*** UPDATE *** Press release…

The City of Chicago, Cook County, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the Zakat Foundation have come together to establish a new family shelter at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church (St. Bart’s), leveraging philanthropic resources to support new arrivals in need.

“This initiative represents a remarkable example of what can be achieved when the public, private, and non-profit sectors collaborate towards a common goal,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “My administration’s Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights brought together an intergovernmental and an interfaith coalition to the table to work out this agreement. I’m proud to work in partnerships with the Archdiocese, Cook County, and the Zakat Foundation as we work to support those in need.”

Under the terms of the agreement, the Archdiocese of Chicago is leasing St. Bart’s to the City of Chicago at no cost. Subsequently, the City is subleasing the property to the Zakat Foundation, a renowned international humanitarian agency with extensive experience in providing refuge to displaced individuals and families across the globe. The convent and school building of St. Bart’s will be utilized for the shelter. […]

Cook County is overseeing the construction of shower facilities and performing other minor renovations necessary to accommodate the families at this site. This collaborative effort emphasizes the community’s commitment to providing essential services without imposing a financial burden on the city’s budget.

The Zakat Foundation will assume all operational costs, including logistics and staffing for the shelter. Adhering strictly to the City of Chicago’s Shelter Operation Guide, the foundation will offer comprehensive wrap-around services to ensure the well-being and comfort of the families. Additionally, the Zakat Foundation is coordinating with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to facilitate the enrollment of students, guaranteeing that education remains a priority for young residents.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* From a January 31st Block Club Chicago report…

In the last week of December, there were as many as 14,900 migrants in 27 city-run shelters, with 45 people waiting at the landing zone and 255 people waiting at O’Hare Airport, according to data from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

As of Tuesday morning, there are about 13,900 people in 28 shelters in the city, with one person at the landing zone and 171 people at O’Hare, data shows.

* Those numbers have drastically changed. As of yesterday, 9,764 people were in 21 migrant shelters, with 92 at the landing zone and 1 at a police station. That’s down 5,000 or so from the end of December. At the end of February, 12,189 were in shelters, so that’s a net reduction of 2,425 since then, although at least some of those currently at the landing zone have probably been evicted and are trying to get back into a shelter.

According to the city, 15,763 people have been resettled as of yesterday and 5,793 have been reunited with sponsors. That’s up from 13,798 and 4,893, respectively, at the end of February, for a 2,865 net.

* One reason for this is that the influx has slowed. By the end of December, almost 31,000 asylum-seekers had been sent to Chicago. Another 10,000 or so were transported in by the end of February. Since then, less than 2,600 have been sent to the city. That’s somewhere around half of the late December through late February rate.

* From Isabel…

* New Yorker | Can Chicago Manage Its Migrant Crisis?: [Kenneth Phelps, the senior pastor at Concord Missionary Baptist Church] told me that he’s trying to “change the narrative that’s being sown” both by and about Black and Latin American migrant communities in Chicago. He calls it a “discord narrative” that pits them against each other as competitors for jobs, housing, and other community resources. “I just think it’s a very, very dangerous thing to nurture the narrative of discord,” he said, because it makes community members feel like “we’re all fighting over crumbs.”

* NBC | Denver defends encouraging migrants to leave for other cities over lack of resources: After a Denver official was recorded telling newly arrived migrants they would “suffer” if they stayed there and encouraging them to consider New York City or Chicago instead, the city on Wednesday defended the comments and said promoting “onward travel” is part of its strategy for addressing the influx of new residents.

* Rockford state rep: $165 million available to communities willing to help asylum seekers: In the first round of Supporting Municipalities for Asylum Seeker Services Grants, Chicago received $30.25 million; Elgin, $1.27 million; Lake County, $1 million; Urbana, $250,000; and the Village of Oak Park, $400,000.On March 28, the Winnebago County Board approved a resolution outlining the county’s response in the event of a crisis where asylum seekers are abandoned in Winnebago County without means of transportation to the landing zone in Chicago.

* Center Square | Illinois coalition urges Biden to extend work permits for migrant workers: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the American Business Immigration Coalition Thursday for a roundtable discussion in an effort they said was designed to address a growing labor shortage and stabilize the workforce. “We are going to continue to urge President Biden to use every tool that is at his disposal to support our new arrivals and undocumented residents,” Johnson said.

* NBC Chicago | ‘Small number’ of tuberculosis infections detected at Chicago migrant shelters: TB cases pop up in Chicago each year, with about 100-150 infections detected annually, said Jacob Martin, a spokesperson for the health department. Because of that, the health department needs to sort through its data to figure out which cases are new arrivals and which are other city residents. Those numbers will be made public once that analysis is complete. “I would not characterize this as an outbreak,” Martin said. “It’s relatively inline with what we expect to see.”

* Tribune | Girl, 5, at migrant shelter recovering from tuberculosis, her father says, as city officials confirm ‘small number’ of cases: The Venezuelan man said he had pleaded for help from staff that night at the city-run migrant shelter on Ogden Avenue where they are staying, but he was told he’d have to pay for the ambulance himself. “Because I don’t have a work permit or any money, I didn’t have any way to pay for it,” said the man who didn’t want to share his name out of fear of being kicked out of the shelter for talking to reporters.

* WTTW | Venezuelan Migrant Depicts His Journey to Chicago in Series of Paintings: Last year, a Belmont Cragin pastor opened his church’s doors to house a group of migrants who were sleeping at a police station. One of the men, 31-year-old Yeison Perez, has now created a series of paintings describing his journey to America. His artwork will be on display this weekend at the church.

* Tribune | Refuge on the field: A migrant teen finds home in baseball: Baseball is more than a sport, Guerra said. It’s a way to build confidence. It’s a refuge. “I try to have the most fun that I can,” he said. “Whatever problems I have, baseball makes them go away.” […] Guerra’s mother Carolina Escobar, 31, said her family of seven came to the United States from Venezuela, mainly for more opportunities for her children. They’ve been lonely since they moved into their new house in Little Village over a year ago.

* ABC Chicago | Southwest Collective, CPS Parent University launch weekly group therapy for Chicago migrants: The road for a migrant to get to Chicago is not an easy one. “They are seeing a lot of things, a lot of trauma. A lot of rape. The children are going days without eating. The parents are going days without eating,” said Maria Perez, a public health ambassador at nonprofit Southwest Collective. “They are walking through a jungle. We are having cases of malaria come in, broken legs, people coming with all types of issues.”

* Sun-Times | Gala to support migrant housing that provides ‘safe places’ amid shelter evictions: Luisette Kraal, who immigrated here 15 years ago from Curacao and now lives in Rogers Park, has been working nonstop since the very first bus arrived in the city in 2022, and Jessica Leving Siegel, a Wilmette resident, stepped up to help once she saw the crisis up close in the Chicago suburbs. […] To Siegel, it’s “mind boggling” that there isn’t a “more organized response.” “There’s no serving dinner at a soup kitchen experience that compares remotely to what it’s like being there when these people are getting off the bus,” she said. “Kids are crying and everyone is scrambling and they’re all talking about how hungry they are.”