How Chezeray found his voice and mission at Saint Leonard’s

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For this edition of Faces of Saint Leonard’s, we hand the writing keys to Matthew Luchins, a Saint Leonard’s resident for the past year.

“I’ve been so grateful for what the community has provided me and allowed me to do as I’ve begun rebuilding community and opportunity in my life,” Luchins says. “I wanted to give back in some way and after discussion with staff, the idea came to share profiles of residents and staff who I’ve gotten to know during my time at 2100 W. Warren Blvd.”

Read Luchin’s article about Chezeray Moore, a Saint Leonard’s resident who is making a name for himself as an advocate for the unhoused.

Chezeray Moore spent much of his 31 years in prison reading and studying, so it’s hardly surprising the metaphor he finds when describing the opportunities at Saint Leonard’s Ministries:

“It’s like a library full of books. You have to choose which ones to read, but you can find whichever title you’re looking for,” he says.

Less than a year since a judge reduced the 100-year sentence Chez received at age 19, he finds little time to do the sort of reading that requires eyeglasses and a text. But with two jobs in social services, various social engagements he zooms to in his signature green Ford Focus, and a budding speaking career – he’s already written a new chapter to his own story.

He does it with eloquence and purpose, both as a Community Outreach Specialist at Street Samaritan and as a Peer Navigator at Revive Center for Housing and Healing. His mission is to build “bridges from degradation to dignity, addiction to treatment, and homelessness to housing.”

Working with clients who navigate the challenges of reintegrating into society, Chez understands the value of a supportive community like Saint Leonard’s.

“The road to opportunity exists everywhere, but the roads may look very different. Many of my clients are trying to walk the rusty road, whereas at Saint Leonard’s your path is paved with yellow bricks. Either one might take you to the Emerald City, but no one would choose the rusty road to get there.”

Having stood in his clients’ shoes, he knows the issues they may face. Like many new Saint Leonard’s residents, Chez had never used a cellphone, laptop or electronic transit card. Beyond those basic skills, there was also the challenge of crafting a new identity – including the snappy dress that is one of his trademarks.

“It took some time for me to get it right. One day I walked into the dinner hall and Chris (Roach, Saint Leonard’s Program Director) called me ‘grandpa’ because he thought my style was a little outdated.”

There were also mental factors that Chez wanted to address.

“I was hoarding all sorts of items I didn’t really need. It was a hangover from the days when an item might become available that you wouldn’t see again for years,” he says.
At Saint Leonard’s, Chez quickly began to experience stability and actualize the positive potential of his new life. He met congregants and became a regular attendee at St. Chrysostom’s, an Episcopal Church in the Gold Coast with a long history of support for Saint Leonard’s. He also connected with Nina Martinez, an organizer with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, who facilitates a weekly housing meeting on campus.
With all this support, Chez marched into social justice advocacy. He vigorously campaigned for the Bring Chicago Home initiative, delivering more than 20 stump speeches in two months.

“I learned how to speak to different audiences,” he said. “You can’t give the same speech to a Bucktown bar and a retirement home in Hyde Park.”

But Chez’s biggest speech of the campaign came at a rally hosted at Saint Leonard’s, as he shared the stage with four members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I looked around,” he says, “and felt like I’d come a long way in a short time.”

How Chezeray found his voice and mission at Saint Leonard’s

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