”Don’t dwell on what should have been, dwell on what could be,” are words that Taishi (tie-EE-she) Neuman, a mother of five and the only girl among her four siblings, strives to live by.
Born and raised in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood, Ms. Neuman describes herself as a loving parent and sister. Her “passionate heart for people” has accompanied her through life’s many blessings and hardships and is central to the community activist she is today.
Ms. Neuman and her family became homeless after multiple sclerosis left her unable to continue working as a certified nursing assistant. Though she obtained disability income, the meager payments were not enough to afford rent. The family was staying in a shelter in 2013 when they met a community organizer from the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness (CCH).
”He was talking about how we can have a voice and not be afraid to voice our opinions,” Ms. Neuman recalls. “I’m a quiet person. I don’t like to talk. I thought, maybe they can help me to speak out so can I advocate for other people.”
Today, Ms. Neuman and her family are stably housed with support from a housing voucher. She remains an active grassroots leader with CCH, contributing to many policy wins and building power across Chicago over the past 11 years.
She got her start organizing for a living wage through Fight for $15 – “those were some long marches,” she laughs – and later advocated with CCH’s HomeWorks campaign to strengthen the homeless education policy within Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
She is proud of her work on a participatory research project that explored inequities to accessing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Illinois. As a member of the Research Advisory Board (RAB), “we were able to use our voices to help those that didn’t really understand the system,” said Ms. Neuman.
With the CPS Focus Group, Ms. Neuman works to increase resources for students experiencing homelessness. At the start of the pandemic, their advocacy secured 12,000 mobile hotspots and 100,000 laptops so that all students could access remote learning and established meal options for food-insecure families while school buildings were closed.
The research findings bolstered CCH advocacy; in 2023, RAB members led successful efforts to win an increase to TANF grant amounts in Illinois and to end a harmful policy of the state retaining child support payments from families enrolled in the TANF program.
Ms. Neuman also organizes with the Bring Chicago Home campaign – which works to create a dedicated revenue stream for housing and supportive services – and participates in the Horizons creative writing program. As a member of the Speakers Bureau, Ms. Neuman educates community members on homelessness by sharing her story.
”As long as I’m able to advocate and tell others how my experience was, and where I’m at today, I will never stop doing it,” said Ms. Neuman. “As my kids grow up, they see momma is consistent in fighting for others.”
Alongside her advocacy with CCH, Ms. Neuman continues to build a better life for her family. She plans to complete her GED and later pursue a license in mortuary science. Longer term, she is working towards buying a house so that her kids can say: “this is ours.”
”Don’t let nothing and no one take the joy you have in your heart away, no matter what your struggle may have been,” said Ms. Neuman. “Homelessness is not where you stop your life at. Continue to live and strive for what you want.”
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is now Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness (CCH).