Chicago is undergoing significant shifts in its approach to supporting migrants and homeless residents as city, county, and state officials prepare to launch a new, single unified system, the One System Initiative, set to streamline shelter and assistance for unhoused individuals. As announced by Mayor Brandon Johnson, come January 1, 2025, migrants will no longer be guaranteed shelter in the city, a decision that is meant to merge the current New Arrivals shelter program with the state's homeless system, as per reports by ABC7 Chicago.
The changes, notably, will limit migrants' access to city shelters. Beginning November 1st, only those who have been in the United States for 30 days or less will qualify to seek shelter in one of the city's 13 migrant shelters. Moreover, the "landing zone" for newly arrived migrants or those ousted under the 60-day policy will change its operating hours to only 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is set to shutter completely by the end of 2024. The forthcoming One System Initiative lacks a clear criterion for how to justly allocate the limited 6,800 beds, which adds 3,800 new beds to the current 3,000 for the homeless, potentially leaving hundreds of migrants without shelter as the new unified system takes effect. "This act was meant to destabilize Chicago; destabilize Chicago as a welcoming sanctuary city. We fought back and showed the world just how welcoming we can be," Mayor Johnson told the gathered press, as recounted by CBS News Chicago.
The integration of the New Arrivals program into the larger homeless system is happening amid a significant decrease in migrant arrivals to Chicago, with the flow of asylum seekers ebbing in recent months. The city had revved up its response when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began dispatching migrants as a protest against the Biden administration's border policies. However, the anticipated surge ahead of the Democratic National Convention did not occur, indicating a potential stabilization in the number of migrants seeking shelter in Chicago.
The demobilization of the New Arrivals shelter operation is slated for the end of 2024, culminating in the initiation of the first phase of the One System Initiative, aiming to represent a longer-term plan to tackle homelessness more broadly. City data reveals a dire scenario where 2,747 migrants were forced to leave shelters due to the enforcement of a 60-day shelter stay limit since March, with 2,064 individuals re-entering the system due to nowhere else to go. According to official records, nearly 5,000 migrants currently reside within city shelters, and with the merging of the two systems, at least 1,200 migrants stand to be evicted from these shelters by the new year if unable to find alternative housing solutions.
Mayor Johnson voiced gratitude to those who have aided asylum seekers during this period of transition, maintaining the city's commitment to being a welcoming sanctuary as it endeavors to always efficiently address the needs of both its new arrivals and long-term residents facing homelessness.
