Greetings from Lawson House: Meet Jewel

Jewel’s apartment is lined with carefully tended flowers and tomato plants and full of natural light, highlighting his snazzy brown leather shoes and salmon-pink button up shirt. He’s been living at Lawson House for 3 months, almost 4, and appreciates the stability of having his own apartment. “It was maybe 12 years that I was homeless, living on the street, sleeping on the train...I was just on the train going back and forth, back and forth. It was rough, it was really rough...This place is a big help for me.”

Built in 1931, Lawson House is an Art Deco landmark in the Gold Coast. The former headquarters of the Chicago YMCA, Lawson was once the largest single-room- occupancy structure in the city. Recently, Renaissance's partner Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation completed a gut renovation of the building, creating 406 micro-apartments, each with a kitchenette and a bathroom. Renaissance clients now living at Lawson House have access to case management and onsite social services.

Jewel shared that he is pre-diabetic and now able to use his new stability to take care of his health in ways that weren’t possible when he was unhoused. “Being homeless, it throws you off. You can’t really eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love rice, grains, oatmeal, wheat bread, you know, the healthy things - but I wasn't able to get them. I was eating what I could on the streets. But now I’m getting back on track. I'm feeling better, and I’m definitely eating better.

The support of Renaissance staff has been crucial to Jewel’s journey back to health. “The case managers, they’re great, I couldn’t ask for more. I try not to even bother them because they're doing such a good job. I’m serious.”