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. 

Paul W. Hamann, president of The Night Ministry, Mayor Richard M.Daley, and Ed Shurna, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for theHomeless, enjoy poetry by members of the H.E.L.L.O. group. (Photo by Jasmine Heiss)

Today Chicago is dressed in a familiar fall garb; another cold, gray, blustery and rainy afternoon.

Six years ago today, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless lost a great leader, John "Juancho" Donahue.  While a sadness and stillness filled our hearts, the CCH staff best remembered Juancho today by doing what he did --and what we do best-- organizing!

Joining our diverse allies in the Sweet Home Chicago campaign, we marched for affordable housing in Chicago's Uptown community. Old and young, black and brown, poor and professional, we walked and chanted "The people united will never be defeated."

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

I have been a policy intern at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) since the beginning of September. Before coming to CCH I understood that homelessness is an issue in the city of Chicago and across the nation, but what I did not realize is that homelessness has many faces. The guy on the corner asking for change does not even begin to paint a picture of what it means to be homeless.

Prostitution Alternatives Round Table (PART) trained 65 Cook County adult probation officers on issues faced by women in the sex trade and the need for alternative sentencing options during two sessions held Nov. 4 - 6.

It was the second Cook County training offered by PART-- last January and February, PART trained 60 probation officers during two seminars.