Advocates for the unhoused community are not in favor of the city’s plan to clear out the Humboldt Park encampment.

Last month, Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward), along with city officials, announced the proposal to remove all tents from the area before the holidays as part of the Humboldt Park Encampment Housing Initiative.

The city plans to start removal Friday morning, but advocates want officials to reconsider and explore other options.

“We feel that it’s representative of a pattern that’s going on in the city, where the city is closing down public spaces and making them unavailable for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to live,” said Ali Simmons, senior case and street outreach worker with the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness (CCH). “We don’t think that is the right approach.” 

Advocates fear not being able to house all unhoused members of encampments will lead to displacement and discomfort by removing a location that feels safe.

Fuentes released a statement acknowledging these concerns and commending the CCH for its work in the community. The statement said the imperfect process does not stop the city from their shared commitment to housing as the solution to end homelessness.

The initiative is set to provide 63 free apartments for people living at the encampment and more than 400 new affordable housing units in the ward.

The initiative has a partnership with the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Police Department. The Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) spearheaded three Accelerated Moving Events, which resulted in 106 households being connected with apartments. Those not connected with housing will be offered shelter beds.

“It’s still a matter of concern because we don’t know exactly where the shelter beds are that are being made available,” Simmons said. “We’re not saying it’s not possible. We just don’t know where they’re at. And from what we understand, there’s not enough shelter beds for everybody experiencing homelessness if they wanted to go to a shelter.”

On Jan. 1, the city will launch its One System Initiative with a total of 6,800 shelter beds for both long-term unhoused Chicagoans and migrants.

But community members fear closing down more public spaces will prevent unhoused Chicagoans from residing in safe areas and disrupt any continuous progress.

“You’re closing down public spaces that are safe for some people that are accessible to some people — individuals who are living in that community,” Simmons said. “They have their resources, their family friends, even within the encampment itself, they’ve established some type of community, and to come in and require folks to move, it disrupts all of that.”

The removal could also potentially disrupt relationships between social service representatives and homeless individuals, causing social service agencies to lose track of the people they’re assisting, Simmons said.

The statement from Fuentes addressed the claims of a rushed and overlooked process, stating that thoughtful planning and trauma-informed outreach guided every step of this effort.  

“Leaving individuals exposed to harsh winter conditions is not acceptable,” the statement said. “While we recognize the concerns and uncertainties accompanying this transition for encampment residents, we are all responsible for demanding city-wide solutions that foster stability, safety, and dignity.”

Several “notice of enforcement” signs have been placed on trees around the park. The removal starts at 9 a.m. Friday.

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