Tensions boiled over during Wednesday’s monthly meeting of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners, where advocates for the unhoused brought proceedings to a standstill as they protested the impending closure of a tent encampment in a North Side park.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2026 budget proposal includes a controversial head tax he hopes will generate $100 million to fund violence prevention and youth employment programs in the city.

Applicants must be Chicago residents, be enrolled as a full time student in the fall at any Illinois college, university or vocational training program, and meet income eligibility requirements. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000.

Starting in July, about 3,000 early childhood professionals at 86 early childhood care and education agencies funded by the city will see a cost-per-child increase in their salaries, averaging to a 5-10% increase in wages, according to city officials.

The program has connected dozens of people to housing or shelter, but officials say it needs more funding and time to make a bigger impact.

The new effort will be “trauma-informed and services-oriented,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office. Organizations will be invited to submit proposals to run the effort early next year, officials said. 

With dangerous subzero wind chill temperatures forecast for the upcoming weekend, officials offered timely reminders of ways to stay safe in extreme cold. 

An effort designed to keep teens who commit minor crimes out of jail is so broken that the city’s social service agency will no longer work with Chicago police to administer the program, officials told aldermen Tuesday.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless says its newly announced proposal could generate $150 million per year for homeless services and decrease the city’s homeless population by 36,000 in just 10 years.

The city of Chicago and a generous “secret Santa” stepped in at the eleventh hour to keep a North Side homeless shelter open after months and months of public protest. What does it mean for the city's homeless population?

Weathering the cold is especially hard on people who live outside. What’s being done to help the homeless.

A pilot program announced last week by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Family and Support Services aims to provide temporary employment opportunities and assistance to 100 homeless individuals.