Mayor Brandon Johnson‘s administration closed town’s touchdown zone for newly arrived asylum seekers barely forward of schedule, asserting Friday a brand new shelter consumption heart on the Decrease West Aspect open to anybody experiencing homelessness.
The closure of the touchdown zone — at 800 S. Desplaines St. within the West Loop — is a part of a plan to merge two shelter methods for the unhoused. In October, Johnson introduced town would finish shelters particularly designated for newly arrived asylum seekers by the top of the yr.
Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot developed a separate shelter system for immigrants in 2022 in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott busing 1000’s of asylum seekers to Chicago and different liberal-leaning cities.
“We undoubtedly began within the disaster response mode, and lots of, lots of you keep in mind having folks sleeping in police stations and on the airports and town working very diligently to maintain up and open shelters,” mentioned Beatriz Ponce de León, deputy mayor of immigrant, migrant and refugee rights. “However we knew that that response was not going to be sustainable, and that we needed to additionally construct towards different varieties of help that put folks on the trail to resettlement.”
Anybody in search of a shelter mattress should make a request by means of 311 underneath town’s new One System Initiative.
On Friday, town opened a brand new consumption heart at 2241 S. Halsted St. that shall be open 24 hours a day, seven days every week with capability for 200 beds and out there for single adults, mentioned Maura McCauley, first deputy commissioner of the Division of Household and Help Companies.
There wasn’t a lot exercise outdoors of the brick Halsted constructing Friday afternoon. Two white doorways had been marked “entry” in purple.
The constructing connects to a former warehouse that when served as a makeshift and overcrowded shelter for migrants.
At that shelter, a 5-year-old boy, Jean Carlos Martinez, grew to become ailing final December and later died from sepsis and a bacterial an infection that causes strep throat.
Requested if circumstances will enhance at shelters in Chicago, town is engaged on higher coaching and is shifting away from hiring contractors and as a substitute working with native social service companies to handle the areas shifting ahead, McCauley mentioned.
As of Friday, an estimated 2,476 migrants had been residing within the city-run shelters — far fewer than the roughly 15,000 throughout a peak interval final winter.
Town will cease making a day by day census of this migrant inhabitants because it strikes towards a merged system, mentioned Harley Jones, who helps coordinate town’s response to migrants.
Town plans to shut a shelter at 1310 N. Elston Ave., which housed about 135 single women and men, by the top of the month.
Two shelters serving migrants, at 4900 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. and 7353 S. Cicero Ave., are operated by the state and can change into a part of the merged system, Ponce de León mentioned. The state is offering funding to assist immigrants in shelters discover steady housing.
The three different shelters that had housed migrants will now change into a part of the One Shelter System, she mentioned. These shelters are positioned at 640 W. Irving Park Highway, 3034 W. Foster Ave. and 2641 S. Calumet Ave.
The merger of shelter methods comes as town’s division overseeing them loses its chief, Brandie Knazze, the commissioner for the division who not too long ago introduced her resignation.
The adjustments additionally come weeks earlier than Donald Trump begins a second time period as president. The president-elect promised his supporters to ramp up deportations of immigrants.
Ponce de León mentioned Johnson is dedicated to upholding town’s welcoming metropolis stance.
“We’re engaged on steering that may go to all departments and companies in order that they know what to do within the case of any federal brokers coming and, you already know, requesting help with deportation raids,” Ponce de León mentioned.
Contributing: Adriana Cardona-Maguigad, Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere
