Leone Park fieldhouse to serve as migrant waiting facility after families spend days at CPD stations
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In the last few days, dozens of migrants from Venezuela have arrived in Chicago, sometimes ending up living in crowded police station lobbies until there's somewhere for them to go. Advocates are now looking for a better solution.
The fieldhouse at Leone Park in the Rogers Park neighborhood will now be a waiting facility for those seeking asylum until they can be placed in shelters.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot spoke to people who said the solution for getting these families shelter sooner relies on a coordinated effort at the state, local, and federal levels when it comes to funding.
A photo taken inside the 24th (Rogers Park) District police station on Tuesday shows at least nine migrants taking shelter inside. It's become a common site at police districts across the city.
The 24th District is located in the 49th Ward, where Ald. Maria Hadden said, "We're seeing an influx of families with children who are arriving to the city."
Leone Beach Park field house is being reopened for use as a waiting facility for asylum seekers today. We are seeing more families with children arriving to the city and a place is needed for them to stay while awaiting shelter. Please do not bring donations or food to the facility. We will put out specific asks for any needs once families arrive.
Posted by Alderwoman Maria Hadden on Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Hadden posted a video on Facebook on Tuesday, letting her constituents know the Leone Park Beach fieldhouse will now be a waiting facility for asylum seekers with children seeking shelter.
"We need support from our state and federal partners. We have had some, right? So we certainly have had some support, and also we need more," Hadden said.
"Chicago, as the city, and Illinois, as the state, has never – at least not in recent history – really set up an emergency migrant receiving and resettlement process," she added. "That's what needs to happen."
Hadden's sentiment was echoed by Neli Vazquez Rowland, co-founder of A Safe Haven, a non-profit dedicated to serving a wide variety people from social and economic challenges, including those experiencing homelessness. She's viewed as a pioneer and expert in the field of helping those in need of shelter for nearly three decades. She now works as a consultant.
"Hopefully this will, you know, be a pivotal moment where we have a reckoning moment, where we look at all of the services that are needed, and all the funding that we have, and we start to be very strategic in finding what is the best way to allocate those precious few resources," she said.
Ald. James Cappleman (46th) is a member the City Council's Budget Committee and Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee. The two committees are meeting jointly on Friday to discuss the status and costs of the city's operation to support migrants.
"This is a sudden event that requires a sudden action. So there's federal, state, and city funds that need to be released to help these families; and that takes a very coordinated and collaborative effort to make that happen," Cappleman said.
In response to this story, a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said he and his office have been "working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that local communities receive the money they need to support asylum seekers, and we will continue to engage in oversight to improve coordination between states, local governments, and the federal government."