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Another question raised about new state shelters

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Illinois

* We talked the other day about the state opening two new migrant shelters in Chicago, one in Hyde Park and the other near Midway Airport. Brief excerpt…

Additional State-supported shelters are beginning to serve New Arrivals in Chicago. Two new shelters, operating as part of the City of Chicago’s existing shelter system, will prioritize families as they transition to independent living. This is in addition to a State-supported shelter in Little Village, bringing the total of State-supported and funded shelters in Chicago to three, with a total combined capacity of 2,000 people.

* The Tribune published a story this morning about the plan. This was near the end of the piece…

Officials have yet to detail a plan for how they would respond to a larger-than-usual number of buses arriving in Chicago in late summer.

It’s unclear whether there will be another summer surge of migrants after Biden placed restrictions on the border at the beginning of June. The restrictions came after Congress failed to pass a bipartisan immigration and border security proposal earlier this year.

But the city is still housing hundreds of migrants in downtown locations such as in Streeterville and in the Loop.

The two state-supported shelters are further from downtown and the convention events, which volunteers working with migrants suspect may be an attempt to keep people loitering outside shelters away from the spotlight during the convention.

* So, I asked the administration about this. Alex Gough…

The administration makes decisions on shelter locations with the safety of those living in them in mind first and foremost. These locations in particular provided ample space for more people to live as they transition to permanency.

I was also told the state got a good deal on the sites, which were fairly easy to retrofit. The state also has a shelter in Little Village, which is not downtown.

Thoughts?

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jun 28, 24 @ 1:50 pm

Comments

MBJ attempted to move the Standard Club migrants to McKinley Park for the Convention, but I think enough people got in his ear about that one.

Comment by Jurist Friday, Jun 28, 24 @ 2:20 pm
Actually, I would bet on exactly that flood of busses from Texas and/or Florida, timed to hit at the same time as the DNC convention in Chicago. It’s the kind of low-life trick those governors yearn to play, and the GOP can’t wait to exploit the chaos they expect to come from it. It’s a safer bet than the lottery that these dirty tricks will happen. We should wargame it out, now, not later.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Friday, Jun 28, 24 @ 3:15 pm