Chicago unifies shelter system, expands capacity to 6,800 beds for migrants and homeless
CHICAGO - With the New Year fast-approaching, Chicago is closing the chapter on its new arrivals mission and rolling out a streamlined process for unhoused individuals.
Officials said the process will be more equitable—placing migrants and the city's homeless population into shelter through its ‘One System Initiative’ (OSI).
Through the program, the city and state are teaming up to bring the total number of shelter beds in Chicago to 6,800.
"Our goal is to have a system that is able to support them all," said Beatriz Ponce de León, deputy mayor of immigrant, migrant and refugee rights. "The vision for this unified shelter system and system of care, is being able to provide more support, regardless of people’s racial, ethnic, cultural background, the language they speak, where they were born or why they are in the situation they are in."
After launching its new arrivals shelter program in August 2022 and welcoming nearly 52,000 migrants from the southern border, the long-standing landing zone at Polk and Des Plaines officially shut down on Thursday, Dec. 19.
Over the last few months, dozens of shelters that were once filled to capacity were shuttered.
"The need for a separate shelter system only happened because of the chaotic, unpredictable and fast-paced nature of the buses being sent to Chicago," said Maura McCauley, first deputy commissioner of the Department of Family and Support Services.
As of Friday, Dec. 20, there was one migrant shelter left to close—1310 N. Elston Avenue. Officials said it will be decommissioned by New Year’s Eve.
Beyond that, five shelters remain—two run by the state and three by the city—that will be integrated into the One System Initiative. These shelters will no longer solely serve migrants, but anyone in need of housing, including homeless veterans and families:
- Midway Shelter – 7353 S. Cicero Ave.
- South DuSable – 4900 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
- American Islamic College (AIC) – 640 W. Irving Park Rd.
- MWRD – 3034 W. Foster Ave.
- YWLA – 2641 S. Calumet Ave.
"There were some concerns around seeing a growing number of people on the streets, in encampments, a lot of dire things, but we have not seen those materialize and that's really encouraging," said Ponce de León. "We just saw higher numbers of people choosing not to enter shelter again but figuring out something else. I think that's because there is a bigger community now in Chicago. People have more resources with friends or family and some of them have been working already and saving up funds, and so we're able to self-resolve."
To streamline the merger, a brand-new ‘Shelter Placement and Resource Center’ or SPARC is now open. That's where the process will start.
Located at the former Halsted Street migrant shelter in Pilsen, it’s open 24/7 to any adult who needs a roof over their head.
"It will have 200 beds, so if shelter is not available, up to 200 people can also sleep there, until shelter placement is available," said McCauley.
SPARC, located at 2241 S. Halsted St., opened on Friday, Dec. 20 and will serve as an access point for shelter and basic services.
Individuals in need of shelter should contact 311 to be directed to resources.
Families and youth experiencing homelessness are also encouraged to call 311 for shelter placement. Instead of waiting at SPARC, families will be directed to Shield of Hope on Christiana Avenue while they await shelter placement.
Youth in need of housing can request shelter at any DFSS youth drop-in center. For more information, follow this link for the Salvation Army, or visit the city's website here.
This also means the city’s daily new arrivals census, which has been posted since the start of the mission, will come to an end.
The latest and final reported total is 51,649 migrants.