Don’t Look Away
Don’t Look Away pushes individuals to stop ignoring Chicago’s homeless community. Funded by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, this campaign aims to raise support and donations for Chicago’s homeless shelters.
Help people to learn about the individual stories within Chicago homelessness, and encourage them to donate or spread the word.
Brief
People feel like they can’t make a meaningful impact on the homelessness crisis, so they choose to ignore it instead. CCH has the resource to enact positive change, giving people an avenue to support in whatever way they want.
Insight
OOH
“I am 64 now, so I’m getting up there man. During COVID, at the start, it was spooky to me man. Ever since I got older all this stuff just started happening, all at once, it seems. I try to protect myself from the virus and stay away from people because they say it’s in the lungs. So, I stay away from that type of environment man. I stay to myself and pray and I read and when I go to my tent at night I watch a movie on my phone. Since the lockdown and all that, I’ve lived in 2 different shelters and at the Men’s Hotel, and out in the street. -Robert
Roberts Story
I’ve known Ryan for over two years. He’s been homeless the entire time, “and way before then,” he told me. He has a dog named Les and a close friend named ‘J’. Les, the dog, does not have an addiction to opioids, problem. The three ‘partner up’ on the streets. Ryan and ‘J’ split money from panhandling, share food, and take care of each other as best they can. “We’re kinda like brothers that way,” said Ryan. They both feel responsible for Les’ care. “People walking past, look out for Les more than they do either one of us guys,” says Ryan. -Ryan
Ryans Story
Rafael is from Mississippi and lives on Lower Wacker Drive. He told me he’s been robbed twice. The first time someone just slinked up and stole his wallet. The second time, he was hit in the back of the head and knocked out cold. He woke up in Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a concussion. -Lloyd
“They got everything I owned he said.” -Rafael
Rafael’s Story
E’S Story
“E is concerned about protecting her anonymity and has never given me her name. I used to see her a lot downtown being pushed in a wheelchair by an acquaintance, but I haven’t seen her recently and wonder if something has happened to her. She talked to me about addiction, and I remember once asking her if she thought it was a disease or a choice. This is the answer she gave me: it’s like you are underwater and you gotta breathe, but if you inhale, you’re gonna drown, but you do it anyway.”
-Lloyd
Jimmys Story
“Jimmy used to be a businessman and lost everything-his family, his job -to addiction. I took this picture in an alley of Wabash, the jacket he is wearing used to be mine. I gave it to him after I got a new one.”
-Lloyd
Michelle’s Story
“My name is Michelle Auriemma. I’m 32 yrs old. I was born in Melrose Park, IL.”
“My parents loved me, but as I got older they had another baby and my brother was born on May 27th, 1994. My brother’s name is Frankie.”
“My Mom was a drug addict and my Father was a gambler. He went to the racetrack and the casinos. As my brother and I got older we realized that my parents always fought. Sometimes my Dad would take us to his house and sometimes we’d go to our Mom’s. One day my Dad decided to get a divorce. He got custody of both of us, but it didn’t work out very well for us. When it came time to visit my Mom and stay with her, she used to do some bad things to us. The guy that my Mom was seeing was abusive and my Dad started going out with someone else and she abused us too. We went back and forth. My Dad’s girlfriend was always getting drunk and calling me a liar and sticking up for my brother. She liked him better. Ultimately I ended up on the street with nowhere else to go.” -Michelle
Activation
CCH will partner with Lloyd Degrand and the Art Institute of Chicago for an exhibit featuring photos and stories of the Chicago Homeless population. There will also be a photo book for sale, all proceeds will go directly to CCH.
Photos and Stories of Chicago’s homeless Community used throughout this campaign were captured by the Chicago photographer Lloyd Degrane.
Each of the individuals' full stories will be hosted on CCH.org for viewers to read.