Housing Forward, a local nonprofit that works to end homelessness in west suburban Cook County, is asking Oak Park for about $800,000 to help expand street outreach work and expedite housing matches.
The village board has not yet decided how or if to provide those funds, but trustees have agreed that work to support unhoused residents is a priority for them.
During a Nov. 12 board meeting, two Oak Park residents expressed frustration during public comment with the increase in individuals experiencing homelessness at the train station between Marion Street and Harlem Avenue. They complained of trash, human waste and “drug use.”
Public Works Director Rob Sproule explained at the Dec. 3 meeting that Oak Park staff clean at the station daily, and conditions would be worse if they didn’t. Metra does not have custodial services, he said.
“In this situation, to me, there’s no way you can tell me that those folks who are [at the train station] now … would have been allowed to sleep one night on the street had they shown up in our village as migrants,” Trustee Cory Wesley said at the Nov. 12 meeting. “This is a situation that we allow … We allow [them] to live without dignity.”
He echoed that sentiment at the Dec. 3 meeting.
Jonathan Burch, the village’s neighborhood services director, acknowledged at that meeting that Oak Park has seen a significant increase in residents experiencing homelessness. According to village data, single adult men and Black individuals make up the two largest demographics experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Oak Park.
“We really don’t have a right to continue to complain about the problem if we’re not going to be willing to invest in a solution,” Village President Vicki Scaman said at the board meeting.
The village has already committed $365,600 in its 2025 budget to help Housing Forward open an expanded emergency overnight shelter site at 112 S. Humphrey Ave. But the additional $800,000 or so would potentially have to come from reserves.
Oak Park had almost $46 million sitting in reserves at the start of this year’s budget planning process. That number is expected to dwindle to about $18 million after trustees decided to spend down reserves for the Oak Park Avenue Streetscape project and other capital improvements.
But some trustees seemed uncertain if they want to tap into that fund balance again. It’s not an “unlimited debit card,” Trustee Lucia Robinson said.
Expanding street outreach
Lynda Schueler, Housing Forward’s chief executive officer, explained Dec. 3 that about $327,000 would help expand the nonprofit’s street outreach team to cover evenings and weekends and upgrade the Oak Park-specific team from two to four members. Right now, the team only works during typical business hours.
It would also allow for coordination with the alternative crisis response team, for drivers to bring individuals to emergency shelter or warming sites, and to meet basic needs like meal cards or public transportation passes.
Some individuals might be hesitant to accept assistance, Trustee Brian Straw said. But more encounters with street outreach teams who are increasingly available and present would grow more trust, said Becki Stone, Housing Forward’s director of impact, system performance and strategy.
Schueler expressed that Housing Forward can’t say $800,000 is all it takes to keep individuals off the streets and not sleeping at the Metra station, for example. But it would help to alleviate the problem and get more individuals seeking shelter into one.
“I am hugely supportive of these efforts,” Straw said. “I think that it is necessary for us to invest at this level to start to address this homelessness crisis that is happening here in Oak Park.”
Expedite housing matches
About $479,000 would allow Housing Forward to move individuals staying in interim housing or medical respite programs into permanent housing situations faster. This would help cover rental assistance, moving assistance, additional services and other personnel costs.
The additional funds would also allow Housing Forward to hire a substance abuse specialist.
Schueler explained that with the current system, a bottleneck is created. Individuals who need Housing Forward’s help come from hospitals, police, call centers, street outreach or as walk-ins. But the nonprofit and suburban Cook County don’t have the required capacity to assess and place every person or family seeking help into housing right away.
Expanding street outreach and expediting housing matches goes hand in hand, Schueler said. But if she had to choose one to prioritize right now, she said it would be expediting housing matches to help this bottleneck issue. If individuals can be moved from interim housing to permanent housing, that frees up beds for individuals in shelters. And that, in turn, frees up beds for individuals on the street.
Acknowledging the asks are costly, Schueler pointed out that the village will be saving expenses for cleanup, police calls or public works efforts related to individuals experiencing homelessness on the street.
Trustee Ravi Parakkat said he’s looking for a holistic solution to the issue of growing homelessness, while understanding what Oak Park can afford.
“Where we are getting most hit is the very visible aspect of homelessness spilling into the community,” he said, adding that the impact he wants to prevent is residents or businesses moving away or not wanting to invest in Oak Park.
“I did want to disagree with Trustee Parakkat that the underlying goal is to not have residents be annoyed by homelessness and move away,” Trustee Susan Buchanan said. “The goal is to actually get shelter for unhoused people.”
She said she supports the funding request, as did Trustee Chibuike Enyia.
It’s not yet clear when the discussion will come back to the village board, as meetings are concluded for 2024. The next village board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2025.