Chicago removes largest homeless encampment, relocates residents into apartments and shelters: report

Chicago officials reportedly cleared the largest homeless encampment in the city after relocating some residents into apartments and shelter beds.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the encampments in Humboldt Park, amounting to “roughly 90” per city data, were removed after nearby homeowners shared safety and health concerns and demanded action from city officials. 

“Other neighbors have focused on providing food and necessities to the tent occupants,” the Times reported.

The effort has been a priority for Ald. Jessie Fuentes of the 26th Ward. He explained further to the Times that “the city had moved 39 residents into apartments and was working on apartments for 24 others.”

“The encampment was more than three times bigger than the next largest Chicago tent city, according to a city count obtained by the Sun-Times through a request under Illinois’ open-records law,” the outlet reported.

“The city is offering shelter beds to about two-dozen others. At least one couple is lined up for a hotel room,” the outlet reported.

City officials reportedly recently began ramping up encampment clean up and posted “Notice of Enforcement” signs around Humboldt Park last month, warning “that overnight presence and unpermitted tents would not be allowed after Friday at 9 a.m.”  

A family of occupants in the tent city had left their tent with hopes of getting help with shelter from a city staffer, only to return to find their tent removed by Park District personnel.

The family who requested anonymity was reportedly identified as Venezuelan and natives of the “central Venezuelan city of Valencia.” They told WBEZ that they had been living in the park for three months. 

“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.

The effort to relocate the tent dwellers into shelters and apartments is a first for city officials as they have not done that during tent removals in the past.

Sendy Soto, the city’s first chief homelessness officer who was appointed in April, said at a Friday news conference that “every single person has had all of their needs met.”

“This really demonstrates this collective effort between the city of Chicago and the alderman’s office,” Soto said.

The latest notable encampment cleanup effort was around the last Democratic National Convention. 

Chicago’s city council denied that the cleanup of homeless encampments containing migrants has anything to do with the DNC.

The growing encampments came after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed at the Republican National Convention to continue bussing migrants from the southern border to sanctuary cities.

City officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.