When a converted Kenwood hotel opened its doors to migrants in the summer of 2023, officials who announced the news received vociferous pushback from residents. [Chicago Tribune]

They had numerous concerns about the shelter at 4900 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive: whether migrants would be vaccinated and fingerprinted; how their children would be educated; the food they would eat. And many wanted to know what Chicago was doing for the large and growing homeless population that predated the migrants’ arrival.

Almost three years later, buses sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have stopped arriving from the more closely surveilled southern border. The city has closed down most of the facilities it scrambled to stand up to meet waves of asylum-seekers, mostly from Venezuela. Thousands have transitioned to permanent housing. Police stations, once overflowing with newly arrived people, are empty.

What remains is a new, merged shelter network officials have dubbed the One System Initiative, which houses anyone, from anywhere, who doesn’t have a place to go. The city and state were running 28 migrant-exclusive facilities at the peak of arrivals in January of last year, according to city census data. They have collaborated with nonprofits to run 51 total sites across the system, city officials said.

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Join IOMC to learn more about its efforts with the "unsheltered and social determinants of health" at the upcoming 110th Anniversary - 2025 Leadership Awards & Annual Meeting on June 26, 2025, 5:00 PM CT - 8:00 PM CT. Be part of the movement!

Keynote Speaker: Dr. David A. Ansell, MD, MPH, Health equity advocate for over 35 years, Chicago physician, social epidemiologist, senior leader, and author. Live music, networking, dinner, and awards! Recognizing 2024-2025 Board of Governors and introducing 2025-2026 Board of Governors. More details and to register>

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