Chicago Consolidates Homeless Shelters, Ending Separate System for Asylum Seekers
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration closed the city’s temporary landing zone for newly arrived asylum seekers ahead of schedule on Friday. This closure is part of a plan to merge the city’s two shelter systems for the unhoused, ending a system specifically for asylum seekers that was established in 2022 by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in response to the busing of asylum seekers to Chicago from Texas. A new 24/7 intake center with a capacity of 200 beds for single adults has opened at 2241 S. Halsted St. in Pilsen. Requests for shelter beds must now be made through the city’s 311 system under the new One System Initiative.
Deputy Mayor Beatriz Ponce de León explained the shift in strategy, stating that the initial crisis response, which included housing individuals in police stations and airports, was unsustainable. The city aimed to transition towards more comprehensive support systems designed to facilitate resettlement. The new intake center, located in a former warehouse, replaces the temporary migrant shelter where a 5-year-old boy, Jean Carlos Martinez, tragically died last December from sepsis and a bacterial infection. The city is addressing concerns about shelter conditions by focusing on improved staff training and shifting from contractor reliance to partnerships with local social service agencies.
As of Friday, approximately 2,476 migrants resided in city-run shelters, a significant decrease from the peak of roughly 15,000 last winter. The city will cease its daily census of the migrant population as it transitions to the unified system. Several shelters previously designated for migrants will now be incorporated into the One Shelter System. This includes the closure of a shelter at 1310 N. Elston Ave. by the end of the month, while two state-operated shelters will join the merged system. The state is providing funding to assist shelter residents in finding permanent housing.
These changes coincide with the resignation of the Department of Family and Support Services commissioner, Brandie Knazze. The consolidation also comes weeks before the start of Donald Trump’s second term as president, given his stated intention to increase deportations. Deputy Mayor Ponce de León emphasized Mayor Johnson’s commitment to Chicago’s welcoming city policy and the development of guidelines to address potential federal intervention related to deportations.