Three city-run migrant shelters are set to close in Chicago next month.

Shelters in Pilsen and the West Loop will close Oct. 1, while a shelter in Hyde Park will close Oct. 24. All of the residents will be offered space in one of the 14 shelters the city will continue to operate, officials said.

In all, the closures of the shelters will reduce the city’s migrant shelter capacity by more than 3,000 beds.

Advocates and organizations that have partnered with shelters across the city are now preparing for the new changes. However, it remains unclear as to whether other shelters are expected to see an increase in residents. But the closures did not come as a complete shock.

“It’s hard for me to be surprised because I have seen the changes firsthand,” said Maria Campos, director of community wellness and support services at Erie Neighborhood House.

Erie House was once assigned with helping the shelter in Pilsen, which was once at a capacity of 2,500. The organization is currently assisting at the American Islamic College, which has a capacity of 1,300.

Campos has witnessed shelters reach capacity, which made it difficult for the nonprofit to meet emergencies — oftentimes creating situations that felt like a constant crisis.

However, she said circumstances are not what they once were when the city saw the first wave of recent arrivals from the southern border. There are now more organizations and sister agencies involved providing services for shelter residents. With the potential increase in clientele, Campos’ focus is on migrants and staff members.

“I’m coming from a lens that we want to make sure that we are providing high quality services, and also that we are providing a healthy work-life balance for our housing counselors and public benefit specialists that are every day at the shelter,” said Campos.

Even with the potential increase in shelter residents, Campos said shelters still won’t be at capacity because of the improvements in programming and assistance throughout the city.

“The timeframe of accessing services has improved,” Campos said. “That timeframe has decreased because the population decreased. We also have a better system on referrals. We are assisting them with getting rental assistance or public benefits. We have a better structure that has allowed us to minimize the timeframe that they need to spend at the shelter.”

In June, city officials spent $677,310 every day to care for 5,500 migrants in 15 shelters. That is down significantly since December, when city officials spent $1.4 million per day to care for nearly 15,000 people in 27 shelters.

With a decreased migrant population and the unmaterialized surge of new arrivals this summer, the city expects in 2024 to spend less than $141 million to care for the migrants, who are in the country legally after requesting asylum and receiving permission to remain in the U.S. while their cases are resolved. The city is currently facing a projected $982 million budget gap in 2025.

“There is an unfortunate fiscal reality given the city’s current budget deficit that necessitates looking at shelter bed consolidation,” said Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th Ward), chair of Chicago’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “I do believe that as we transition to a One System Shelter for All system, we need a baseline of at least 10,000 beds to provide shelter for Chicagoans who need it––whether they just arrived or were born here––and I will continue to advocate for that.”

Campos said there might have to be a reassessment of migrants’ needs.

“I see there is a bigger effort within health initiatives, opposed to housing,” Campos said. “A lot of those efforts come into physical and emotional health. So I have seen a shift.”

Heather Cherone contributed to this report.