On the night of Halloween 2023, community activists and volunteers brought migrants who were living outside of the 15th District Police Department in Austin to Oak Park’s Village Hall.
Throughout the months that followed, volunteers in the community and the Community of Congregations worked with the village to provide housing for migrants at area churches, the Carleton Hotel and the YMCA.
As efforts focused on providing more permanent housing to families and women with children, groups of men living at Grace Episcopal Church were in danger of being forgotten.
For Reverend John Rumple, that was not an option. He credits the Oak Park Resettlement Task Force with aiding his congregation to make sure that the men were not left behind.
Rumple said he remembered being called by a village representative on the night of October 31 asking if Grace Episcopal could house a few migrants for two weeks. Because of Grace Episcopal’s relationship with Beyond Hunger and Housing Forward — the church had been a PADS shelter site for Housing Forward prior to the pandemic — Rumple said it made sense for the village to reach out.
He said that he and his congregants were happy to assist, saying, “It’s in our spiritual DNA that this ministry was appropriate.”
The full magnitude of the request became apparent rapidly.
“They then asked us to house the migrants through the end of the year. Then through the Chicago winter, until March 15.”
What started as a group of 16 men grew as the City of Chicago sent more people to Grace. Rumple estimated that the church has sheltered between 40 and 45 men, with a core group of 33 migrants.
The migrants come from Venezuela, Peru and Columbia. Almost all of them have wives and children at home whom they want to support.
Grace Episcopal volunteers got to work, raising funds to support the men, even building a temporary shower.
Frustrations grew as the March 15th date approached, and the village was not providing financial help.
“We had to go to bat for funds from the village,” Rumple said. “Supplies ran us about $12,000. We had a few thousand in expenses for transport and medical expenses, and $4,500 on clothing. We submitted receipts, and the village is considering what they will reimburse.”
While a portal on the church website helped collect some donations, Rumple said the church hit a wall in January and has been operating in the red since then.
“Trying to operate a shelter on a few thousand dollars just isn’t working,” he said.
Grace had an on-staff supervisor for the shelter who stepped down around Christmas. Since that time, Rumple said he has been working two jobs: ministering to his congregation and running the shelter.
As the eviction date approached, Rumple and volunteers grew increasingly frustrated that there was no plan in place for the men living at Grace.
At a special meeting March 11, the Village approved spending an additional $200,000 of Village funds to aid the migrants in Oak Park, including those staying at Grace Episcopal. (https://www.oakpark.com/2024/03/11/grace-episcopal-church-migrants-village-funds/)
As the village was agreeing to provide the funding, the Oak Park Area Resettlement Task Force was working to find apartments for the men. As of March 22, the men should all be moved out of Grace and into apartments, with the understanding that they have one-year leases.
Rumple praises OPARTF volunteers and leader Betty Alzamora with being a saving force. He also said that the citizens of Oak Park made a difference.
“These migrants were going through so much pain. The people here saw that and reacted. To that extent, I’m proud to be a member of this community.”
He calls Alzamora an angel and said “This is nothing short of a miracle. All of us are just so grateful that their story is not ending with them back out on the street.”
Alzamora, who has a history as a grassroots organizer and working in immigration justice, said, “I’m a first generation American, born and raised in Venezuela, so this is very close to me.”
Dozens of faith leaders and community volunteers stepped up, according to Alzamora. While noting that there are lessons to be learned from the past four months, she said that helping the migrants in Oak Park has brought together many elements of civic society.
“So many people have showed up for the migrants,” Alzamora said, calling out Brynne Hovde for her work organizing many aspects of the migrants’ time in Oak Park.
Alzamora also praises the village for providing the funds the men so desperately needed.
“When a door opens on one end, a window opens on another,” Alzamora said. “With shared common goals, miracles can happen.”
She pointed to the importance of following the lead of the migrant community in all volunteer efforts.
“They were never looking for a handout, just looking for a hand.”
A great weight has lifted from the migrants with the housing question answered she said.
“To be able to see the relief and joy on these people’s faces. They just want to show people what they can do. We’ve given them the opportunity to do that.”
Alzamora credited Grace Episcopal and a similar program at Cavalry Baptist for giving the migrant men a solid beginning in the U.S. that set them up well for living on their own. Going forward, Alzamora said, there is still plenty of work to be done.
The next stage includes connecting the men with volunteer advocate families who can help them as they move through the immigration system and get acclimated to life in the U.S.
The legal piece of the puzzle is also on the horizon as the men apply for asylum and try to get work permits. Working with Resurrection Project and North Suburban Legal Aid, OPARTF will be hosting a legal clinic in April at Cavalry Baptist to assist the migrants.
Volunteers will continue to support the migrants throughout their journey. For those looking for more ways to aid the migrants, Alzamora points them to the volunteer website: https://opmigrantresettlementmission.com/