As Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new state investments to help combat Chicago’s ongoing migrant crisis, NBC Chicago’s Bennett Haeberle takes a look at how far the money will go.
CHICAGO – Telling reporters the city of Chicago “hasn’t moved fast enough” to expand shelter space for migrants, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday the state would be “stepping in” with an additional financial commitment of $160 million.
The new spending comes on top of the more than $400 million the state says it has already contributed to the crisis thus far, the governor’s administration said.
Pritzker told reporters the financial assistance – which will come from the state’s Department of Human Services budget - is needed to help remove people from sleeping at airports and outside Chicago police stations as winter approaches.
“We’re stepping in here to try to help and to accelerate this process. It isn’t moving fast enough and we just can’t have people on the street. This is a humanitarian endeavor – we cannot have people freezing on the streets of Chicago,” the governor told reporters Thursday morning.
The governor’s plan includes $30 million to help launch a migrant intake center to welcome new arrivals and help identify which people may not want to stay in Chicago. Another $65 million will go to rental assistance and other services; and another $65 million will be earmarked to help create a winterized tent community that could house up to 2,000 people for up to six months.
NBC 5 Investigates has reported on two proposed locations – including one at 115th and Halsted and another at 38th and California in Brighton Park. The latter of those two locations has drawn several public protests with neighbors opposed to both the influx of migrants and the environmental concerns about the site itself.
Records obtained by NBC 5 Investigates show the city of Chicago agreed to pay Terracon Consultants up to $50,000 to conduct an environmental assessment on the land. A mayor’s spokesman told us this week the testing was “ongoing” and they expect results “soon.”
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The mayor’s office has not responded to follow-up emails asking for a response to the governor’s remarks Thursday.
On Wednesday, Mayor Johnson provided scarce details about the city’s new approach to the crisis – including a new “tiered 60-day limit” on shelter stays.
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Additional details are expected to be released Friday by the city.
Over the past year, more than 22,000 migrants have made their way to Chicago – many seeking asylum from countries including Venezuela.
As of Wednesday, more than 1,800 people were still living outside police stations.
What isn’t immediately clear - will the state money be enough with the city already spending close to $40 million per month on migrants?
And there are other questions - where will the new facilities and services be located? And why wasn’t this partnership announced sooner?
In response, Pritzker said: “the city has operated its own methodology process and it hasn’t moved fast enough…”
The governor said the improved intake process could begin immediately but it will be up to the city of Chicago to identify a piece of property suitable for a base camp that could hold up to 2,000 people.
Governor Pritzker said he was hoping the new investments would help eliminate “bottlenecks” that occur with getting migrants into shelters.
Outside the Chicago police district 18, NBC 5 Investigates found evidence of the bottlenecks the governor was referring to.
We found people still living at the Chicago police district who we’d met and previously interviewed six weeks ago. One man told us he came to Chicago from Venezuela a week ago. He said he’s concerned about living on the streets and knows winter will be “very cold.”
