The City of Chicago “landing zone” is a designated area where transportation vehicles with migrants are able to drop off the new arrivals.
A Dec. 7 Oak Park memorandum outlines protocols for sending any new asylum seekers away. This includes sending buses with asylum seekers to the “landing zone.”
Asylum seekers who arrive in Oak Park, according to the memorandum, will not be allowed to disembark from a bus and will be advised local shelters are at capacity. The driver will then be directed to the “landing zone” at 800 S. Desplaines St., Chicago.
“City staff are there to welcome them and ensure all seeking shelter are taken care of or assisted with onward movement,” a City of Chicago press release stated.
Arrivals will be provided with warming buses while waiting for shelter availability, according to a City of Chicago spokesperson. Snacks, water and Meals Ready-to-Eat are also available.
Other services and items available at the landing zone include blankets, warm clothing, out of state migration, local outmigration and a Chicago police presence.
A new intake center and shelter site is set to launch in January, according to an Illinois Department of Human Services press release. The site will be at the same location as the bus “landing zone” to maximize efficiency, according to the release, and will include six heated tents.
“At IDHS – we have a message for all Illinoisans – no matter how long they have lived here: Help is here,” Dulce M. Quintero, IDHS Secretary Designate, said in the release.
The new site will also work to connect migrants with services to help them along on their journey. The State of Illinois has also been funding New Life Centers and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago to provide support, allowing for more than 2,500 individuals to connect with loved ones rather than entering the shelter system, according to the release.
The IDHS press release states that work is continuing on a shelter with capacity for 220 people located in Little Village at a former CVS Pharmacy. Individuals staying at a temporary shelter at a Chicago hotel, which accommodated an uptick in arrivals during the holidays, will be transferred to the Little Village shelter once opened.
A $4 million investment has provided meals to migrants in Chicago shelter sites, funds acquired from the State of Illinois and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The State of Illinois is extending its contract through Jan. 15 with an additional $2 million, until Chicago takes over, according to the release.
About $478 million in Illinois funding has been committed to asylum seeker response during fiscal year 2023 and 2024, according to the release, including funding to Chicago, other municipalities helping asylum seekers as well as for shelter, food, medical care and more.
“The State is determined to use its limited resources as efficiently as possible, helping asylum seekers settle in Illinois and achieve independence,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said in the release.
