07/24/2026
The DeKalb Chronicle published an article yesterday that included a segment of the UUCD Board of Trustees' statement to the City Council regarding a recent proposed ordinance that would impact unhoused persons in our community. The Board of Trustees' full statement was as follows.....
"Good evening, Mayor, members of the City Council, and members of our community.
My name is Elisa Curl-Woodruff, and tonight I speak on behalf of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of DeKalb and the UUCD Overnight Warming Center.
Our congregation is guided by a simple but profound belief: that every person possesses inherent worth and dignity. It is through that lens that we respectfully ask you not to adopt the proposed ordinance that would impose fines on individuals experiencing homelessness for sleeping on public property or property adjacent to public land.
We recognize that homelessness presents real challenges for our city. We know there are concerns about public safety, neighborhoods, businesses, and public spaces. These concerns deserve thoughtful attention. But we believe it is important to remember that being unhoused is not a crime. It is a tragedy.
Over the past 3 years, our congregation has worked closely with persons experiencing homelessness through our Overnight Warming Center. We have come to know them not as statistics or problems to be solved, but as human beings.
An example is an elderly man named Rodger who gave us permission to tell his story. Rodger came to us after escaping a household where he had been the victims of elder abuse and social security fraud. He came to us with no money, no ID, clothing that was inadequate for the severe temperatures, and a broken spine that had not properly healed. We cannot imagine any success would come from imposing fines on someone like Rodger for having had nowhere safe to sleep. His is only one of many stories that deserve our curiosity, not our assumptions. We regularly hear stories of job loss, medical crises, trauma, domestic violence, mental illness, or other circumstances that could happen to any one of us. Some deserve accountability where appropriate, but they also deserve dignity and hope.
Communities across our nation have found that criminalizing homelessness is not an effective remedy. In fact, the Illinois Department of Human Rights warned against such actions in March of 2025, with a letter reminding communities that criminalizing homelessness is in direct opposition to several state laws. Instead, many cities have begun investing in collaborative approaches that address underlying causes while respecting the dignity of every individual. These communities have chosen integrity and practical long-term solutions.
For that reason, we respectfully ask the Council to pause adopting this ordinance and allow the task force that you previously voted to establish to begin its work. Give the task force the opportunity to study successful models from other communities and consult with service providers, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, local businesses, neighborhood representatives, and individuals who have experienced homelessness themselves. Allow time to develop recommendations that reflect both public safety and our shared humanity.
The important decisions before you are not easy. I hope we can be remembered as a community that chose wisdom over haste, compassion over punishment, and long-term solutions over short-term responses.
Thank you for your time, your service to our city, and your thoughtful consideration.
Respectfully Submitted,
The UUCD Board of Trustees:
Elisa “E” Curl-Woodruff
Susan Dorbeck
Ashley Ford
Sumiko Keay
Dan Kenney
Ed Miquel
Rev. Linda Slabon
Toni Tollerud
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Eu1g5fEbM/
Some leaders of social service agencies serving those experiencing homelessness said they remain committed to their work regardless of the outcome of a recent DeKalb city debate over a now-tabled ordinance that would have fined those found sleeping or camping in public.
