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.

An estimated 10,000 people in Illinois experienced “literal homelessness,” according to the IDPH report. An estimated 108,000 to 233,000 are living in unstable arrangements.

With the possibility of a National Guard deployment in Chicago, advocates for people experiencing homelessness are concerned about how a military presence might affect the vulnerable population. Washington, D.C., saw more than 50 encampment clearings since the National Guard arrived there.

The encampment along the North Shore Channel is now set to be removed, possibly displacing dozens.

Officials said they are working to identify a cause of the fire that happened along the west bank of the North Shore Channel just south of Peterson Avenue, however fire investigators found multiple gas cans and propane tanks at the site.

In spite of that apparent progress, more people were unhoused in Chicago in January 2025 than at any point since officials began conducting this annual survey in 2005, city officials said.

Despite Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trademark optimism, the unrelenting turmoil of the past two years, and his missteps in handling problems both new and old, has weakened his political standing, ensuring that if he runs for and wins a second term in office in 2027, he will have to do it the same way he won the first time: as an underdog.

Several leaders of Chicago area organizations with AmeriCorps programs told WTTW News they’ve notified a number of AmeriCorps members that their positions have been cut after receiving federal grant terminations earlier this week.

After 10 years as the 35th Ward alderperson, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is moving to a different office: superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District.

The renewed tension between Mayor Brandon Johnson and the city’s business leaders comes after Johnson endured a bruising battle over the city’s 2025 budget and is under intense pressure from President Donald Trump.

“At the point of which we go for this revenue again, let’s not allow the interests of the corporations as well as the ultra rich to dictate what working people deserve in this city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We have to pass Bring Chicago Home.”

The report from the University of Illinois Chicago showed a number of structural issues contributing to this disparity — a lack of affordable housing and sufficient income chief among them.

Advocates hope new funding can build on lessons the state learned since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in opening new shelters and accommodations that better meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

Approximately 76,375 people in Chicago experienced homelessness during 2022, according to a new report from the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, which relies on the most recent available data.

Last month, Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) 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.

Local organizations are pushing back on Chicago’s plan to merge its migrant shelter operations with its homeless shelter network. The city is set to launch the plan known as the One System Initiative on Jan. 1 with a total of 6,800 shelter beds.