Fighting for the Human Right to Housing: A Chicago Collaboration

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) has been fighting for the human right to housing since 1980. For more than two decades, DePaul University has collaborated with CCH as co-educators to address the question that emerged from St. Vincent de Paul’s life, “What must be done?”–with a contemporary articulation: “What are you doing for justice?” Engaging Vincentians in Action (VIA), a 20+ year interfaith service-learning framework, DePaul students address these questions by exploring how to respond to homelessness personally and collectively. This session underscores the core co-educator role of a community partner in the Vincentian formation of students. CCH presents an approach that centers lived experience and grassroots leader expertise. DePaul campus ministers highlight the accompanying spiritual and reflective practices integrated in classroom and immersion contexts. Presenters together facilitate a Speakers Bureau experiential learning activity.