Chicago has cleared the city’s largest homeless encampment, located in Humboldt Park, and relocated many residents to apartments and shelters as part of a new approach to addressing homelessness.
The encampment, which had grown to around 90 tents, was dismantled following complaints from nearby residents about safety and health concerns, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The removal was spearheaded by Alderperson Jessie Fuentes, who made addressing the encampment a key priority after her election last year.
Unlike previous efforts, this initiative focused on providing apartments to most of the residents living in the encampment. Fuentes explained on Friday that 39 residents have been placed in apartments, with plans underway to house 24 more. Another two dozen individuals were offered shelter beds, and one couple was set to receive a hotel room.
“This really demonstrates this collective effort between the city of Chicago and the alderman’s office,” said Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto in a news conference on Friday. “Every single person has had all of their needs met.”
Last month, city workers began preparations for clearing the encampment by posting notices warning that unpermitted tents would not be allowed after Friday at 9 a.m. However, the process has drawn criticism for its impact on some residents.
A Venezuelan family, who had lived in the park for three months, told WBEZ their tent was removed by city personnel while they waited for shelter placement.
“While the Venezuelans were waiting, Park District personnel took their tent to the garbage. Reached hours later by WBEZ, the father said he did not know where they would sleep Friday night. By mid-afternoon, the family was in touch with city officials working on their shelter placement,” the Times reported.
While some activists have praised the focus on providing alternate housing, others have condemned the closure of the park to future homeless residents. The Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness criticized the approach by the city in a statement, calling on the city to “halt plans to clear [the] park and deny space to future people in need.” The statement added that the plan “mirrors the hollow cruelty of criminalization, which tackles the visibility of homelessness more than it grapples with its systemic root causes.”