There's a reason columnist Phil Kadner was an early winner of the Studs Terkel Award. It's given by the Community Media Workshop to journalists who write about "under-covered communities" -- in other words, reporters who give voice to the little guy. 

We couldn't agree more! 

In the December issue of the Chicago Gazette, a monthly that serves the South Loop and West Side, the editorial board announced that its "Holiday wish list would make for a better Chicago, U.S., in 2010." 

The Gazette wrote about the affordable housing campaign launched by the Sweet Home Chicago Coalition, citing the efforts of a lead aldermanic sponsor. 

For more than a decade, the Chicago-based Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) has run retreats that spiritually renew homeless men and women.

Sam Hudzik of Chicago Public Radio states it best: “By all accounts, the state of Illinois' money situation is a mess.” 

Illinois has the second steepest deficit in the U.S., trailing only California. This year’s FY 2010 budget was cut 10 percent. Meanwhile, $6 billion in one-time revenue – including borrowing and federal stimulus funds – will expire in the next fiscal year.

CCH extends its thanks to the Bar Louie restaurant at Dearborn Station for providing a wonderful Thanksgiving meal Nov. 26 for shelter residents. Generosity was on full display that afternoon and the food was delicious. 

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week ended on a nice note: Sunday’s Chicago Tribune featured a follow-up story about the strong community support given to a homeless family that was living in a storage facility in Streamwood.

This is the last in a series by many of our young interns and volunteers. We asked them to write about how "National Hunger and Homelessness Week"  (Nov. 15-21, 2009) spurs them to view the work they do with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

We asked interns and volunteers to write about how "National Hunger and Homelessness Week"  (Nov. 15-21, 2009) makes them think about the work they are doing with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

This week is National Homelessness Week.  Before I started interning at CCH, I doubt I would have known this.  It doesn't receive the same kind of attention as Black History Month, or even Arbor Day. Homelessness is a difficult thing to think about. It is an issue that for most people is easy to comprehend in the abstract, but more challenging to confront head-on. The idea of not having a home, not having anything constant, is one that is nearly impossible for most of us to grasp.

We asked interns and volunteers to write about how "National Hunger and Homelessness Week"  (Nov. 15-21) makes them think about the work they are doing with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.