[remote or in person] Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Chicago City Council

Health

Housing

Politics

Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024
9:00 a.m. — 11:00 a.m. CST

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121 N LaSalle St Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

Chicago City Hall, 2nd floor, Council Chambers

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Meeting details page: https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Meeting/?meetingId=9EEFF650-88B9-EE11-A568-001DD8069864&targetTab=attachments
This meeting will include a subject matter hearing on the city’s current response to the arrival of migrants: “landing zone conditions, shelter conditions, shelter grievance procedure, and oversight of contracted agencies. The Office of the Mayor, the Department of Family and Support Services, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, and Favorite Healthcare Staffing will provide testimony.”
Be sure to check the “attachments” tab for the meeting agenda and other documents. You can access more information about items on the agenda at https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/. You can search keywords or click the “Show more filters” button and enter the legislation number (i.e. [O as in Ordinance][year introduced]-####, [R as in Resolution][year introduced]-####).
Chicago Councilmatic: This civic data org’s website has a lot of the information that can be found on the city’s database in a more user-friendly format, with info on this committee, plus headshots of members

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Live reporting by Wendy Wei

An average of 74 grievance reports are filed per day across the 28 shelters housing migrants in Chicago.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway

Good morning 🌅 I’ll be live-tweeting today's Chicago City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights for #CHIdocumenters @CHIdocumenters.
The meeting will address migrant shelter conditions and will begin at ⏲️9:00am
Stream it here:

chicityclerk.com

08:53 AM Jan 30, 2024 CST

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 2/30

Yesterday @ChicagosMayor Johnson extended the deadline for migrants to leave city-run shelters for the third time. According to @BlockClubCHI this gives "over 14,000 people at least another month before they are evicted from 28 shelters."

blockclubchicago.org/2024/01/29/mig…

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 3/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI The Agenda also states that the Committee will discuss shelter conditions and shelter grievance procedure. Contracted agency Favorite Healthcare Staffing will provide testimony, along with @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC and the Office of the Mayor

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 4/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC Reporting by @alma_campos for @guardian details how the death of a five-year-old at a South Side shelter in Dec prompted serious public safety concerns about city-run shelter housing.

theguardian.com/us-news/2024/j…

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 5/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC @alma_campos @guardian Following a 30-min delay on the livestream, the feed is live now as roll call is taken.⬇️⬇️

chicityclerk.com/committee-immi…

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 6/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC @alma_campos @guardian First three public commenters are migrant testimonies urging the Council to grant them work authorization, detailing the long process to apply for permits, with one stating that migrants did not have enough to eat because they cannot find work.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 7/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC @alma_campos @guardian Other commenters who have volunteered to shelter migrants call on Council to take up more responsibility. Others passionately call out racial disparities between funding for existing Black communities and new migrants, and between Ukrainian migrants and Latin American migrants.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 8/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC @alma_campos @guardian "There's been a lot of talk in this meeting about new arrivals versus Chicagoans... I want to be clear that they are not separate entities. As a welcoming city, you become a neighbor the day you arrive," said @Andrefor40th

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 9/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC @alma_campos @guardian @Andrefor40th Ponce de Leon provides update on stats:
Since August 2022 ⬇️
... 35,000 arrived in Chi
...30,400 arrived at City landing zone mostly by bus
...4,500 flown into ORD and MDW (since Jun
...13,878 new arrivals housed in 28 shelters
...180 people waiting at ORD for placement

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 10/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC @alma_campos @guardian @Andrefor40th "Chicago has led with shelter operations while the state and the county have connected new arrivals to health care rental assistance and other resources," Ponce de Leon describing the division of resettlement tasks, highlighting "very little support from the federal government."

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 11/30

@ChicagosMayor @BlockClubCHI @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoOEMC @alma_campos @guardian @Andrefor40th Seventy-Seven Communities LLC and 14 Parish LLC have been awarded the RFP for meal provider for shelters, with Seventy-Seven serving the north region and s14 Parish serving the south region.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 12/30

So far 1031 work permits (EAD) granted and 951 Social Security cards received

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 13/30

Resident grievance process within shelters includes a QR code on posters throughout shelter residents can scan to access. On average 5 shelter residents a day file a grievance. Incident reports are filed by shelter staff, and on average 74 incident reports are filed per day,

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 14/30

Extensions for new arrivals in shelter are temporarily extended through April, at the latest. This will apply to almost 8,000 shelter residents.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 15/30

@ChicagoOEMC, along with Streets and Sanitation and Favorite contractors, manages landing zones. "Currently we have I believe zero people at our landing zones...over the last couple of weeks, we have not been receiving many buses so that gives us a little bit of breathing room."

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 16/30

@ChicagoOEMC "All of our Favorite staffers are Spanish-speaking...and they're providing overnight security as well." @ChicagoOEMC

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 17/30

@ChicagoOEMC @ChicagoOEMC highlights bus ordinance rules instituted in last couple months. Operators of any intercity bus cannot load or unload passengers at designated bus stands without prior approval of the dept of transport.
"The goal was to get this to some level of order."

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 18/30

@ChicagoOEMC For the homeless division, there's 15 staff for 3000 people in 50 shelters. To put it into perspective, "the new arrivals division is five times the size of the homeless division" and it's important to have PMs on site. There are 1-2 positions being hired right now to support.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 19/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 asks about Catholic Charities program for out migrating into perm housing.
As of two weeks ago, they are present at all shelters (before only available at 14). Since last July, 11,500 people have resettled to housing through the program, and 4,100 out migrated.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 20/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 Ponce de Leon, "Of the population that's in shelters, half are eligible for state rental assistance, the other half are no longer eligible." Dollars for state rental assistance is fixed so number of non-eligible folks will grow.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 21/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 asks about folks eligible for expedited work permits. @ChiFamSupport says during phase one ~15-20% of shelter residents were TPS/EAD eligible. As time goes along, less folks will be TPS eligible so "it could be as low as 10%."
TPS explained -

shorturl.at/kqtB8

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 22/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport On volunteer integration, City of Chi did formalize partnership tie with @ChicagoCares under the New Neighbors Campaign. Chicago Cares also works with a refugee coalition. There are also outside volunteer opportunities, such as workshops with @TRPistas

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 23/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee asks for update on shelter improvements.
At the Homestead shelter, a heat and smoke detection system, hand sanitation and water filtration stations, emergency lighting and exit signage has been added, among other fixtures. Bathrooms are deep cleaned 3x a day.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 24/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee @ald_nicolelee asks about support for shelter residents delivering newborns.
CPH works with Hope House which supports pregnant people by connecting them early on with medical care, such as through @LawndaleHealth

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 25/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee @LawndaleHealth "Right now we are ending phase one [meaning] most folks who are in shelter have had a chance to be screened by their case managers and have had an opportunity to go to an [work authorization] event." The TPS and EAD clinics will continue at least until Mar, Apr, many even May.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 26/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee @LawndaleHealth "We have to understand that Favorite Staffing gets paid very well," @AlderwomanCruz. "That's the #1 reason why Favorite is always a question because, as individuals who are being paid well, the expectation is for them to deliver the service that they are expected to do."

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 27/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee @LawndaleHealth @AlderwomanCruz @ChiFamSupport on accountability for Favorite - "It is really a hands-on operation from both the city and Favorite. We have meetings at the corporate level and beyond...about what we're seeing and what might need to change from an accountability perspective."

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 28/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee @LawndaleHealth @AlderwomanCruz @SigchoFor25 asks what city can ask of fed gov to expedite work permits?"
Wences says the fed gov can expand the date by which people are eligible for TPS, address the asylum backlog, and explore new DHS protections for undocumented workers experiencing workplace violations.

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 29/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee @LawndaleHealth @AlderwomanCruz @SigchoFor25 Wences is referring to the @DHSgov's new guidelines that allow undocumented workers to file complaints about labor violations and apply for immigration relief

arisechicago.org/dhsannouncemen…

Wendy Wei @thewendyway 30/30

@ChicagoOEMC @AldRodriguez22 @Mariafor49 @ChiFamSupport @ChicagoCares @TRPistas @ald_nicolelee @LawndaleHealth @AlderwomanCruz @SigchoFor25 @DHSgov At 12:08pm, meeting is adjourned. This concludes the Chi City Council Committee on Immigration and Refugee Rights meeting. Thanks for tuning in! 👋
For more meeting coverage, check out .

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Attachments

Agenda

By documenters 1/30/2024

Meeting details

By documenters 1/30/2024

Agency Information

Chicago City Council

chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3166

@ChiCouncil

See Documenters reporting

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago and consists of the Mayor and Aldermen elected from each of the City’s fifty wards. Source

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