Shirelle

In November 2023, Shirelle experienced a life-changing loss—her oldest son, Tramon, was shot and killed while delivering food for Uber Eats. Her stepson, Terrance, was also critically wounded in the shooting but survived.

In the months that followed, grief consumed Shirelle. “For six months I was hollow,” she says. “I was existing, but I didn’t exist.” She stepped away from her work as a home health care aide to focus on her family, processing the trauma while supporting her stepson through a long recovery that ultimately required nine surgeries.

At the same time, her housing became unstable. Shirelle and her husband had been living with Tramon, and after his death, they were unable to re-sign the lease. With damaged credit and limited income, finding a new place to live felt out of reach. They moved from hotel to hotel, watching their savings quickly disappear. “I had nowhere else to turn,” she recalls.

After exhausting their resources, the situation reached a breaking point. Shirelle was admitted to Loyola Hospital with shortness of breath, where a social worker recognized her need for both mental health and housing support. She and her husband were referred to Housing Forward and connected with a case manager, Franchesca.

Shirelle began receiving mental health care at Loyola while also working toward stable housing with Housing Forward. With guidance from her case manager, she secured a Rapid Re-Housing apartment, where she receives a temporary subsidy as she prepares to take over the lease.

Today, Shirelle has returned to her work supporting adults with memory loss. “I love my seniors. Every day when you wake up, there’s something to be learned, to be taught,” she says. She remains devoted to her family, especially her two-year-old granddaughter, whom she calls Tramon’s “mini-me.” She has also found community in a support group for parents who have lost children to violence and has found comfort in learning new stories about her son shared by others online.

“Now I know that God only gives us his angels for a little while,” she says. “Tramon was my gentle giant.”