physical Address:
1932 Dewey Avenue, 3rd Floor
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: (847) 491-6707
Fax: (847) 491-6704
Interested in volunteering?
Van Lewis
Location: Chicago
When the Chicago Housing Authority’s Section 8 office lost the majority of its funding, Van Lewis’s job as a file clerk disappeared. With only a meager income of unemployment checks and food stamps to support himself, he was forced to relocate to a shelter. Although he was able to obtain a new job at O’Hare International Airport, the upheaval had eaten away at his savings and he could not afford a new home. His early hours at the airport forced him to wake up at 4:00AM for a two-hour commute, and with shelter activity not quieting down until late evening hours, the situation quickly proved unsustainable.
After being turned away from various overburdened agencies or placed on various waitlists and shuffled between caseworkers—even losing his place on a waitlist because his paperwork was lost in the process of a caseworker transition—Van received a referral to LIFT.
