South Loop Church helps migrants staying in crowded police station
CHICAGO (CBS) – For more than two weeks, a single mother from Venezuela and her four children have been staying in the crowded lobby of one of Chicago's police stations.
On Friday, she shared her hopes and her concerns with CBS 2's Noel Brennan.
"It's already full," said Margarex Guerrero. "The police station is full."
A police station lobby is at capacity and one family has reached its limit.
"While we're here, we can't do anything and we've been here many days, many, many days here," Guerrero said. "We're asking for help, please."
Guerrero and her four kids moved into the 1st District police station half a month ago.
"We arrived 15 days ago, and the Chicago police have given us a lot of support," she said. "I believe that they've already done too much in having us here, but it's too crowded. It's very full."
It feels full and unhealthy for her.
"There's an outbreak of cough, fever, conjunctivitis, headaches, join paint, everything because there's many, many people," she said. "We're full."
Migrant families at the station live day-to-day and sometimes minute-to-minute.
"It's probably about 27 minutes by 27 minutes to be more accurate, yeah," said Aadam Keeley. "Not even hour-by-hour."
Keeley works just down the street at Awaken Church. The church opened its doors to migrants when it heard they might need a safe place to go during the day.
"You have to have basic things to just be able to function and thrive," Keeley said. "I just don't want people to have to exist in survival mode."
An afternoon at the church is one less spent inside a police station lobby.
"I ask anyone, please, whichever person, whichever foundation or whichever human being, put your hand to your heart and help us leave here and get to a shelter," Guerrero said.
Families may live minute-to-minute, but they still have faith in the future.
"Yes, I have it because I left my country and put my family in the hands of God and look where I arrived," she said.
At least two families, including a pregnant woman, were able to secure a spot at the emergency shelter in Pilsen on Friday. But all other families at the church will be going back to the 1st District police station for the night.