Tina Lee's home burned down in 2010, leaving her and her six children homeless with no place to go.
Her family is too big for a shelter to handle, and even if it wasn't, there is no place for a single
mother with sons over the age of 14 to stay in Champaign. Lee also has lupus, which limits what she
can do on a daily basis. Luckily, she was able to apply at Restoration Urban Ministries, which
provided her and her family with a place to stay for about $250 a month. While not the greatest
situation, it is the only program in Champaign county that can take a family, and only after a
long application process and approval.
Henry Lee Thomas has lived in Illinois for 30 years and has been homeless for 10. Originally from Mississippi, Henry moved here when he was 23 for "a change of scenery." Now 54, Henry has no permanent residence or much personal property to call his own. Drugs and alcohol played a large part in his life and contributed, along with his self-described "wandering nature" to his current homelessness. Now Henry spends much of his time on the streets of campus, hoping to get some spare change and maybe bum a cigarette. He also spends time off and on at the TIMES Center for Men, but confesses that he doesn't particularly enjoy it there due to crowding and the fact that he does not get along with some of the people there. Now that it's warmer however, he plans to spend more time on the streets.