He’s not a man that usually gets much attention, but on Saturday night his story held an audience spellbound.
At a fund-raiser benefiting Housing Options for the Mentally Ill in Evanston, Executive Director Alexander Brown told the story of a client he only referred to as Bill.
Bill is schizophrenic. Living under a viaduct in southeast Evanston, Bill does not have access to health care or housing.
But Housing Options workers knew of Bill and they persuaded him to move into an apartment.
At first Bill was reluctant and only used the Housing Options apartment for showering and storage. The apartment was too calm and quiet. Brown said Bill preferred the louder streets that drowned out the voices in his head.
But with the help of medication and continued support, “he now calls his apartment home,” Brown said.
Housing Options, 1132 Florence Ave., held its annual fund-raiser Saturday night at the Women’s Club of Evanston, 1702 Chicago Ave. Tickets were $100, and about 250 people attended the event.
“Isn’t this the best thing to do on a Saturday in February?” Sue Durburg, president of the Board of Directors, asked the audience.
Brown said this year’s fund-raiser was one of the most successful in several years, in both attendance and money raised.
“I am very confident this will be more than $50,000,” Brown said, in reference to the amount raised at last year’s event. The annual silent auction and raffle raised more money than ever before, he said, but an official figure was not available yet.
The organization provides a lifetime of support for its clients, most of whom either have lived in Evanston at some point or have family who live in Evanston. Housing Options offers both permanent and transitional housing in seven residential programs. It has helped more than 120 people since it started in 1988.
Money raised from the evening will go toward housing and supportive services, such as staff, job skills training and health care costs. About 5 percent of its $1.1 million annual budget comes from its annual fund-raiser. Other funding comes from federal grants and donations from individuals, local businesses and corporations.
In addition to hearing about the work of Housing Options, attendees also got a dose of comedy from The Chicago Bar Association. Members performed a musical satire show, “Hearsay,” a take on the Broadway musical “Hairspray.”
Singing and dancing, the lawyers mocked everything from political figures to popular television shows to current events. Energy technology company Halliburton, Democratic presidential candidates, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Janet Jackson’s”wardrobe malfunction” at the Super Bowl all were the subjects of jokes.
“With an awe, with a shock, let’s all drink to Iraq,” sang one performer, who impersonated Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
In a skit about the television show “Antiques Roadshow,” another performer impersonated Roy Moore, former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice who gained notoriety for fighting to keep the Ten Commandments on display in a courthouse. The performer carried a fake stone tablet onto the stage. The tablet listed only five of the commandments.
The man joked that he sold the other five on eBay.
“This is the better half,” the impersonator said. “It doesn’t include the one on adultery.”
Evanston resident Sandy Gross, who has attended the event several times before, said she enjoyed the evening.
“I think it’s one of the best benefits in Evanston,” she said. “There are a lot of opportunities to socialize. I’m always happy that I came.”
Evanston Mayor Lorraine Morton, who drew out the winning raffle tickets, praised Housing Options for its work.
“It services a need that most communities don’t even think about providing,” Morton said. “It’s good for the community as well as the people whom it serves.”
