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Elgin shuts down resident’s homeless “slumber parties”

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* This NBC 5 story has a clever little twist…

A suburban Chicago resident who was offering up “slumber parties” in his basement for homeless people in his neighborhood during dangerously cold weather says city officials have given him an ultimatum.

Stop the “slumber parties” or the house will be condemned.

Greg Schiller, of Elgin, said he began letting a group of homeless people sleep in his unfinished basement last month during brutally cold nights, offering them food, warm beverages and a cot to sleep on while watching movies.

“I would stay up all night with them and give them coffee and stuff and feed them,” he said, adding that no drugs or alcohol were allowed inside his residence during the evening events. […]

“While we appreciate those who volunteer to provide additional resources in the community, Mr. Schiller’s house does not comply with codes and regulations that guard against potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation, and insufficient exits in the event of a fire,” city spokesperson Molly Center said in a statement. […]

Schiller said he hosted his “slumber parties” when wind chill values were 15 degrees or less, but would not offer up the basement if the emergency shelter was open.

“It’s cold enough to freeze to death,” he said.

Matthew 25:40 did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment Tuesday.

* Matthew 25:40…

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:54 am

Comments

Oh yea, make sure every good deed is registered with the proper authorities. Only the state can sanction right and wrong. As an individual, you are a threat.

Comment by Zimski Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:59 am
So am I hearing this right? A homeowner needs a license to invite guests into his home? Slumber parties are regulated in Elgin? If others are allowed to have slumber parties or all night parties why can’t Schiller have parties?

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:05 am
They are both right…

Comment by Ok Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:05 am
Yes, it is bad to have the homeless subjected to the risk of CO poisoning in an unlicensed basement. So it is far better that they stay out in the cold.
You cannot legislate common sense I guess.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:08 am
Interesting case. Can the city ban people sleeping in the basement? I suppose they would have to condemn my house as that’s where I put my kids and spouses when they visit.

Comment by a drop in Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:09 am
This just in: Elgin authorities evict Nazareth man and his pregnant wife from local manger.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:11 am
I read it the same way yesterday. “Matthew 25:40” is the name of an organization referenced in the article….but it’s interesting how they let that sentence stand on its own.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:21 am
An old college roommate and his wife are involved in a project in Lexington.

There are a half dozen congregations that have mutually formed a group called Room In The Inn. Every evening, on a rotating basis, one of the churches opens their doors to a dozen homeless men in the area. Hot evening meals and hearty breakfasts are provided, in addition to clean beds, access to showers and laundry facilities. These men are referred by agencies and are screened for substance abuse and criminal records. The numbers that can be accommodated is limited by the physical limitations of some properties But for 5 months a year these men have a place to go,

It is the christian thing to do and has been a very rewarding experience.

Comment by illini Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:21 am
Had they been neighbors from a house next door, who say just had their heat go out and he offered to let them stay, the city wouldn’t bat an eye. But when it’s neighbors who have no home, well the city just can’t stand by and watch them be helped.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:24 am
I assume the crackdown on inadequate shelter will be paired with the City of Elgin dedicating funding to provide housing for those experiencing homelessness.

Comment by Montrose Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:26 am
To Elgin officials: You’re here to serve the people. Yes, codes and rules are intended to protect folks from bad things, i.e. fire or other safety concerns. However, freezing to death is another extremely bad thing that you should be preventing. To accomplish your mission, you need to ensure the folks using the basement had a reasonable, equivalent or better alternative to sleep. If you can’t do that, then your mission is to ensure the safety of those in the basement rather than kicking the people out. Ensure there is someone there for a fire watch. If you don’t trust the owner who claims to be up all night, then get volunteers from a local church. If you have some severe structural issues, note them and see if you can get the community to step up to correct or identify alternatives. I know working in the public sector is tough given the lack of resources and the plethora of critics. But, please don’t sit on your fat code and say you’re just doing your job by saying you can’t do that.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:31 am
Government incompetence gets better every day.

Comment by Robert the 1st Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:33 am
Oh how the righteous indignation flows in the comments without knowing all the facts. Most cities have ordinances that limit the number of unrelated people that can occupy a residence so that exempts all your relatives. Also, laws such as these are a result in some cases of people being housed in settings that did kill them and yes towns do have a responsibility to monitor safety. Are all of you upset with smoke detector laws? Finally, how many are coming? Yes, that makes a difference to many people. Not saying I agree but that’s reality.

Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:43 am
Yeah, it’s always a great until it’s YOUR neighbor with 10 or 20 homeless people in the basement. Or it’s a great idea until there really is a fire. Then it usually ends up being a bad idea and everyone wonders how the City ever allowed it to happen. The article points out there are alternatives.

Comment by Shemp Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:45 am
== it’s always a great until it’s YOUR neighbor with 10 or 20 homeless people in the basement==

Why would that bother anyone? Unless your as callous and uncaring as Elgin.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:48 am
I got curious and looked up the Matthew 25:40 emergency services. It looks like it’s mostly run by volunteers and they’ve been open every night since Xmas Eve taking in individuals. They may be too busy to respond to NBC 5.

Since the City of Elgin is so concerned about the safety of their homeless, will they be setting up cots in city hall until enough resources are made available to better accommodate them?

Comment by Miss Marie Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:49 am
Face palm
There are so many things
Elgin could have done.
We as Government
Have to be better.

Loving God we’re talking about
Saving lives
Building community and compassion
And one man
Who saw a problem
And stepped up.
So many good things here
Run with the good Elgin.
Stop getting in the way
Of the good.

Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:49 am
==The article points out there are alternatives==

Shemp, yes, and your previous points are correct, too, but those alternatives might be full already. Not to mention homeless services were really hurt during the recent budget impasse. As a result, shelters had to lay off workers and reduce services, so who knows if they’re back to 100%.

Yes, the city is liable if anything bad happens, but instead of handling the way that they did, they should have redirected the homeless individuals to proper shelters rather than threatening to punish a resident doing a good deed.

Comment by Miss Marie Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:56 am
Shemp, more likely the homeless would freeze to death outside but at least that’s legal so it must be all right.

Comment by a drop in Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:59 am
In the article, they mention that the threshold for the emergency shelter top open is

Comment by A Young Person Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:12 am
In the article, they mention that the threshold for the emergency shelter to open is temp below 15 degrees. You can still die of exposure at 20 degrees. Ugh.

Comment by A Young Person Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:15 am
I saw an interesting post to Facebook yesterday, which stated that with some 350,000 churches in the US, why are there 200,000 people who are homeless?

Comment by Christopher Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:15 am
The bigger story is why the City and local community and religious organizations have failed their community’s most vulnerable members. This important life-safety mission should not left to a dude with a large warm basement. One also wonders how Elgin’s affordable housing regulations play into this dynamic.

Comment by Jake From Elwood Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:15 am
For crying out loud, authorities exercise discretion every day in enforcing laws, codes and ordinances.

There’s a difference between hosting keggers down in your basement every night and allowing some people to sleep there in dangerous cold.

Common sense.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:19 am
A story about garbage collectors tossing out the belongings of a group of homeless people living along the Belmont-Kedzie underpass came up in my Twitter feed a couple hours ago. Happened yesterday.

The City responded by noting that the homeless were notified of the impending clearing-out a week ago.

In both cases - Elgin, Avondale - there needed to be solutions available immediately, and the homeless individuals affected needed concrete assistance in taking advantage of these.

Given the extreme weather conditions, it’s not enough to say “there are other solutions available” or “we served notice a week ago.”

It’s called being pro-active, and it’s what responsible governments are normally expected to be under emergency circumstances.

Comment by dbk Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:20 am
“I saw an interesting post to Facebook yesterday, which stated that with some 350,000 churches in the US, why are there 200,000 people who are homeless?”

One reason is that homelessness isn’t solved by an emergency shelter. What they are doing in this house in Elgin and what PADS do in churches is incredibly important to serve an immediate need, but it is not permanent housing. Homelessness does not get solved without adequate permanent housing and services.

Comment by Montrose Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:28 am
Biblical

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:39 am
Seen on another thread - it’s illegal to let your dog stay out in this weather, but let’s turn these human beings out of an unlicensed basement, and let’s take away all the belongings of people living under a viaduct including the blankets and sleeping bags they use to stay warm. I don’t know about Elgin, but on the northwest side of Chicago there are no resources for the homeless that I am aware of. No shelters, no churches providing emergency shelter, no meals. A bus pass to the Pacific Garden Mission on the near south side, or to suburban PADS shelters, is about all.

Comment by stateandlake Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 12:05 pm
“Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”

Comment by Scrooge Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 12:18 pm
===Since the City of Elgin is so concerned about the safety of their homeless, will they be setting up cots in city hall until enough resources are made available to better accommodate them?===

This. Most communities have so-called warming centers, but some do not have any centers with 24-hour availability. After 8 or 9pm latest, you are on your own in Elgin and Aurora, while Batavia and Geneva care about their citizens around the clock.

http://tinyurl.com/yahsenxb

Comment by yinn Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 12:30 pm
This man sets the bar high; he is definitely in the group of the “sheep”, 25:33. Bless him and hope he can continue this loving act, somehow, regardless of Elgin’s over-zealous enforcement of over-regulation.

Comment by cdog Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 1:47 pm
Perhaps Rauner’s next publicity stunt could be spending a night on the streets of Elgin in sub-zero temps to show how much he cares about the homeless.

Comment by JoanP Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 2:31 pm
“This. Most communities have so-called warming centers, but some do not have any centers with 24-hour availability. After 8 or 9pm latest, you are on your own in Elgin and Aurora, while Batavia and Geneva care about their citizens around the clock.”

Yes, Good on Batavia and Geneva for taking care of all 3 of those needy people in those communities.

Comment by Shemp Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 3:10 pm
This story about the volunteer slumber party host being shut down right now in the most extreme weather has absolutely exploded into the national news. This may do more to shine a light on the homeless, help them, and force local governments everywhere to recognize and reconsider those extreme situations where their obligations must be to people rather than to codes than almost anyone could have dared hope for just a few days ago.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 3:44 pm
Elgin wants the homeless people to get out of town.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 4:10 pm
We need to stop treating the mentally ill and drug and/or alcohol addicted who constitute the majority of the homeless as if they have a right to destroy themselves and return to the days of compulsory institutional confinement for their own good and safety. Feed them, keep them warm and safe and let them have their drugs and booze, but make them stay in the institution until they demonstrate the ability to live on their own and not on the streets. It is actually a cheaper and more humane solution than the current chaos.

Comment by striketoo Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:26 pm
Another case of no good deed goes unpunished

Comment by Chicago Barb Friday, Jan 5, 18 @ 12:00 pm