73-year-old Chicago resident Joe Ann Wilson spent nearly two decades in the same apartment, but during the COVID-19 pandemic she was forced to leave her home due to rising rents and subsequently moved between homeless shelters for a year and a half.
With help from Lakynna Dorrough, a rapid re-housing case manager, Ms. Wilson got a lifeline and a new apartment thanks to a Chicago Housing Authority Emergency Housing Voucher.
“It’s what we hope to accomplish every day,” Cheryl Burns, CHA’s Chief Housing Choice Voucher Officer, told CBS Chicago in a local news segment (link is external) about Ms. Wilson’s story. “We wake up with the goal of helping families, so when you hear a story like [Ms. Wilson’s] it really does remind you why you’re doing this work.”
“I’m so very thankful,” Ms. Wilson told CBS Chicago.
You can watch the local news segment about Ms. Wilson’s story and the success of CHA’s EHV program here (link is external).