NORTH PARK — One other fireplace broke out on the Legion Park homeless encampment early Monday, weeks earlier than the North Park encampment is scheduled to be cleared.
The Park District mentioned just lately that it might begin imposing a ban on residents within the park after 11 p.m., beginning Sept. 9. The choice was introduced after a July 28 fireplace drew consideration to the encampment, which popped up alongside the North Shore Channel, between Bryn Mawr and Peterson avenues, a few yr in the past.
Signage posted on the park two weeks in the past confirmed that the Park District code banning individuals from being within the park after 11 p.m. can be enforced within the space beginning subsequent month.
Legion Park’s most up-to-date fireplace began round 5 a.m. on Monday, in response to Hearth Division Spokesman Larry Merritt. There have been no accidents reported, however a picket construction was severely broken. Jose, an encampment resident who declined to share his final identify, mentioned he noticed the flames and referred to as 911.
He mentioned it was the third fireplace he’s seen on the encampment this yr.
Robert Bulanon, a 54-year-old resident whose DIY dwelling burned down within the July 28 fireplace, mentioned he misplaced every part and has since arrange a brand new spot alongside the river. However Bulanon mentioned he doesn’t know the place he’ll go when the encampment is shut down.
An estimated 20-25 individuals reside within the wooded space alongside the river in Legion Park. Most of the houses are made with wooden and siding and a few even sit on raised stilts. Many of the houses have been tucked behind fencing alongside the river. Nonetheless, metropolis crews eliminated a lot of the fencing final week, in response to a joint assertion from the Park District and the town’s Division of Household and Help Companies.
Paper indicators posted all through the park, which included Spanish and Burmese translations, warn that unlawful constructions can be faraway from Legion Park beginning Sept. 9. Based on the indicators, tenting alongside the riverbank may also be prohibited beginning at the moment. Tent tenting will proceed to be allowed in different areas of the park.
“This encampment is being closed as a result of the everlasting and makeshift constructions on website are unsafe. A number of fires have occurred in current months, placing residents and first responders at critical threat, particularly given the dearth of a close-by fireplace hydrant and the issue of accessing this wooded space,” Park District Spokesperson Michele Lemons mentioned in a press release. “These circumstances endanger these residing within the encampment but additionally violate the Park District’s lease settlement for Legion Park with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.”
A Recreation Of “Whac-A-Mole”
Tracey Alcoser spent final Thursday steadily taking aside the house she spent months creating.
She hauled her trash to a close-by dumpster and plans to retailer her valuables with pals. The 36-year-old is making ready for a transfer, she simply doesn’t know the place.
“I don’t know the place I’m going to go but, wherever the wind blows me I suppose,” Alcoser mentioned.
Alcoser, whose house is made with wooden, siding, insulation and vinyl flooring, mentioned she was ready for the fence elimination. Crews had already eliminated all of the shrubs and bushes from alongside the fence so she made certain to donate all of the artwork she had hanging on her fence forward of time.
“It feels higher taking it down than having them take it down in entrance of me,” she mentioned.
Each Alcoser and Jose mentioned the current fires have been set by a couple of individuals who have been coming to the encampment to begin hassle.
“It’s fairly unhappy how a couple of individuals can damage it for harmless individuals like me,” Alcoser mentioned.
Like most of the Legion Park encampment residents, Alcoser moved to the world after an encampment additional south was shut down final summer time.
The previous encampment included the Bryn Mawr bridge viaduct and the world close to Northside School Prep. About 17 individuals have been residing on the encampment when it was cleared final July, in response to the Tribune.
A neighbor, who requested to stay nameless, in contrast the encampment closures to a sport of “Whac-A-Mole.”
“I don’t know easy methods to really feel about it; I want that they had higher options,” mentioned the neighbor, who has lived subsequent to the park for the previous decade. “There isn’t a plan B, whether or not it’s for Gompers [Park] or over right here.”
Gompers Park sits simply two miles away from Legion Park. Town held a speedy rehousing occasion for the roughly 30 individuals residing within the park final March, however the encampment continued to develop. Town eliminated all tents from the park and fenced off the world to make approach for a deliberate nature play house in Might.
Nonetheless, a brand new encampment rapidly shaped throughout the road.
As of final Thursday, the encampment throughout from Gompers had about 17 tents. The realm is smaller and fewer shaded by bushes than the outdated encampment.
Robert, who moved to the encampment throughout from Gompers a month in the past after being evicted from his Jefferson Park condo, mentioned the sunny space can develop into “sweltering” on sizzling summer time days. He mentioned accessing water to drink and bathe with has develop into a problem as a result of the close by Salvation Military and Jewel-Osco grocery retailer turned off their spigots.
“I got here right here as a result of I figured it was safer than bus stops,” mentioned Robert, who grew up within the space and performed baseball at Gompers Park as a toddler. “It’s been fairly an expertise, that is my first time being homeless.”
Robert, 40, mentioned he was added to the town’s reasonably priced housing checklist, however hasn’t heard something but. He works as a plumber and mentioned most of his jobs are on the North Facet so he would favor to remain within the space, however would take an condo anyplace within the metropolis.
Bulanon can also be on the town’s housing checklist. He mentioned he was linked with an condo final summer time, however doesn’t have identification and wasn’t in a position to transfer in.
Folks wait a mean of about 4 years earlier than they get matched with longer-term, reasonably priced housing, in response to information from the group All Chicago Making Homelessness Historical past.
A lot of the town’s out there reasonably priced housing items are situated on the South and West sides. Based on information from Housing Motion Illinois, Chicago has a scarcity of greater than 126,000 reasonably priced rental items for individuals with the bottom incomes.
After about eight months on the town’s housing checklist, Jose was linked with an condo in South Shore. He’s hoping he’ll be capable to transfer in someday within the subsequent few weeks, earlier than the encampment is cleared.
The Division of Household and Help Companies is at the moment working to attach extra encampment residents with housing choices and shelter.
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