Patrick’s Story

Patrick, age 59, has lived in Chicago his entire life. Born in Berwyn, Patrick was a star on the Carl Schurz High School wrestling team and a trumpet player with the school’s band.

He worked in building maintenance in the Uptown neighborhood until life took some unexpected twists and turns. While trying to protect some family members during a dispute he was shot in the leg by an under-cover police officer. Not only did this altercation land Patrick in prison for two years - the gunshot wound made walking a formidable challenge. (Surgery left Patrick with a metal rod in his leg which extends the entire length of his femur.  Today, he gets around primarily with the assistance of a wheelchair.)  Prior to the shooting and subsequent surgery, Patrick also suffered a brain injury and lost most of his teeth during another incident. These circumstances led to a life of abject poverty, physical pain and eventually homelessness.

In April 2024, The Orange Tent Project was introduced to Patrick, along Lake Shore Drive, where he had been residing in a dilapidated tent for nearly six months and enduring the hardships of tent life. Initially, our intention was to reconstruct his tent; however, living on the street became perilous, and Patrick’s safety was of paramount concern.  While we discussed with Patrick the option of setting him up in another encampment it became very clear that due to his mobility issues, a return to the tent would be not only physically taxing but also detrimental to his emotional health.

From Left to Right: Orange Tent Project Board Member Diane Falanga, Patrick, and Orange Tent Project CEO Morgan McLuckie

With tent life untenable for Patrick, we put our heads together to figure out how to protect him. At OTP, we worked diligently to raise enough funds to get Patrick housed in a low-cost hotel for a couple of weeks. While this is not something we typically do - we knew his application for housing had been approved through Heartland Alliance and he would soon be moving into a stable home.

Today, Patrick is living in a studio apartment subsidized by Heartland Alliance. When members of The Orange Tent Project recently visited Patrick at his new Lakeview address, he explained that Morgan McLuckie (CEO of OTP) saved his life the day they met. He knows that OTP helped raise the funds needed to get him into a stable and safe living environment while he was in a transition. We also provided Patrick with his wheelchair and housing essentials. Our relationships with people do not end after they get housed. At OTP, we try to help ease the transition as much as possible.

With your financial support, we can help more people in Chicago in a similar situation. Within every tent is a person - with a story - but without a home. Every dollar donated helps us provide interim tents for people in need and helps us continue building relationships with service partners… taking people from encampments to permanent housing.

Learn how you can get involved and support our cause today at: https://www.orangetentproject.org/donate.