Several individuals suffering from chronic substance abuse have died while in the care of this facility. There have been guests that have collapsed and died right in the presence of others during religious services. When confronted with concerns about the behaviors of distributive and dangerous guests, officials in the organization make it a point to clarify that guests have no place in the import of how they orchestrated operations at the facility. Because they have received negative reviews on Google, they are attempting to ask overnight guests to take surveys about their experience but specifically choose individuals who will potentially provide only positive or neutral feedback. I have many years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in support of domestic violence victims and drug addiction survivors. I was also a caseworker for HUD’s housing voucher program. During a recent sermon, the director of the program here at PGM gave a message about people who are “difficult” or tend to bring awareness to their own experiences and backgrounds. His point was that such individuals are a nuisance. I personally feel inefficient policies and practices are a nuisance especially when individuals lose their lives in the care of others they have entrusted themselves with to help them overcome such a dangerous struggle as drug abuse.
Review from Guidestar
Racist, ignorant, nasty attitude about women need for clean clothes. No emotional support here. Only serves about 30 women. They cater to whites and certified nursing assistants. Verbally and physically abuse those on entitlement for mental conditions.
How are homeless charities faring in Chicago as the World Series draws to a close and as Obama fixes to come home? Are the charities for the homeless or they ill grounded and should be without homes themselves? Ask yourselves that question as you read this review.
I stayed from Friday, September 23, 2016 through about six fifteen a.m. Monday, October 31, 2016 at the Pacific Garden Mission as a homeless "guest[.]" When I phoned in to inquire about the Pacific Garden Mission in September 2016 before I got there, I was told that 'reservations' were for thirty days and that if I worked full time, went to school full time or was on housing lists that I would be given a thirty day renewal. That was the story at the beginning of my stay for about ten days. Then for some reason shelter reservations started being extended capriciously and not at all for an additional days but just for about seven to eight days if that.
I actually sent by certified mail twice and also hand delivered to a women's program staffer at the Pacific Garden Mission a bunch of housing applications that I made to the Cook County Housing Authority by both certified mail and by facsimile. Guess what? It is too much for these fake Christians--strange revivalists that they are--to take someone who does what they are supposed to do--in my case, to make housing applications in a timely fashion before one's first thirty day 'reservation' had elapsed to be eligible for an additional thirty days at the Pacific Garden Mission --and to not get into brawls on the premises of the shelter; not to smoke, drink or do any street drugs or wrongfully take prescription drugs et al.. The fake Christians who run and staff this place would rather celebrate the felon any day of the week who does these things and who will also break into one's backpack when it is under lock and key, as was mine at this mission shelter, and steal Cook County Housing applications from the backpack even as it is supposed to be under lock and key. Such a thief will be greeted every day of the week at the altar during chapel service with open arms and a sort of "come to Jesus" rally while those of us who are honest and homeless and not the sort of "Once I was blind, but now I see...hopeless wretch like me" types that this place houses again and again and spends money on even while they thieve, lie, steal and commit armed robbery or break into area cars as I heard was done by some participants of some of the programs at this shelter during my most recent stay from September 23, 2016 to the early morning Central Time of October 31, 2016.
This place advertises to those that it "serves" in its shelter that it receives no public funding at all from government entities like Cook County or H.U.D.
Why, then, were my Cook County Housing Authority applications--at least some of them--stolen on this place's premises while they were under my lock and key in what is supposed to be a room for one's backpacks, purses and luggage that has a security camera in it? Does this shelter, in fact, get any money from Cook County or the City of Chicago or H.U.D.? After all, Cook County Housing Authority certainly gets H.U.D. funds. I would like to know if it is true that the Pacific Garden Mission does, in fact, received H.U.D. funds.
Stay and/or donate elsewhere. Don't let what happened to me happened to you.
Guess what else?: Philip/Phillip Kwiatowski of the Pacific Garden Mission has openly opined that he doesn't think that the place has adequate enough structures to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (1990 et al.) Rather, as Mr. Kwiatowski noted to a colleague as I was coming into the same hall where they were standing at the beginning of my stay recently, it didn't appear to him that a paramedic or a fireman could get into the building at 1458 S. Canal St., Chicago, IL 60607 to get someone out on a stretcher if that person had seizure disorder and started to seize.
Guess what? I have seizure disorder. And my seizure disorder medications were stolen with some other prescription medications of mine during my stay.
To top it all off, on my last day there, my already broken into backpack was moved in the room where I had secured it by tying it to its shelf from one shelf location to another. When I couldn't at first find it and went to the pay phone on the first floor just off of the main 1458 S. Canal St. , Chicago, IL 60607 reception area for women, I discovered that this place had actually dismantled its 911 function from the payphone.
I had to go up to the Amtrak Station that morning and call 911's first responders to let them know that the Pacific Garden Mission had illegally dismantled its 911 function on at least one of its pay phones. When Mr. Kwiatowski admits openly that he doesn't think that the structure in which Pacific Garden Mission's shelter now finds itself can accommodate entrance, egress and ingress for medical purposes when someone seizes on the mission's subject premises, how and why can it be that any payphone at and on the premises doesn't completely work in good order? You tell me!
I am on the street now since I couldn't get housed at the Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph today, November 1, 2016 or at any of the ten or so other shelters that I called today from the list of shelters that the Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph caseworker that I spoke with today gave me.
Maybe it is the World Series that is driving the homeless into shelters in good weather at the beginning of the month (wink...)-)
After all, usually when shelter guests' S.S.I. "checks" come in on the first of the month, which is today, people are out partying for a night or two or three. And then they come back to the shelter. Especially if there is good weather as there is today and tonight in Chicago.
In any case, I never do that. Party out my S.S.D.I. check, that is. There isn't enough of it as it turns out anyway to even get a proper breakfast. Rather, I have had to have breakfasts of potato chips or bagged popcorn owing to their low coast.
And I won't have a roof over my head, it appears, until I leave Chicago by bus or train and can count the bus roof or the train roof to serve that function--serve as the roof over my head, that is.
Caveat emptor. Buyer beware.
Chicago is supposed to have good public services and charitable institutions. But that hasn't been the case for me.
Review from Guidestar