A spoken-word event at Town Hall Pub in Lakeview tackled issues related to queer homeless youth July 17, including the recent temporary closure of LGBT-friendly youth shelter The Crib.
Approximately 20 people attended the evening event, which was marred by controversy after some people commented on Facebook that the event was inaccessible to the youth themselves.
Adam Guerino, who coordinates the monthly series "Word is Out," talked about his experiences being homeless during his late teens and early 20s. Guerino said he often went home from Boystown bars with strangers so that he would have a place to sleep.
Local writer and activist Mar Curran discussed his process of creating "Our Youth Belong in Boystown," a documentary that featured a youth response to last year's controversies about crime in Lakeview.
Patrick Gill, co-founder of the "In Our Words" blog, performed a piece about youth in Boystown from the perspective of someone living in the neighborhood.
Josh Stark recalled his journey navigating social services as a formerly homeless youth
Much of the evening, however, focused on The Crib, the Night Ministry's youth shelter, which has been closed until October due to lack of funds. The shelter, largely seen as one of the only LGBT-affirming shelters in the city, has been funded as a seasonal shelter by the City of Chicago. The Night Ministry had hoped to keep the shelter open through the summer by supplementing that funding with private funds, but that money came up short.
Nate Metrick, coordinator at The Crib, explained how The Crib functions and what the temporary closure could mean for youth.
"We have a new mix of 20 people each night, a large chunk of which have spent the day getting harassed by cops," said Metrick.
Among the challenges, said Metrick, has been creating a fair system for admitting youth into the shelter nightly, which has limited space. According to Metric, the youth are selected each night through a lottery system. The process often leaves youth who are turned away feeling left out.
"The thing to say about this is that the lottery is horrible," said Metrick, adding that the process of turning anyone away is extremely difficult for staff.
Metrick said that private funders often look for quantifiable outcomes when deciding where to donate money. The reliance on those numbers can sometimes present a challenge for the small shelter that sees different faces each night.
"But we are in this for the long haul with each other," said Metrick.
A question-and-answer session with Metrick concluded the evening.
In the days leading up to the event, some expressed concerns on Facebook that the event excluded the youth themselves. One commenter noted that because the event was held in a bar, people under age 21 would not be allowed in. That commenter also said that the $5 entrance fee would block many homeless young people from attending.
Guerino rebutted that the event was one of many that his production series OutLoud was coordinating, and he encouraged those with concerns to put on their own events. Guerino is also hosting a fundraiser for The Crib on July 25 at Sidetrack called "We are Halsted: Opening the Doors." More information is available at www.adamguerino.com .