Chicago's migrant shelters prepare for evictions amid measles outbreak
CHICAGO - Despite the ongoing measles outbreak, some of Chicago's migrant shelters are set to begin evictions this weekend after Mayor Brandon Johnson imposed a 60-day limit for those staying at the facilities.
The policy was first announced last fall, but it was extended several times over the winter. Now evictions will move forward, just on a smaller scale than originally planned.
This Sunday, March 17, city officials confirm 34 migrants will be forced to leave their shelters and find a new place to call ‘home.’
"It’s about 34-35 people on Sunday, but by the end of April, it would be 2,000 people who would be out without a home," said Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th Ward). "There are consequences to these decisions that I think will end up costing the taxpayer more than what our current situation is."
Earlier this week, Ald. Vasquez penned a letter to the mayor – signed by dozens of council members and local groups – asking that the policy be reconsidered.
"We actually need to be expanding capacity rather than downsizing," said Vasquez.
On Wednesday, Johnson explained there are exemptions to the policy, including pregnancy.
Announced on Friday, families with children will receive 30-day extensions, which may be renewed up to three times through June 10, 2024.
Those who are evicted but don’t have their next steps secured can return to the city’s landing zone, located at Desplaines and Polk Streets.
"There's an opportunity for them to return to the beginning process of seeking temporary shelter and then go through that process and if there are beds available, then they will certainly be considered," Johnson said Wednesday.
Still, critics of the eviction policy say it will only cause more problems.
"The concern is they’re not going to go to the landing zone as being proposed. They’re going to end up homeless right outside the shelters because that’s the only community they know, and the only neighborhoods that are familiar to them," said Vasquez.
To make matters more complicated, the first round of evictions comes amid the city’s measles outbreak.
Since last week, 12 cases have been confirmed in Chicago – six adults and six children. Ten of those cases are linked to the Pilsen migrant shelter.
City officials announced Friday that if shelter residents have been exposed to measles, the Department of Family & Support Services can pause the eviction process to vaccinate and quarantine residents. They say this new protocol currently applies to six shelters.
One migrant bus from Texas was expected in Chicago on Friday.
The mayor's office also announced that all residents who enter or stay in a City-leased, owned and operated shelter system be vaccinated for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR).
Migrants who arrive at the landing zone and cannot prove prior vaccination or refuse the MMR vaccine will no longer be placed in a shelter, officials said.
It's at the landing zone that health officials have begun administering MMR vaccines on the spot.
Meanwhile, Alivio Medical Center in Pilsen, located at 966 W. 21st Street, is hosting a series of walk-in vaccine clinics through March 28.
MMR, Varicella, Flu, and Covid vaccines will be available during the medical center’s normal operating hours on the following dates:
- Tuesday, March 19
- Friday, March 22
- Thursday, March 28.
More information on the vaccines can be found here.
Measles vaccinations are also available through the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).
The public may check their vaccination status here.
Click here for more details on current measles cases, including the latest exposure locations in the city.