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people have been housed in police stations, YMCAs, and former
colleges, and as the numbers continue to increase, city
officials are looking at public places that could be turned into
shelter cities.
Original plans by the city included warming buses for the
migrants during the winter months and a $29 million contract to
use taxpayer funds for military-grade tent cities. The city has
also used 17 churches in its plan, and each site is expected to
hold about 20 arrivals.
Alderman Chris Taliaferro told The Center Square that the city
approached him about using a public park in his district for
shelter.
"They informed me that they were going to use Amundsen Park as a
migrant shelter, and I disagreed with repurposing that park,"
Taliaferro said. "You would be taking resources away from an
already underserved community."
Taliaferro said he has received pushback from the people who
live in his ward about using the park to house the migrants.
"It was not a good location to shut down and turn into a migrant
shelter," Taliaferro said. "The residents, as well as I, became
outraged at the prospect of it."
Other areas discussed included Brighton Park, but the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency shut that project down due to
insufficient soil sampling and remediation.
Now that Amundsen Park and other spots like Brighton Park have
fallen through, the state is expediting efforts to launch the
previously announced brick-and-mortar shelter site in Little
Village with plans to have 200 beds available to families and
people with disabilities.
"My administration is committed to keeping asylum seekers safe
as we work to help them achieve independence," Gov. J.B.
Pritzker. "We will not proceed with housing families on a site
where serious environmental concerns are still present. My
administration remains committed to a data-driven plan to
improve the asylum seeker response, and we will continue to
coordinate with the City of Chicago as we work to expand
available shelter through winter."
The city and the state have already used taxpayer dollars to
shelter the arrivals. Recently announced state funding breaks
down to $30 million for a large intake center, $65 million to
help Chicago launch a winterized shelter site, and $65 million
in increased funding to expand wraparound services for
non-citizens.
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