Of the 24 families living in facilities provided by the Center of Higher Development, 23 East 61st (Wabash Project) in Chicago, Illinois, 20 came from shelters for homeless people. Prior to finding housing and hope at the center, nearly all of these individuals felt life had bottomed out for them.
Ilona Wilson was one of those people. By age 27 she had already experienced a long history of drug abuse and faced permanent removal of her children by the court. She not only found herself without housing, but without a job or the self-esteem to look anyone in the eye to ask for one. That’s when Ilona came to the Center of Higher Development.
There, with the guidance of Rev. Walter Gillespie and his wife, Sandra, Ilona and her three children found more that affordable housing. “It was the beginning of my life,” Ilona says. Nurtured by the Gillespie’s and a mandatory rehabilitation program at the center, Ilona stopped using drugs, turned around her self-image and now successfully have two jobs.
Ilona’s three children also have experienced the hope of new beginnings. An important part of the program for families who live in the subsidized housing is an after-school tutoring program for the children. The program goes beyond coaching in spelling and math. Youngsters also are schooled in hygiene and table manners, with the promise that they will get to dress up for a night out at a special restaurant. “They are tremendously excited when the big night comes,’’ says Rev. Gillespie. “It’s an experience none of them have ever had.”
As magical as that night is, Ilona’s children have experienced something else which is not only new but also more lasting-a mother who is there for them.
Story taken from
The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of
The United Methodist Church | 1201 Davis Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201
• Chicago Community
Development Corporation (CCDC)
Ilona Wilson was one of those people. By age 27 she had already experienced a long history of drug abuse and faced permanent removal of her children by the court. She not only found herself without housing, but without a job or the self-esteem to look anyone in the eye to ask for one. That’s when Ilona came to the Center of Higher Development.