Chicago to consolidate shelter systems for migrants, homeless by 2025

CHICAGO - Chicago officials announced plans Monday to consolidate the New Arrivals shelter system that has managed migrants and integrate it into the city's broader homelessness services under a new initiative.

The One System Initiative (OSI) will go into effect officially at the start of the New Year. The New Arrivals mission officially ends on Dec. 31.

The transition involves adding 3,800 beds to the existing 3,000 provided by the Department of Family and Support Services, and includes eliminating 30-day shelter extensions, limiting initial placements for new arrivals, and eventually closing the Landing Zone and the State of Illinois intake center by the end of 2024.

"This transition is in line with the sharp decline in migration to Chicago and our current budget realities," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. "We continue the dedicated work with our agencies and community partners as we have from the beginning to usher in the next phase."

Johnson said the OSI will emphasize a "more cost-effective, equitable, and strategic approach" to address homelessness.

By January 2025, Chicago will have only one unified shelter system. Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto will lead efforts to develop a five-year plan to enhance services for all unhoused residents and those facing housing instability.

Johnson and the city’s leadership praised the work of its agencies and partners in responding to the influx of nearly 50,000 new arrivals, many of whom were sent from Texas as part of political efforts by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.