Little Village Migrant Shelter Will Close Nov. 3, State Officials Announce

Heather Cherone | October 10, 2024, 11:10 am

A migrant shelter at a former CVS in Little Village that opened in January will close Nov. 3, officials said. (WTTW News)`

Officials announced Thursday that a migrant shelter opened at the height of the crisis in a vacant Little Village CVS drugstore will close Nov. 3.

The closure comes as efforts continue to create one system to assist all unhoused Chicagoans, including migrants who make their way to Chicago from the southern border.

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The shelter at 27th Street and Pulaski Road, which opened in January at the height of the crisis that strained state and city resources, now houses 146 people, state officials said. They will be offered spots in other migrant shelters, and efforts will be made to keep children close to their schools.

The shelter will be the fourth to be closed by state and city officials between the beginning of October and the beginning of November, Shelters in Pilsen and in the West Loop closed Oct. 1 and 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.

After the four shelters close, the city will have approximately 1,800 additional beds, officials said. That will ensure that the city could handle an unanticipated surge in the final weeks before the presidential election, officials said.

Ald. Mike Rodriguez, whose 22nd Ward includes Little Village, said it made sense to close the shelter near the former CVS, which is one of the most expensive to operate. Rodriguez said he had been assured that the people who are living there will be offered a chance to relocate and efforts are made to prevent children from having their school year disrupted.

The two other migrant shelters operated by the state — in Hyde Park and near Midway Airport, where 475 people now live — will continue to operate until July, officials said.

By that time, state officials expect to have the unified shelter system up and running in an effort to streamline operations and reduce the exorbitant cost of operating the migrant shelters.

State officials will continue to operate an intake center at the designated “landing zone” for buses from Texas at Polk and Desplaines streets in the West Loop.

State and city officials had been prepared for as many as 10,000 migrants to make their way to Chicago before the convention, as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continued to vow to make good on his threats to cause as much chaos around the Democratic National Convention as possible in an attempt to boost former President Donald Trump’s chances of reelection.

That surge never materialized.

A new policy implemented by President Joe Biden appears to have reduced the number of migrants crossing the border without permission to levels last seen in August 2020.

There are approximately 5,100 people living in 15 facilities as of Thursday, a 6.4% drop in the past month, according to city data.

In all, 49,454 migrants have made their way to Chicago, an increase of 3.5% in the past month, according to city data.

Approximately 73% of the more than 2,650 migrants evicted from city shelters since March had nowhere else to go, and continue to live in city facilities, according to city data.

All migrants evicted from a city shelter can return to the designated “landing zone” and reapply for shelter.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]