North Side homeless encampment angers residents

On the far North Side of Chicago, a homeless camp of nearly 30 unhoused people have camped out in Touhy Park, angering residents and frustrating Ald. Maria Hadden as she struggles to find a balance between compassion for a group of mostly Blacks, although exact figures are unknown.

Chicago, like many large urban cities, struggles to deal with a burgeoning homeless problem, born from job loss, divorce, spousal abuse and other factors, that seem to be largely ignored by some residents who have mischaracterized the entire group as drug users and abusers, with “lazy bums” being the kindest description.

The resident protests have culminated in accusations of vehicular violence by a local community newspaper columnist, who railed against the perception that she is a racist, suggesting ,to some, that race may be more of a factor than indicated.

There was also a fake 5-day notice with Hadden’s name as signator, that were placed in the belongings of the campers, and posted on the signs in and around the park according to Block Club Chicago, in an apparent effort to dislodge them.

It also stated that they would be housed in an elegant downtown hotel, the Four Seasons indefinitely till Hadden found them “appropriate housing.”

The proposed server was Bill Morton, president of the Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce and a candidate in the upcoming aldermanic election against Hadden.

Sarah Lim, a DePaul university student, claims responsible for the fake notices and says that she and Morton have worked together “on previous political efforts.”

Lim also claims the stunt was designed to drive people to her website for discussion.

Hadden went to the park to tell park residents that the notices were fake, and later stated that many were in tears on hearing the truth.

A recent community meeting convened by Hadden, on Zoom, last Monday, seemed to be more of a referendum on Hadden, than providing solutions to a problem that has ebbed and flowed with some earlier success at housing 64 previous tent dwellers at the park.

Some at that meeting were virulent in their protest to have the police enforce the 11:00 p.m. curfew, and complained of soiled clothing and hypodermic needles littering the area near the park,despite the fact that other residents told us that drug use and sales, had been a long term problem plaguing the neighborhood for decades, especially along Howard Avenue.

In the seemingly effort to enforce resident safety and programing, fieldhouse activities were transferred to nearby Pottawatomie Park, but the phrase, “no good deed goes unpunished” applies here, with residents up in arms over the temporary transfer.

To separate fact from perception we contacted Hadden’s office and reached Leslie Perkins, her chief of staff, to answer some questions about the encampment:

DG: Would you say pending any more partnerships with agencies, the Park District, etc. that keeping the encampment is a temporary measure, albeit unwanted, till a more "permanent" solution is found?

LP: “Our office is scheduling a meeting with the Department of Family Support Services and the Park District to discuss how we can depopulate the park before cold weather sets in. We're faced with an unfortunate reality in Chicago that our shelters are at 98% capacity and that we don't have enough units for people who are unhoused. We have initiated talks with these departments and the Mayor's office to see if we can explore emergency funding to shelter people.” 

DG: What are the approximate ages and races of the tent dwellers? Are their families present, with children?

“To my knowledge, there are no children in the encampment at Touhy Park. I don't have a breakdown of the demographics of the individuals there. We have seen a rotation of people come through the park as people are connected to units and as people become newly unhoused. That being said, statistics have shown that Black men experience homelessness at higher rates than other demographics in the US.” 

DG:Since there are, as well-established high market rate apartments in RP, as well as the city, what assessments are being made to provide even a temporary setup, such as the High Ridge Y. To expand, many are probably not ready for shelter housing, due to drug and/or alcohol use, low, or no income, poor credit history, etc.. So, what can be done, outside of the main objective of affordable housing, and as you know this is an issue for everyone in Chicago?

“The temporary shelters for migrants was made possible with federal emergency funding. Our office has initiated talks with the Office of Budget Management, the Mayor's Office, and DFSS to see if those funds would be available for our homelessness crisis as well. In addition, our office recently wrapped up a community process for North Side Housing to open a men's shelter with 72 beds at Clark and Birchwood. Our community overwhelmingly supported their proposal, with more than 70% of respondents saying they were in favor of the shelter opening at this location 

Our office is also the lead sponsor on the Bring Chicago Home resolution, which would establish a dedicated revenue stream to combatting homelessness. Finally, the city and our partners are committed to a housing first approach to combating homelessness. This means that you work to get someone into stable housing and then provide them with the wraparound services they need, be it mental health care or substance abuse care, to remain in housing. This creates fewer barriers to getting into a unit.” 

DG:It seems that many of the residents are concluding that ALL of the camp residents are drug addicts.

“Our office doesn't have figures on the number of people struggling with substance abuse. That said, there are several factors that can lead to an individual to experience homelessness, and singling out one issue reduces the complexity and nuance of driving factors of homelessness. Unfortunately, our city - along with municipalities across the country - is in the middle of a homelessness crisis.” 

DG:It’s apparent that across the city, there have been many homeless camps over the last several years: underneath the viaduct at Montrose Avenue, near the Kimball and Lawrence underpass, and on the grounds of the Graeme Stewart school in Uptown, and this is only a partial list, so even for a casual observer, the problem can be seen, and Perkins expanded on some of the reasons how people become homeless.

“The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless just issued its 2020 report on homelessness in the city. From 2019 to 2020, we've seen a 12.6% increase in people experiencing homelessness. In 2019, Charles Schwab conducted a survey on savings and found that 59% of respondents at that time were just one paycheck away from experiencing homelessness. And that was in 2019 before the pandemic hit, which brought with it a whole new set of financial challenges for people. Many lost their jobs and fell behind on rent. While rent relief was made available, the demand for funds far exceeded their availability.”

“Now, people are facing skyrocketing costs of living. In Chicago, the average rent for a 750-square-foot apartment is now more than $2,200/month. That's on top of paying more at the gas pump and grocery store due to historic inflation. People are getting squeezed from every direction financially, and it's driving rates of homelessness. Our office has 3-5 people a week come in who are experiencing homelessness for the first time. Our staff is helping people call for housing assessments with the Coordinated Entry System. This isn't something that we saw as much in 2019. And the Economic Roundtable projects that chronic homelessness will only grow by 49% over the next four years in the US if we don't do something to intervene, which is why we're fighting for a dedicated revenue stream for homelessness prevention.” 

DG:Sanitary conditions were brought up repeatedly in the Zoom meeting and especially in the chat area, so are the cleanups, and the porta potties cleaned daily of what is not needed for "living"?

LP:“The port-a-potties are cleaned weekly. We advocated as well for extra staff to help the supervisor clean up the park every day.” 

DG: You seem to have a good relationship with the Parks Dept, can you say the same about the police? (there seemed to be suggestions in chat that you don't) If not, do you see this as an impediment, with this issue, and future ones?

LP:“Our office has a great relationship with Commander Brennan and the 24th District. We communicate with them regularly and bring concerns to their attention when they come through our office. Alderwoman Hadden has regular checks-in with the commander, and we have a staff member who attends every CAPS meeting in our ward. We will continue to work with them on all concerns that come through our office.”

DG: Do you have a deadline --- you mentioned winter as a possible marker -- for a solution?

“Our office would like to see people in units before extremely cold weather sets in. We are going to be meeting with our other city officials in the coming weeks to discuss how we can come up with a plan to depopulate the parks”. 

DG: You referred to federal dollars to help, is this from the mayor's budget or something specific to your aldermanic budget.

LP:“Since the aldermanic discretionary budget is bonded, there are strict restrictions on how it can be spent. This means that money only be spent on capital infrastructure projects, such as street resurfacing. The corporate fund has more flexibility and includes funding for homelessness. As we enter budget season, we will be making this a priority issue. We also would like to see a dedicated revenue stream by passing our Bring Chicago Home resolution."

Chicago has entered a crisis phase, of sorts when it comes to the racial divide, and economic challenges, sorting solutions can be problematic, and how decisions are made on who can do the heavy lifting, has proven to be an enormous task; and, with the combined efforts of who makes decisions, how they are made, and when, makes the task of equity even harder.

New South Side school angers many, pleases many

It’s no secret that Chicago is one of the nation’s most segregated cities and the division between North and South sides, while often geographically distinct, are also politically and even psychologically different. These divisions can also become blurred by economic and political power, those who hold it, and those that don’t.

One of the starkest difference is in education, with a system that is mostly financed by taxes, and (where many  students often don’t attend their neighborhood schools), the quest for secondary education has hit a new high with the pending creation of a Near South Side high school, at 24th and State, on the site of a former public housing facility, that has generated support from Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public School superintendent Pedro Martinez, which has made it a reality despite recommendations that it threatens to siphon off monies needed for Black schools in the area.

Mayor Lightfoot

These early warnings aside, supporters say that the new housing can be built elsewhere, and local residents and city hall observers are wondering what has caused this much support for a project that is projected to cost $120 million dollars.

Area residents also remember the 50 schools closed by former mayor Rahm Emanuel whose hamfisted closures brought a huge protest, but that, in the end, was to no avail: and, many remain vacant, while others, mostly on the North Side, have been converted to luxury condominiums.

WBEZ, in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times, reported that earlier, “a team of senior officials at Chicago Public Schools privately wanted leaders that the project could undermine those schools and ultimately hurt Black Students.”

Most parents and community activists say that it’s not difficult to see that the new school will have new technology, science labs and performing arts spaces that the old ones lack, and those existing would  be underfunded by CPS, and could be shuttered, further nibbling away at what Emanuel left undone.

These divisions, and past actions, wedded to the present, do not bode well for South Side schools, threatening the future of their mostly Black students.

Some of these same schools are also often under-enrolled by 34 percent less; with Wendell Phillips alone holding a previous year’s enrollment of only 8 percent to capacity, and some fear that this may be the city’s response to solve the issue of under enrollment.

An important aspect: There has been a critical population of Asian American students in the Chinatown area that are willing to travel miles to attend the Thomas Kelly College Prep school, rather than attend nearby Black schools such as Wendell Phillips Academy that are closer to Chinatown, and nearby neighborhoods.

Fueled by fears of violence, unjustified, at best, according to reports, but perception has won out, and Kelly now holds 11 percent of those Asian students. 

Those fears are often combined with a perceived lack of quality in the Black schools, even though there are recent graduates that have been accepted, many on full scholarship, to quality public colleges and universities.

The Sun-Times and WBEZ reporters summed it, by saying, “the new boundaries for the proposed 1,200 student neighborhood school at 24tha and State street captures Chinatown, South Loop, Bridgeport, Douglas and parts of the Near West Side - which include some affluent areas with significant white and Asian populations,” whose residents “have long complained they don’t have a viable neighborhoods to school to send their children to, largely a rejection of mostly Black high schools their kids could attend.”

There has also been a significant increase in the political power of Asian Americans in Chicago and now, “Formerly splintered into multiple wards, Greater Chinatown residents will now be represented by one Alderperson in Chicago’s first Asian American majority ward.”

Grace Lee is the new alderperson, and in her announcement, Lightfoot said, "“Nicole Lee has spent her life expanding and amplifying 11th ward issues and voices,”and “Her dedication to empowering communities and building coalitions is evident in her career and in her involvement in a variety of community organizations. She is the right choice to make sure 11th ward residents are fully represented on the Chicago City Council.”

The response has been overwhelming, and “We are thrilled that City Council has created Chicago’s first Asian American majority ward following months of advocacy by community leaders,” said Grace Pai, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago. for a Better Chinese American Community, Pui Tak Center, and Chinese American Service League.”

“I think representation is really important,” said David Wu, executive director of the Pui Tak Center, who’s also the board president of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community that’s been working toward this establishing the ward. “Really you need someone to push as hard to make sure that the wide diversity of Asian Americans, especially those who are newer immigrants, can gain access to services.”

As author Natasha Warikoo wrote in “Race at the Top”: “white and Asian parents alike will do anything to help their children get to the top of the achievement pile.”