Chicago homeless shelters starting this week will have access to approximately 900 beds to ease overcrowding and contain the spread of the coronavirus, city officials announced Monday.
Three YMCA locations have pledged 400 beds to the cause, and the mayor’s office expects an additional 500 beds will become available from other sites later this week. A YMCA spokeswoman said about 200 people moved into one of its centers over the weekend and they’re readying the two other centers as fast as possible.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the move at an afternoon news conference, along with additional space at downtown hotels for those awaiting confirmation of coronavirus diagnoses or who need to self-isolate.
“In the past 96 hours, we have essentially launched a second shelter network in order to allow for the recommended spacing between shelter beds per the CDC,” said city Family & Support Services Commissioner Lisa Morrison Butler during the news conference.
“Let us not forget, we had homeless individuals before COVID-19 broke out, so what we are doing is building on the network that was already there,” Morrison Butler said.
Though the measures do not increase the number of beds available for homeless people, city officials said they would be working immediately after to address people living on the street in tent encampments. Morrison Butler added at the news conference that city canvassing teams will be prioritizing older homeless individuals and those with preexisting conditions to gauge their interest in going to a shelter.
Agencies providing homelessness assistance have felt the squeeze of supply and volunteer shortages amid mounting pressure to comply with public health recommendations regarding social distancing and self-isolation.
Under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, shelters are deemed essential because they provide “charitable and social services,” but organizations across the city and suburbs have still had to close locations or cut the number of beds they have available for the safety of their staff and residents. Last week, the Illinois Department of Human Services announced additional funds would be available throughout the state for agencies providing homelessness assistance.
In Chicago, officials say shelters funded by the Family & Support Services Department account for about 3,000 of 4,000 total beds, and though they remain open, the shelters are no longer taking in new residents.
This weekend, the city suspended referrals through 311 for people in need of shelter as part of its attempt to begin implementing social distancing strategies.
The measures taken by the city are encouraging to Doug Schenkelberg, director of the Chicago Coalition for Homelessness. The organization estimates that 2,800 beds are needed to adequately isolate at-risk individuals in shelters and on the streets
According to a news release, aside from providing the physical space, the Y will collaborate on security and housekeeping services, but city personnel will manage and staff the emergency shelters. The city’s public health staff will handle transfers out of the shelters for quarantining.
“The system is in complete flux right now,” Schenkelberg said, adding that although there are moratoriums on evictions in Illinois, people will continue to need additional support to keep them from homelessness.
During the news conference, Lightfoot said she was encouraged by “people of goodwill” stepping up to help, and added that the city has the capacity to address additional issues.
“Goes without saying, folks, we are all in this together and we are leaving no one behind,” Lightfoot said.
