'Their only lifeline right now': Chicago volunteers construct tents for the homeless as brutal storm approaches
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For those who don't have a home, the next few days are dangerous and can be deadly.
CBS 2's Noel Brennan showed us Wednesday how one organization is taking action now to keep the vulnerable safe.
"People around here call it 'Tent City,'" said Andy Robledo.
Robledo can't turn away from what he sees on the ground. Right beside the Dan Ryan Expressway.
"It's on Roosevelt and Des Plaines. I live right down the street. I drove past for almost a year and noticed more and more tents pop up every single day."
Tents better suited for summer than the winter storm headed our way on Thursday.
"People talk about frostbite, talk about like being just cold all the time and never being able to warm up," Robledo said.
For the past year, Andy and a team of volunteers have had a simple task.
"We're building ice fishing tents. So we have OSB subflooring as well as housing insulation, like panel insulation on top. We will have 160 built this year. So, it's a lot," Robledo said.
Andy said donations pay for the tents and survival gear that his team delivers to locations around the city.
"Five dollars, $10 at a time. Right now, the priority is building people better shelter while they're out on the streets, getting people heaters and propane. So that they can stay warm in their tents."
Warm enough to survive the next storm – and a Chicago winter.
"People out here don't have anything, so without these tents, this is like their only lifeline right now."
Andy and his team of volunteers put together three tents at this location. They plan to do another 16 more before the end of the day.
