On November 18th, 2005 Chicago’s Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on the Lincoln Park Community Shelter (LPCS). The Shelter opened in 1985 as a partnership between three local parishes, the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ and St. Clement Catholic Church. The hearing pitted the shelter, which had served as a place of refuge for homeless people for 20 years, against rich yuppy neighbors who do not want a homeless shelter in their neighborhood.

According to it’s website “The LPCS is not religiously affiliated, and is completely privately funded. Operating on a modest budget, we rely largely on the support of volunteers. Truly a community-based organization, the LPCS has always been operated by an annual pool of more than 1500 volunteers who serve as meal providers and overnight supervisors”.

The shelter is applying for a special use permit which will allow it to host up to 40 guests at a time. However four neighbors have challenged the application for the permit, and are trying to shut the shelter down for good.

Lincoln Park has a history of gentrification, where developers come in and build expensive homes, and raise the price of living to the point where many residents are unable to live in the neighborhood. Lincoln Park used to have a large Puerto Rican community until this gentrification took place. In the 1970’s a radical anti-imperialist group called the Young Lords occupied DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons, as a protest against gentrification.

The neighbors in their expensive homes claim that this is not about property values as none of them are planning on selling their homes anytime soon, but that they are concerned about crime and the safety of their families. This despite the fact that the LPCS hasn’t led to an increase in crime in the neighborhood, and it has security cameras and guards to help prevent any incidents that might antagonize the neighborhood.

The hearing was packed with supporters of the Community Shelter. All who wore Green Stickers that read “Yes to LPCS Special Use”. Also there were students and faculty from DePaul University. DePaul’s Students Against Hunger and Homelessness as well as a few members from DePaul Students Against the War turned out to show their support for the shelter. Alderwoman Vi Daley read a statement that basically said she was concerned but that she wouldn’t take either side and that she hoped they could work it out amongst themselves.

The lawyers from LPCS had several people who had been through the LPCS’ program testify on how it has changed their lives. One was a former cocaine addict who has now kicked the habit, has a job and is raising his child.

The Lawyers for the neighbors kept trying to connect homelessness to crime, but no one was able to ask them what they though the homeless in Lincoln Park would resort to without the shelter. It seems like the neighbors are taking a “not in my rich neighborhood” position regarding the shelter.

The Judge seemed less sympathatic to the LPCS, he overruled all of the LPCS’s lawyers objections, at one point stating that since he is not familiar with the case he can’t accurately tell when to sustain or overrule an objection. However he sustained several of the objections coming from the young lawyer for the neighbors against the community shelter.

Since the room the hearing was held in only held 200 people, there was an overflow of supporters for the LPCS. Over 300 people outside of the hearing signed a petition to show that they were present and supported the LPCS. However when the signature were submitted as evidence to the judge, he remarked that they would add to the weight of the binder he had filled with paperwork and evidence for the case, “if not the substance”.

Due to time restrictions the hearing had to end before the cases were fully presented. The next hearing will be on December 16th at 4:30 in the city council chambers of City Hall.