Memorial for homeless man inspires advocates to fight for permanent supportive housing

by Suzanne Hanney

Advocates called for $100 million in City funding for permanent supportive housing during a virtual memorial August 5 for Aaron Curry, a homeless man who was found stabbed to death July 9 in Grant Park. The memorial was hosted by Ald. Carlos Rosa (35th ward), the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), Heartland Health Outreach, Logan Square Ecumenical Association and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA).

“We need a systemic shift in how we address homelessness and create safety for the most vulnerable in our city,” Ald. Rosa said. “We should not have a race to the bottom where people experiencing homelessness must compete to receive housing. We need to prioritize, shift and create resources to ensure that everyone is safely housed. This was true before COVID-19 and is even more apparent now during a pandemic when housing instability is worse than ever.”

Although city funding for homelessness has increased to $27.3 million this last fiscal year, advocates say that at least an additional $100 million a year must be set aside for permanent supportive housing (PSH) to make a significant impact on the issue. PSH is a model that combines affordable housing with supportive services.

In addition to the stabbings in Grant Park, fires set at homeless encampments in Avondale on July 13 destroyed several people’s personal belongings. Gary Jimenez, a youth leader with the nearby LSNA, said the coronavirus pandemic has made people more aware of homelessness and the vulnerability of everyday Chicagoans. “The City needs to take responsibility and interrupt the pattern of hate against people experiencing homelessness by investing significant resources in housing. It’s not that complicated. Housing equals safety.” .

“Today we stand together and we cry out to God. How long until everyone will have their own safe place,” said Pastor Ray of the Logan Square E c u m e n i c a l Association, in a Tweet on the CCH website.

“For people living on the street, violence is something we experience a lot…Homeless people are being shot, our tents are being burned and no one seems to care,” Tom Gordon, a CCH grassroots leader and a leader of the Uptown Tent City community, said afterward in a Tweet.

Curry, 58, was found lying unresponsive July 9 near the Agora sculpture at about 1100 S. Michigan Ave. in Grant Park, according to CWB Chicago and the Chicago Tribune. Police were called to the 1100 block of South Michigan by a woman who noticed a man had been lying in the same spot for more than a day.

“I remember him because he would always tell me a joke when he’d come in and we would laugh,” said Jill Keiser, corporate partner manager at Chicago Lights, the nonprofit at Fourth Presbyterian Church, in a Tweet on the CCH website.

A Go Fund Me page created by his niece, Mackya Curry, on July 26 had raised $769 of its $500 goal to pay for his cremation by August 5.

“The first thing I said is, Uncle Red don’t bother anybody, he has a routine and why would he be in Grant Park, he’s always over by Lower Wacker Drive,” his niece said. She said his family knew where to find him if they needed to and that he chose to live on the streets. Detectives told her he was sleeping and caught off guard by the attacks.

Mr. Curry was born in Chicago and spent most of his life on the streets, she wrote. He had three sisters, an older brother, nieces and nephews. He was a member of the community and “there was nothing he would have not done to put a smile on your face.”