Austin Weekly News 042623

Domestic violence shelter coming to East Gar eld Park

Chicago’s oldest domestic violence shelter to consolidate services, expand capacity

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved the zoning variations and Special Use permits that will allow the currently Humboldt Park-based Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC) domestic violence victim services and advocacy organization to move its shelter and offices to East Garfield Park.

The organization is in the process of buying an industrial building at 3311 W. Carroll Ave., which was last used as artist studios. It plans to remodel the building to house administrative offices and social service spaces and build a three-story addition to serve as a 45-bed shelter with outdoor patios and laundry facilities.

Stephanie Love-Patterson, CAWC executive director, told the zoning board on March 17 that its current offices in Humboldt Park, 1116 N. Kedzie Ave.,

How a West Side group responds to the opioid crisis

By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Staff Reporter

Keith Davis stood at a parking lot located at the intersection of South Pulaski Road and West Van Buren Street with a box of hygiene kits and drug

overdose kits Wrapped in a plastic bag, the life-saving kits include two doses of naloxone nasal spray, commonly known as Narcan, pamphlets explaining how to use naloxone and a bottle of hand sanitizer.

“Need any Narcan?” Davis said to a

passerby. Some people stopped and said no, while others nodded and approached the table to receive a kit and a 5-minute training on how to use it. One individual said no, reaching into his pants pocket for

FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ

E: A volunteer

Austin poet named Chicago’s rst poet laureate

aver y r. young is the rstever Chicago poet laureate

By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Staff Reporter

On Monday, the city of Chicago and the Poetry Foundation named avery r. young, an Austin resident, as the inaugural Chicago Poet Laureate, a program created in partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Af fairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Chicago Public Library to increase awareness of Chicago’s contributions to the literary arts.

As an experienced interdisciplinary artist, young will serve as an ambassador for the city’s creative communities for a twoyear term and will be awarded $50,000 for the commissioning of new poems and public programming, including programs for youth and students.

“From the open mic to lecture halls, from Lollapalooza to the Art Institute, I

have been on a journey to figure out all the spaces where language can make room and build. I don’t walk into this appointment by myself, I enter this tenure with a community of social activists, creatives and municipal entities excited about the many ways in which this Poet Laureate appointment can weave poetry into the fabric ofthis great city,” avery r. young said in a press release.

Young is an award-winning poet, educator, composer, performer, activist and producer, whose work spans the genres of music, performance, visual arts and literature.

“I am proud to name avery r. young as the first-ever Chicago Poet Laureate,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “As a multifaceted, boundary-breaking poet and transformational youth educator who was born and bred in Chicago, avery will serve and strengthen our city’s literary and creative communities.”

On April 29, young will participate in the Chicago Public Library’s annual “Poetry Fest” event, which will be held at the Harold Washington Library Center.

PHOTO BY PATRICK L. PYSZKA, CIT Y OF CHIC AGO

aver y r. young, Chicago Poet Laureate, pictured at the Poetry Foundation.

View a world beyond e ir nmental injustice in art exhibit at

Gar

Opening April 27, ‘An Other worldly Existence: Afrofuturism and the Environment’ featur Chicago ar tist Kee Merriweather

By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Staff Reporter

The community room in the Garfield Park Conservatory will transport its visitors to a world where Black identities are not onl represented but celebrated.

In this world, African-descended peoples live in a rich and robust environment, as beautiful as the tropical landscape that inhabit the conservatory’s glasshouse to educate its visitors about the power of nature and human interdependence with plants. The conservatory is at 300 N. Central Park Ave.

In a similar manner, by demonstrating what is possible throug beautiful and powerful art creations, the free exhibition “An Otherworldly Existence: Afrofuturism and the Environment” will open to the public on April 26, bringing visitors a collection of mixed-media collages created by Chicago Artist Kee Merriweather that will be on display until June 30.

A South Side native, Merriweather knows environmental injustice disproportionately affects Black people on the South and West Sides of the city. Inspired by their childhood and their father’s teachings, Merriweather created 12 collages that explore the beauty of portraits, the possibilities of Afrofuturism, and the environmental racism experienced by the African Diaspora.

“My father is a Pan Africanist and for mer Black Panther Party member. He introduced me to Sun Ra’s debut film ‘Space is The Place’ as a teenager,” Mer riweather said.

Portraits play a key role in Merriweather’s work, where the artist uplifts Black identities using portraits of Black people often found in archival material to create mixed-media collages. Their work also examines how print, imagery, literature, pedagogy, research and archiving represent Black people. An example of this work is in their digital and print archive “Homagetoblkmadonnas,” where the artist collects images of Black mothers, femmes and women. Viewers will see a glimpse of this work as some of these archival images are included in this new exhibition.

Rooted in Afrofuturism’s social, political and artistic movement, Mer riweather uses portraits to center their lineage, connected to The Great Migration, the Black Belt and Jamaica and connect it to nature.

“I juxtaposed West and East African portraits against landscapes of my own and my parents’ Black heritage [from places] such as Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa,” Mer riweather said via email.

Onyx Engobor, exhibitions coordinator for the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, said the exhibition was selected to provide Garfield Park’s Black and Brown residents an opportunity to view art that is meaningful to them and that aligns with the Garfield Park Conservatory’s mission.

“An Other worldly Existence: Afrofuturism and the Environment” w ill be on display from April 27 to June 30.

“The topic of environmental injustice and environmental racism was selected as Garfield Park is historically and presently a site of environmental injustice,” Engobor said, adding this Earth month themed exhibition features art that educates families and empowers them to “take control of the narrative of their communities.”

“Environmentalism as a whole, as a system and as an institution has historically excluded Black and Brown people and Indigenous people,” Engobor said. “It’s really important to the conservatory to make space for representation of Black and Brown people and marginalized people in the outdoors.”

“[In] Afrofuturism, there is power in being able to create your own narratives, your own stories, create your own vision for the future,” Engobor said. The art for this exhibition is an invitation to reframe current narratives, as “the otherworldly existence” typically refers to the marginalization of Black people But, in the context of this show “what is born out of that marginalization is this very beautiful, very powerful otherworldly existence that has the ability to provide a platform to dismantle systems of oppression.”

“We can imagine, a world beyond racism, a world beyond environmental injustice, a future where every person, every community is thriving, Afrofuturism as a theory pro vides space to do thi s,” Engobor said.

By using collages, an accessible art form that anyone can create, the exhibition aims to teach young children and families “the importance of creation and how it can be an act of resistance.”

Engobor hopes people will walk away from this exhibit empowered to create, thinking, “Wow, I can actually do something to make my environment, my community, my world, my Ear th, a better, safer sustainable place.”

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City pilots opioid overdose response team on West Side

Two-person team o ers harm reduction tools, addiction recover y resources to overdose victims

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

Over the past decade, West Side communities have seen the highest rates of opioid overdoses and deaths in Chicago.

This was something that West Side nonprofits have been trying to tackle for years. Org anizations such as the currently Austin-based Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center, 5002 W. Madison St., sent out outreach teams to of fer treatment to West Siders who are struggling with addiction and help them get into treatment. Now, the city is taking a page out of the nonprofits’ book with its Opioid Response Team.

Launched at the star t of 2023 as part of the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program spearheaded by the Chicago De par tment of Public Health, each team includes a Chicago Fire De par tment community paramedic and a Peer Recovery Specialist from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health’s Community Outreach Intervention project. The team follows up with people who got treated for drug overdoses and asks if they want help. If they ag ree, the team does re gular follow-ups, and it’s not unusual for the teams to end up of fering services to their friends and loved ones as well.

The program is being launched on a pilot basis in the East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park and West Garfield Park community areas. Sarah Richardson, a CDPH Grant Research Specialist, who runs the program, said the three communities were chosen

because recent data shows they have the highest rates of overdoses in the city She said that it is still too early to draw conclusions about the team’s ef fectiveness, but the current trends and the experiences in other cities make her optimistic.

The city launched the CARES prog ram in 2021 to ensure that individuals who experience mental health crises and have 911 called on them will get medical help that responders work to de-escalate volatile situations It star ted with two Multidisciplinary Response Teams – one serving the South Side’s Auburn-Gresham and Chatham neighborhoods, and one serving Nor th Side’s Uptown and Lakeview neighborhoods. Since then, other teams

on Monday The team talks to them about what happened and of fers har m reduction tools, such as overdose reversing Narcan or test strips that allow them to test drugs for fentanyl. The idea is that, if people are going to use drugs, the team can do something to reduce the odds that they’d get stick or die.

If people want to get into treatment, or get help with some other need, such as housing, the team tries to help with it. The team has a van that can take them to a shelter or a treatment facility right away

The team follows up with every resident they helped within a week and within a month to make sure they got the services the residents needed.

launched in other par ts of the city

The Opioid Response Team is the first of its kind in the city and the first CARES team on the West Side

Richardson said having a Peer Recovery Specialist on the team proved to be vital. Such specialists struggled with addiction themselves and are trained to help people who face those struggles now.

“There are often people who’ re not ready to enter treatment, not ready to change [their] substance use, but they’re ready to talk to someone,” Richardson said.

Every weekday, the team looks at re ports of non-fatal overdoses and tries to contact the individuals either the next day, or, if the overdose happened over the weekend,

Richardson said that, almost four months into the program, it was too early to draw any conclusions. But she said that experience in other cities showed that people who take part in these kinds of programs are less likely to overdose in the future and more likely to get into treatment. And Richardson said one positive outcome the team has already observed was that, when they talk to people who overdosed, they find friends, roommates or family members who also struggle with addiction.

When asked whether CDPH would bring Opioid Response Teams, or other CARE Teams, to other West Side communities, Richardson didn’t rule it out.

“We’ re interested in expanding, we just don’t have a fir m timeline,” she said. “And all expansion by the CARE program and the mental health teams is driven by the data based on the need.”

COURTESY CIT Y OF CHICAGO CARE team van used for follow-up.

OPIOID TASK FORCE

On the street connections

from page 1

a pack of the nasal spray used to reverse an overdose. ‘I already have some,” he said. Davis told the Austin Weekly News he is happy to see there is more awareness of and access to the life-saving spray among people who use drugs. The individual then approached the table asking for information to get a state ID Davis grabbed a pamphlet to refer him to a community-based agency, Transfor ming ReEntry Services, which could help him obtain one.

Davis works as an outreach worker for the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, a coalition of community-based agencies, healthcare providers and gover nmental entities addressing the healthcare crisis caused by opioids One of the main goals of the task force is to prevent overdose deaths.

Austin Weekly News spent a day in the field with members of the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force and observed their direct intervention outreach approach which is simple, yet effective.

Daily, a group of workers from the Task Force sets up mobile modules in West Side areas with high rates of overdose deaths. There, they distribute free naloxone, train people to respond to an overdose, and share information and other resources with people who use drugs. They engage with people in a respectful and personal way, conversing and training them on how to use naloxone without judgment.

“You may save someone’s life, that’s the whole purpose. … to save lives,” outreach worker Sydney Rowan said. Rowan joined the task force two months ago after outreach director Luther Syas invited him to join. Syas has long lived and been involved in the West Side community, which provides him with a deeper understanding of how the opioid crisis affects people and which areas are the most affected. Coupled with medical data shared by the Chicago Department of Public Health and the city’s emergency management system, the task force identifies the locations where they’ll set up, which are often located near areas where drugs are sold and used. The group has trained approximately 15,000 people to date, distributing 1,000 to 1,200 free doses of naloxone each month, di-

rector Lee Rusch said.

Having naloxone readily available is critical to respond to a person experiencing an overdose, as it could make the difference between life and death, especially with the increased presence of fentanyl in the illicit drug supply. In January of this year, preliminary data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that Cook County is expected to beat 2021’s record for opioid overdose deaths And, in 2021 the Chicago Department of Public Health reported that 90% of the opioid-related deaths from January to June of that year involved fentanyl. The prevalence of illicit open-air drug markets in West Side communities historically has disproportionately affected its residents while also attracting people from other parts of the city who seek to purchase opioids in the area.

“The West Side has a reputation for having ‘good dope,’” Davis said. “There is no such thing as good poison.” Davis knows this first-hand as in his past he used drugs. He has not used drugs for the last 29 years and now “does his part” by working in the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force’s har m reduction program.

The West Side, particularly the Austin, Garfield Park and Lawndale neighborhoods continue to carry the burden of these drug markets In the first half of 2021, the community areas that recorded the most opioid-related overdose deaths were Austin, West Garfield Park and Humboldt Park, according to data from the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Director Lee Rusch said one of the strengths of the group is that through its direct outreach, it is able to identify the barriers and needs of people who use drugs and articulate them to other community groups they work with. Among them is a prevalent need for housing and mental health services, he said. Simultaneously, the coalition advocates for equity-focused legislation to address the opioid crisis at the local, state and federal level, while continuing to raise awareness that drug use is a public health matter

State Rep. La Shawn Ford told the Austin Weekly News people dealing with addictions are just like any other person who is dealing with a healthcare condition, what medical professionals refer to as chronically relapsing brain disease. “We can’t look at them as if they’re criminals We look at them as having a substance use disorder that’s hoping to get help,” he said.

“We can’t look at them as if they ’re criminals. We look at them as having a substance use disorder that’s hoping to get help.”

LA SHAWN FORD Illinois State Representative

New Lurie hub in Austin seeks community input

Public meeting draws 40 people

By MICHELLE MEYER Austin Talks

Lurie Children’s Hospital held its first public forum in Austin recently to get input from local residents about a new community hub it plans to open on the West Side.

Austin Weekly News previously reported the hospital is looking to create a community hub with Stone Community Development Corp. that will focus on mental and behavioral health services for West Side youth.

About 40 people gathered April 12 at Lively Stone Church including 37th Ward Ald. Emma Mitts and state Rep. Camille Lilly.

The hub’s location has not yet been determined, but Lurie is considering a site next to the Lively Stone Church or somewhere along Chicago Avenue, said Pastor Contrell Jenkins, who founded Stone Community Development Corp. with his father in 2018.

“We hope to have more definitive answers

within the next 30 days or so,” Jenkins said.

Gregory Ramón Design Studio and TnS Studio will be designing the community hub So far, components planned include outdoor spaces, a public café and a clinic area. It will be about 15,000 square feet, with 5,000 square feet for Stone CDC and 10,000 square feet for Lurie Children’s services, said Taylor Staten of TnS Studio

The plan is to offer specialty services that range from asthma treatment to respite care.

Lurie Children’s is conducting a survey to determine what services people would like provided. Residents are encouraged to complete the survey online.

“Lurie Children’s is not interested in duplicating any services that are already here,” Staten said. “They’re not trying to recreate anything that is already working. They’re here to fill in the gap.”

Mary Kate Daley of Lurie Children’s said she estimates the hub could serve 5,000 to 7,000 patients a year

Community involvement is at the “heart of what we are doing here,” said Aisha Oliver, Lurie Children’s community engage-

ment specialist and an org ner with them and and feedback throughout the process

“Before ing tionships built alread S long-term tural competenc Lurie Children employment for tion as Streeterville. He wants accountable” and ty advisory after the hub is built.

Oliver said she wants to create a “little medical school” on the West Side by creating a pipeline for West Side youth to work in healthcare careers.

“We should ha more Black and Br doctors, our young Oliver said.

Aisha Oliver, a community engagement specialist at Lurie Children’s Hospital and an Austin communi ty organizer, speaks b the hospital is

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Walmart closing is a reality check

As long as I can remember, there’s always been the underlying feeling within a certain segment of the Black community about boosters, shoplifters and thievery in general. The mindset is that stores/businesses have “Nsurance” and thus the thievery will be covered by it.

Insurance is not some miracle spigot of money that just turns and sends it out to businesses that make claims. Truthfully, insurance is the penny-pinching tightwad who does not like to pay a dime out while greedily taken in dollars. As with everything else in life, there is a limit to how much insurance can and will pay.

The recent closures of four Walmarts that were under performing is not the news anybody wants to see — especially the one that was on the South Side at 83rd and Stewart. It was a huge supercenter, which got destroyed during the George Floyd riots. There was literally nothing left within the entire store. Videos that individuals took after the fact, showed complete devastation.

Walmart promised to reopen the store and they did. I’m sure it took millions to fix it up, and millions more to restock everything. The store reopened and the parking lot was filled. While there were those who came to shop and spend money, there were also those whose intentions were to continue their shoplifting nature. There is a video on YouTube of a woman who stole three televisions from that Walmart. She pushed the cart out to the lot, and was chased by an employee. She managed to

get one television into the back of a vehicle. In the process of going around to the passenger side to get in the vehicle, she lost her shoe.

Yes Walmart is a very wealthy company. But their net profit is only 2%. That’s not a lot until one sells millions upon millions, and then the measly 2% begins to equal millions as well.

I find it interesting that Walmart announced the closure of those stores one week after Brandon Johnson became mayor-elect. From hypothesizing about reinstalling the employee head tax to other mechanisms that make Chicago not friendly for business, Brandon Johnson’s postulating has scared the business community. I am not shocked at Walmart’s decision to cut their losses and close the four stores.

Once the news hit that stores were closing, the usual suspects called a press conference to threaten Walmart. They were going to protest at the remaining store in Everg reen Park. They were going to travel to Wisconsin. They were going to travel to Indiana. They were going to make the loudest fuss ever. And the protesters did at that moment. But Walmart closed the store and those usual suspects closed their mouths. I even had the audacity to drive by the Evergreen Park Walmart in anticipation of seeing the boycotters. Not a soul on site.

It’s hard to threaten the big giant when folks don’t show up with real intent. And sadly, there’s no track record here in Chicago of Black folks successfully boycotting anything.

SHELTER Includes spot for pets

from page 1

and a domestic violence shelter in a confidential location in Wicker Park are struggling to meet demand as the service grows, and they have no space to expand. While several nonprofits which worked with her org anization in the past voiced support, the project also faced opposition fr om residents of the new location who argued that this par ticular block already had plenty of social service facilities, and wor ried that it would lead to the increase in the number of emergency service calls.

The building is at least 100 years old. It was home to several dif ferent industrial uses. Most recently, it served as an ar t studio, hosting workshops and exhibition spaces for artists as recently as early 2020.

Launched in 1977, CAWC opened Chicago’s very first domestic violence shelter and set up the city’s first 24-hour domestic violence hotline. Their current shelter, the Greenhouse Shelter, has 42 beds The organization provides cour t advocacy, mental health counseling for kids and adults, and help with getting jobs and more per manent housing, among other services CAWC has relationships with nearby hospitals and addiction treatment centers, and it works with other nonprofits to provide services outside its scope

Love-Patterson told the zoning board that the Greenhouse Shelter building is showing its age and, because it’s in a historic district, they can’t significantly modify it or expand it.

“We cannot tear it down to make it what we really want it to be, and what our residents and staf f want it to be and deserve, in ter ms of just quality space for our ser-

vices, where there’s privacy and there’s just access to growth,” she said.

The Humboldt Park space, which occupies the fifth floor of the building, where they provide services and where CAWC administrative of fices are currently located, faces a similar problem – no room to grow, even as demand for services rises

Love-Patterson said the new facility will allow them to put all of their operations under one roof, offer more space and offer amenities they don’t currently have space for – including a technology center for their clients and a kennel for pets For many victims of domestic violence, she said, not being able to take their pets to a domestic violence shelter is a “huge barrier” to leaving an abusive environment.

CAWC chose this part of East Garfield Park because it wasn’t far from their current facilities, there are CTA and Metra train stations and bus routes nearby, and it’s close to Beidler Elementary School, 3151 W. Walnut St., Morton School of Excellence, 431 N. Troy St., and Westinghouse College Prep high school, 3223 W. Franklin Blvd.

“We don’t want to abandon the current location and the community that we serve,” Love-Patterson said. “This location would allow us to maintain that footprint.”

CAWC had to get Special Use permits to operate a domestic violence shelter and pro-

vide social services in a new location, and it had to get some zoning variances to accommodate the design

Project architect George Kisiel responded to the concer ns CAWC got from some of the residents about the facility’s impact. He testified that his research showed that the East Garfield Park community area ranks 13th in ter ms of the number of social service providers with 72 facilities

“This puts East Garfield Park behind the Near West Side and the Loop, which has more than twice as many at 170 and 149, respectively,” he said.

Kisiel also looked at domestic violence shelters specifically and found that East Garfield Park was tied with Logan Square, Lakeview, West Town (which includes Wicker Park) and Near North Side (which includes some of the most well-off neighborhoods in Chicago and the remnants of the Cabrini-Green public housing development).

“Based on this analysis and my experience with social service facilities over my 40-year career, there’s no evidence that the presence of this type of facility has negative impacts on the communities or the neighborhoods,” he said. “In fact, they tend to be stabilizing forces, particularly in areas that have experienced factors contributing to blight, such as vacancies, depressed land values and disinvestment.”

Heads of several social service organizations that work with CAWC testified in support of the project.

“Without a doubt, Chicago would benefit greatly from the project’s centralized location in the city,” said Linda Tortolero, CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Accion. “Survivors would travel less distances and be near to their loved ones and their neighborhoods. Our city survivors should have access to safety and war mth close to where they live and know. I strongly urge you to support CAWC’s project.”

Amanda Pyron, executive director of The Network - Advocating Against Domestic Violence, an umbrella organization that in-

cludes CAWC, argued that East Garfield Park would benefit from having a shelter

“When you look at homicide statistics for 2022, you’ll see that Garfield Park has the highest rate of domestic violence homicides in the city,” she said. “We’ve done the analysis and we know that neighborhoods that have domestic violence services located in that neighborhood have lower rate of domestic violence homicides, so we know that, if CAWC moves into the Garfield Park area, that they’ll have a huge impact on that neighborhood and eventually, they’ll reduce the number of domestic violence homicides experienced by individuals in Garfield Park,”

Gary Marks, who lives at and owns several residential buildings on the 3000 block of West Carroll Avenue, said that, while he didn’t want to oppose a domestic violence shelter, he believed that it wasn’t the right location for it. Breakthrough Urban Ministries has several buildings nearly, including the Fresh Market food pantry, 3334 W. Carroll Ave., Women’s Center transitional housing and support services at 3330 W. Carroll Ave., and Breakthrough’s FamilyPlex facility, 3219 W. Carroll Ave., which includes a preschool, a fitness center and a primary care clinic Marks said that people form long lines when the food pantry is open, and the Women’s Center gets emergency service calls an average of once a week. He said he and some of his tenants and neighbors worry that the shelter would lead to more police calls and make people less interested in building market-rate residential housing in the area.

“On this block, that already has a pantry, that already has a shelter, it has a huge community center, and it’s great, it has a gym - but why are we the only block?” Marks asked. “If someone could build the building where they could live, and someone would dare to open a business -- that’s what would excite me.”

Urban planner Steven Vance, who owns and lives in a two-flat at the nearby 3200 block of Walnut Street, said that, while he agreed with Marks about the need for more businesses, he argued that “this use does not preclude, inhibit or occupy any land that could be used for retail or other services in the future.”

“Also, as a property owner and someone who is deeply familiar with the standards for approving Special Use, I have absolutely no concer ns about the ne gative impact to the neighborhood that might arise from this use,” he said.

Full disclosure: Ste ven Vance is a cofounder and editor at large at Streetsblog Chica go, for which this re porter is a re gular freelance contributor

Rendering of proposed new shelter in East Ga r eld Park.

Loretto Hospital o ers free STI screenings and HIV testing Austin had second-highest number

of new HIV infection diagnoses

By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Staff Reporter

Chicago’s Austin community residents can get tested at no cost for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV until the end of this month. This is part of Loretto Hospital’s initiative to increase awareness of preventing and treating sexually transmitted diseases during STD Awareness Month.

According to the Chicago De par tment of Public Health, in 2020 Chicago reached the lowest level of new HIV diagnoses since 1987 with just 627 cases More than half of these diagnoses, 55%, af fected nonHispanic Black Chicagoans Non-Hispanic Black Chicagoans also accounted for more than half of the new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonor rhea and syphilis.

Testing is an impor tant ste p to reduce the spread of STIs and receiving medical

treatment that can prevent complications and chronic diseases in the future, said Dr. Carlos Zambrano, chief medical of ficer for Loretto Hospital. “Access to STI education, prevention and care is an essential resource that suppor ts comprehensive community wellness.”

Because not all sexually transmitted infections cause symptoms, individuals may not know they have them and fail to receive early treatment. For example, Zambrano said if untreated for many years, syphilis can cause hear t disease, dementia and memory loss. He recently saw a patient get tested and receive treatment that prevented health issues.

People may be HIV positive without knowing it or presenting signs of disease

Over time, HIV can af fect the immune system and increase the risk of severe infectious diseases and lymphoma, which is why early treatment is so important.

“The common misconception is that treatment causes significant side ef fects,” Zambrano said, adding it is critical that patients consult their health care providers to deter mine the best treatment options for them. “All medications have side effects, but the newer HIV and STI medications are safe to use.”

Zambrano said there are many options and combinations of medications that can be prescribed by medical professionals, who take into account each patient’s health and other medications to deter mine the best line

of treatment for them and prevent counter interactions between medications.

Besides treatment and testing, it is impor tant for individuals, part icularly youth, to lear n about preventative methods that decrease the risk of g etting HIV or STIs. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all new infections nationwide occur among youth aged 15-25.

Other risk factors that increase exposure to STIs include people who have multiple sexual par tners, people who do not use condoms, sex workers, people who use drugs and people who have been at correctional facilities and juvenile detention centers.

Beyond testing Loretto Hospital of fers patients treatment options for HIV and STIs. To access free STI screening and HIV testing services, patients can walk in or make an appointment by contacting the outpatient center at 833-TLH-LOVE

“All medications have side e ects, but the newer HIV and STI medications are safe to use.”

DR . C ARLOS ZAMBRANO chief medical o cer for Loretto Hospital

CLASSICS WANTED

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT -

DIVISION

BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS F/K/A BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR SAXON ASSET SECURITIES TRUST 2000-4, MORTGAGE LOAN ASSET BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2000-4

Plaintiff, -v.FRANCIS JULIEN, ETHEL JULIEN A/K/A ETHEL HOLLOWAY

Defendants 18 CH 16085 1501 N. PARKSIDE AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60651

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 12, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 11, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 1501 N. PARKSIDE AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60651

Property Index No. 16-05-207-0170000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $166,764.59.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification

issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, contact Alexander Potestivo, POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610, Chicago, IL, 60606 (312) 263-0003. Please refer to file number 112866.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610 Chicago IL, 60606 312-263-0003

E-Mail: ilpleadings@potestivolaw. com

Attorney File No. 112866

Attorney Code. 43932

Case Number: 18 CH 16085

TJSC#: 43-60

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 18 CH 16085 I3217494

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

CITIMORTGAGE INC.; Plaintiff, vs. JOHN YEE FONG AKA JOHN Y. FONG AKA JOHN FONG; PATRICIA A. FONG AKA PATRICIA FONG; CITY OF CHICAGO; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 20 CH 704

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, May 15, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate:

P.I.N. 16-22-405-017-0000.

Commonly known as 1629 South Kedvale Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60623.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call The Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Diaz Anselmo & Associates, P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Naperville, Illinois 60563. (630) 453-6925.

F19120182 ADC

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com

I3217358

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC

Plaintiff, -v.ROSIE HOUSTON A/K/A ROSIE

V. HOUSTON, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Defendants

2021 CH 05976

1144 NORTH LARAMIE AVENUE

CHICAGO, IL 60651

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on March 31, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 26, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 1144

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 7949876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100

BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-21-04102

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2021 CH 05976

TJSC#: 43-1488

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2021 CH 05976

I3218028

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

OCWEN LOAN SERVICING LLC; Plaintiff, vs. JAMES THOMAS; JANA N. JACKSON; TITIS T. JACKSON; PRINCIPAL SERVICES

TRUST COMPANY FKA

THE CHICAGO TRUST COMPANY; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF JAMES THOMAS IF ANY; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF JANA N. JACKSON IF ANY;

UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF TITIS T. JACKSON, IF ANY; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS;

Defendants, 16 CH 16229

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, May 22, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate:

P.I.N. 16-13-408-021-0000.

Commonly known as 2717 West Lexington Street, Chicago, IL 60612. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law

SHE SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

SHE SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

SHE SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

9455. WA16-0749 ADC INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com

I3217807

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC

Plaintiff, -v.JANIS A. SHARPE, CHICAGO TITLE LAND TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE U/T/A DATED 09/28/2017

A/K/A TRUST NUMBER 8002375973, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendants

2022 CH 04387 3241 W. WASHINGTON BLVD. CHICAGO, IL 60624

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on March 2, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on June 5, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 3241 W. WASHINGTON BLVD., CHICAGO, IL 60624

Property Index No. 16-11-414-0150000; 16-11-414-016-0000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in

subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR

FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 7949876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-22-03014

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2022 CH 04387

TJSC#: 43-1083

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2022 CH 04387

I3218498

SHE SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

SHE SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09

SHE SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

SHE SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

SNORES MORE THAN I DO, BUT I STILL LOVE MY HUMAN.

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09

— BANDIT adopted 11-26-09