Recognizing that fighting with the Salvation Army over whether they can give out hot food in a Chicago winter is perhaps not the best thing for an alderman’s image, Alderman James Cappleman and Salvation Army Captain Nancy Powers met yesterday and Cappleman issued a statement (in which, you’ll note, he frames the issue as “chronic homelessness,” which is what he says the religious group’s activities do not adequately address, as opposed to “immediate hunger and cold”). The statement is below, and will probably do its job of cooling heads for the moment, though Mark Brown at the Sun-Times is still badgering him in today’s column, headlined “Cappleman free to show he’s serious about helping homeless.”
From Alderman Cappleman’s Office:
March 6, 2013 (Chicago) - I want to thank Captain Nancy Powers for meeting with me today to talk about the issue of chronic homelessness. We both agree that there is more work we all can do to combat this problem. We both also agree that it’s time for all social services in the 46th ward to come together and work together. For too long social services have operated in silos and I’m excited and hopeful about bringing all interested parties to the table to come up with a plan together. Hopefully we can see the day when no one is living on the streets and everyone has a safe and warm roof over their heads.
