Migrants begin arriving at new shelter at Broadway Armory Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Buses carrying about 140 migrants arrived Tuesday at a new shelter at a Chicago Park District fieldhouse in the Edgewater neighborhood.
At least seven buses pulled up to Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway, early on Tuesday morning. City officials have said the site will house up to 250 migrants, many of whom previously had been staying at the 1st (Central) District police station in the South Loop.
Some of the migrants were also brought in from O'Hare International Airport, according to Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th).
The Park District has shared plans to transform the Broadway Armory community center into a temporary shelter for 250 migrants, but the plan faces plenty of opposition from neighbors, who have said the city didn't consider their needs before moving migrants in.
Many activities seniors and others in the community depend on will be moving out as migrants move in for a minimum of six months.
Ald. Manaa-Hoppenworth says the plan to make the Broadway Armory into a temporary shelter has been in the works for almost a year. The alderwoman says using the armory as a temporary shelter has been in the planning stages for almost a year. Finding such new spaces, she said, is necessary in order to clear police stations of asylum seekers and handle ongoing arrivals.
Some City Colleges, like Wright College on the Far Northwest Side, had been used as shelters. But they were cleared out over the weekend to make way for returning students.
But Manaa-Hoppenworth said the entire shelter system in the city is not sustainable, and still lacking is federal help and a comprehensive plan to deal with the issues.
The alderwoman says while asylum seekers will always be welcome in her ward and Chicago as a whole, failed federal immigration policy is only fueling the crisis. She is among those calling for help from Washington.
"We need more communication. We need more of a plan," Manaa-Hoppenworth said. "We need to be included in the processes, and we need a direct ask of all of our representatives – including our governor and including our mayor."
In the late spring, the City Council approved $51 million for migrant housing and services. The alderwoman said two-thirds of that money went to shelter staffing costs – and most staff are from out of state.
"And that money is leaving Chicago because of a contract," said Manaa-Hoppenworth. "We want that money to stay within communities."
At a recent City Council committee meeting, Chicago Deputy Mayor of Immigration Beatriz Ponce de León said close to 12,000 asylum seekers have come to Chicago since last August.
"Illinois is basically acting like a border state without the funds," said Ald. Manaa-Hoppenworth.
Meanwhile, Park District summer camps at Broadway Armory are still going on. Those families will be redirected through a different entrance until Friday.
"We have been working with the Park District for weeks now to make sure that summer programming continued, and we also wanted to make sure that that programming that was in place for fall – that they had an alternative," said Ald. Manaa-Hoppenworth.