Chicago's Loop Alliance ambassadors hit the streets to care for unhoused people
CHICAGO (CBS) – Slowly but surely people are coming back to the Loop. Traffic on State Street and Michigan Avenue are up to 75% of pre-pandemic levels.
There are some high-profile folks out there to keep everyone safe.
CBS 2's Marie Saavedra hit the streets with a Loop ambassador.
Octavion Thomas looked down 26 stories on the big city below. The Chicago Loop Alliance ambassador grabbed his radio and headed out the door, ready to hit the streets.
He is one of 16 ambassadors around this time of year doing whatever it takes to make workers and visitors to the Loop feel safer and more comfortable.
"There are a number of things on the streets," Thomas said. "Everything between making sure the streets is clean."
The highest priority on this day was checking on unhoused people. There are some 6,000 in Chicago with the highest concentration right in the Loop.
The ambassadors were armed with resource cards to hand out to those in need. Ambassadors walk eight to 12 miles a day with one goal: to help people.
In September alone, ambassadors provided more than 1,200 referrals for things like housing and jobs.
Thomas explained why downtown can be a magnet for those without a permanent place to live.
"They find the Loop home," he said. "The Loop is full of nice people, nice people who give."
It was clear the lifelong Chicagoan knows many downtown, including another ambassador, Alfonso Redditt.
Combined, the two have been crisscrossing the Loop for nearly two decades. Any kind of garbage on the street and Redditt jumps into action. But on a recent afternoon, these two focused their attention on those that most people just ignore.
Outside of Macy's, Redditt offered a resource guide to a migrant mom and her daughter. Meanwhile, Thomas, who seems to be always smiling, extended a helping hand to the unhoused neighbors.
They are not forgotten to the Loop Alliance ambassadors. They get to know these regulars, making small talk, and hoping one day, they'll accept that assistance. Thomas remembers one such success story.
"He was able to obtain an apartment within the time we start and a three-month period," he said.
As these two said goodbye for the day, Thomas reflected on what's kept him on the job for a decade.
"The reason I sleep good at night is because I know that I've had a positive impact on someone's life," he said.
