Where I Stay

An effort to revolutionize Chicago's approach to homelessness, more than five years in the making, ended in a defeat at the ballot box in March, 2024.  The bill, known as Bring Chicago Home , sought to create a dedicated stream of funds to provide housing and services by taxing properties valued over $1 million. We talk to Maria Hadden , Alderperson of Chicago's 49th Ward, and an architect of Brin...

In this final episode of Season 2 of Where I Stay, thousands of asylum seekers are showing up on the streets, and in shelters across Chicago.  A political stunt by the Governor of Texas blossoms into a full blown humanitarian crisis in Chicago, imperiling a new progressive mayor's plans to address homelessness. as well as, provide emergency shelter for tens-of-thousands of new arrivals stuck in po...

It's knives out in Chicago, as election season draws near.. and there will be mud .  On March 19th 2024, Chicagoans will see the end of a story multiple years in the making. Voters must decide if the city should create a dedicated source of funds to fight homelessness, but a million dollar astroturfing campaign from the real estate lobby is committed to preventing its passage. Once again.  Meanwhi...

Tensions flare over the homeless camp in Touhy Park after the Park District decides to shut everything down. The appearance of mysterious flyers claiming the tent city will be relocated to a fancy hotel causes rampant confusion and amps up emotions on all sides. With the election looming, what paths remain for the local alderwoman to get everyone housed before a potentially lethal winter? Special...

Chicago may have 50 official wards, but there’s a 51st Ward where over 65,000 people reside without a home. In our season premiere, join reporters Jesse Betend, Suzanne Hanney, and A. Allen as they seek out Tom Gordon, the enigmatic “Mayor of Uptown,” to understand the rise of tent cities across Chicago. What they find is a tightly-knit community formed out of necessity, existing in the shadows of...

For most, living in a shelter or on the street is the last resort. As a result, the majority of people experiencing homelessness are “defined out” of accessing aid. In fact, the Department of Housing and Urban Development doesn’t even consider them homeless. Are we obscuring an exponentially larger looming crisis? On this bonus episode host Jesse Betend and StreetWise Magazine Senior Editor Suzann...

Angelica meets Anthony.  

A fateful encounter in Arizona changes everything.

On the run.

Angelica is headed to prison, but what does that mean for her son, Anthony?   

There was someone who could’ve prevented a lot of what was going wrong in Angelica’s life. This week: who they were and why they didn’t.

Angelica moves in with the queen-pin of an Iowa drug ring.

Angelica decides the quickest way to get help is to lie.

Fourteen places, two-toothless threats, one diary and countless family secrets. How does a 12-year-old become homeless, anyway?    

Angelica first became homeless at the age of 12, but she never lived on the street. Prisons. Vegas condos. The living room of an Iowa drug queen-pin, and an inpatient facility for adolescents. This is WHERE I STAY.  From Rivet + StreetWise.