Chicago Close To Property Purchase That Could House Over 500 Migrants

Chicago's Committee on Housing and Real Estate approved a $1.5M city proposal Monday to buy a building to house migrants along the North Branch of the Chicago River. 

The 10.7-acre property at 3034 West Foster Ave. could provide shelter for up to 550 migrants, per Erin Hegarty of The Daily Line. The building, owned by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, is leased to the Marine Corps, which has vacated it and is in the process of terminating its lease. The proposal will go to the city council for full approval next month.

The complex is already equipped with showers, office space, classrooms and a mess hall. City officials estimate it would take three weeks to move in after the sale goes through.  

Chicago Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure and Services Lori Ann Lypson said the city will probably lean toward using the building to house families.  

“There is a significant amount of families with school-aged children that need shelter,” Lypson said. “If you pass by a police station you will be able to see it. We are desperate for places.” 

Migrants were told to stay outside a North Side police station during the day Wednesday amid record-breaking heat. https://t.co/GAlra3y0OH pic.twitter.com/nvy043Arh7

— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) August 24, 2023

Chicago has struggled to handle an influx of migrants sent by Republican governors trying to embarrass and strain the city in the run-up to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The city may begin to get up to 10 busloads of migrants per day, a top mayoral aid told the Sun-Times.   

Over 13,000 migrants have come to the city over the past year, and Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, told the Sun-Times she predicts it will get worse the closer it gets to the DNC. 

“We have to plan for the increase,” Pacione-Zayas told the Sun-Times. “They’re gonna do everything they can because this is all political, and they want to make the case that Democratic-led cities are not capable of living up to the values that we have. ... You know how it works in campaigns. That’s all that’s motivating this.” 

The city is already spending upward of $20M a month on housing, feeding, clothing and caring for migrants, per the Sun-Times. It isn't clear how much it will cost to operate the West Foster Avenue property. 

The city council will consider the proposal at its next meeting on Sept. 13.