The Cornerstone Community Outreach posted this new video of the recently saved Epworth Men’s Shelter that CCO now runs.

CCO, which is run by Jesus People USA, took over the operation of the shelter in Edgewater’s Epwroth United Methodist Church this month. The shelter had been run by REST for 14 years, but that partnership ended because of management disputes, according to an article in the Chicago Journal News-Star. Check out the News-Star story for more info on why there was a need for new management and the negotiations it took to keep Epworth open.

via Cornerstone Community Outreach

Homeless man found shot to death in Blue Island junkyard - Southtown Star
A  story about 36-year-old Brian Keith Briggs who was found shot in the chest in a junkyard that he was reportedly watching over in exchange for being able to live there. He lived out of a car in the yard.

Update – Patricia Blagojevich wants to be paid through her contract – Chicago Sun Times
The gossip over at Michael Sneed’s column is that Patricia has “demanded” to be paid through August when her contract ends. The contact is for her $100,000-a-year job as the chief fundraiser for the Chicago Christian Industrial League.

Homeless numbers down in Lake County, but up in Chicago shelter – Lake County News-Sun and Chi-Town Daily News
An article from the Lake County News-Sun says their point-in-time count in January showed a decrease to 367 homeless from 439 last year. At the same time the Chi-Town Daily News cites a new Housing Action Illinois report that says shelters like the San Jose Obrero Mission, are seeing as much as 10 percent more people.

CTA relaxes guideline for homeless - The Chicagoist
The Chicagoist points out that the CTA seems to be relaxing its policy of kicking off “continuous riders” who stay on trains and buses to avoid the cold. As the city encourages residents to get the homeless to warming shelters, the CTA is leaving it up to employees to decide whether to kick riders off of trains and buses.

Low-income apartments could be at risk - Chi-Town Daily News
Megan Conttrell’s story says that affordable apartments are growing scarce because landlords are facing rising costs from strict city regulations and falling revenues as tenants are hit by the bad economy.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is having a deal with Stereo Sinai, a “biblegum pop” band, to raise money for the coalition. Now through Feb. 16, all download sales of Stereo Sinai’s single “Eleven Below” will go to CCH.

The song goes for $0.99 at Stereo Sinai’s download page.

Stereo Sinai is Miriam Brosseau and Alan Jay Sufrin. Sufrin says “Eleven Below” came from Madison, Wis.: “Miriam and I lived on opposite sides of campus, and it’s a long way from one side to the other. I promised that I would come see her one night, but it was freezing outside. I bundled up and walked over anyway. When I showed up at her door, she couldn’t believe that I’d actually kept my word. She thought it was romantic. She also thought I was stupid for being outside in that weather.”

via Chicago Coalition for the Homeless blog

Here is a good idea from a Web site trying to take online enthusiasm and turn it in to offline activism.

DoSomething.org and Aéropostale have teamed up for the Teens for Jeans campaign, which seeks to encourage teenagers to start jean drives for the homeless at their high schools. To get teens excited the campaign is being promoted by actor Chace Crawford from Gossip Girl. Jeans can be donated to any Aéropostale store for a 25 percent coupon off your next pair of jeans, which is a pretty sweet deal. The campaign is running form Jan. 26 to Feb. 25.

The Web site includes a guide for teens to set up a jean drive at their high school and more resources for information on homelessness and other projects to help the homeless.

There are 32 Aéropostale locations in Illinois. Find the closest one to you here.

Check out the video from Chace Crawford.

Want a little more fun? Check out the outtakes from Crawford’s video. The beginning is just the normal spot, so skip it.

Here is another link for the end of the week.

Illinois jobless rate at 15-year high – Chicago Business via Progress Illinois
The number are continuing to get worse as unemployment in Illinois grew for the seventh month in a row to 7.6 percent. The national rate grew last month to 7.2 percent. Increased competition for jobs furthur disadvantages those without permanent addresses and will probably contribute to the growing numbers looking for homeless assistance.

The numbers in this report came from a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and a Illinois Department of Employment Security report. Check out the extensive federal report for yourself or you can  download a PDF of the shorter state report.

Have a good weekend everyone.