Migrants to be housed at shuttered Catholic school and convent on Chicago's Northwest Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With hundreds of migrants moving out of five Chicago Park District sites in the coming weeks, Mayor Brandon Johnson's office announced Friday that a new migrant family shelter will open at a shuttered Catholic school building and convent in Portage Park.
The Archdiocese of Chicago will lease the former convent and former school building on the St. Bartholomew Church campus to the city for free, and the city will sublease the property to the nonprofit Zakat Foundation, a Chicago-based humanitarian agency that provides emergency relief efforts across the globe.
An archdiocese spokesperson said 300 people, all families, will be living at the shelter. Johnson's office said migrants are expected to begin moving into the shelter in mid-April.
"This initiative represents a remarkable example of what can be achieved when the public, private, and non-profit sectors collaborate towards a common goal," Johnson said in a statement.
The archdiocese and the Johnson administration had been in talks to use the St. Bartholomew campus for a migrant shelter since December, but had not reached a deal until now, according to a representative for Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th), whose ward includes the church.
"The family shelter at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church is a testament to the resilience and empathy of our community," Cruz said in a statement. "I look forward to assisting the Zakat Foundation, Cook County, and the Archdiocese in providing these vulnerable families with a safe place and the necessary resources to create a new life for themselves."
It will be the first Catholic church site used as a migrant shelter in Chicago. In November, a migrant shelter opened at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park.
Cook County officials will oversee the construction of shower facilities and conduct other renovations needed to house migrant families at the site.
The Zakat Foundation will cover all operational costs for the shelter, including logistics and staffing. The foundation also will provide wraparound services for migrants, and coordinate with Chicago Public Schools to enroll students in local schools.
The move comes after Johnson announced last month that about 800 migrants would be moved out of five Chicago Park District sites in the coming weeks, to allow the park facilities to reopen to the public for normal summer programming.
Those moves began on Saturday, as nearly 200 migrants were moved out of Piotrowski Park in Little Village and Leone Beach Park in Rogers Park.
Hundreds more migrants will be moved out of shelters at Gage Park, Broadway Armory Park, and Brands Park in the coming weeks.