Temporary Migrant Shelter at 640 W Irving Park
Below you will find a range of information regarding the shelter at the former site of the American Islamic College at Irving Park and Marine Drive.
Temporary Migrant Shelter at 640 W Irving Park
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated 11/8/24
General information about the status of new arrivals to the city
How many asylum seekers have arrived to Chicago?
Since August 31, 2022, Chicago has shouldered the responsibility of providing resources to more than 50,000 people who have arrived to our City homeless and without sponsors.
Who are the people arriving to Chicago?
While most asylum seekers are from Venezuela, individuals and families are also from all over the world, including countries from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
How do individuals arrive in Chicago?
For most, their journey starts in South America. Several migrants travel through one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes known as the Darien Gap, into Central America and Mexico, eventually arriving to the U.S.-Mexico border. New arrivals who arrive in Chicago are processed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at a U.S. port of entry and undergo a credible fear interview to request the opportunity to apply for asylum. Once processed, thousands are bussed to Chicago and dropped off at Chicago’s Union Station from Texas and Colorado.
Specifics regarding the site at 640 W Irving Park
Why is this shelter necessary?
To date, over 50,000 asylum seekers have joined our city since the start of the year. In order to serve both the Chicago homeless population and new arrival populations, the City needed to increase the capacity of our shelter system.
What is the One System Shelter?
On October 21, 2024, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the demobilization of the new arrivals mission and a transition to the One System Initiative which will expand the city’s DFSS homeless services shelter capacity from 3,000 beds to 6,800 beds. This more than doubled the capacity of the city’s legacy shelter system and was done in an effort to create a more equitable shelter system for all Chicagoans in need. The One System Initiative is one step towards the development of a 5-year plan to coordinate and expand efforts of our city and community partners to address homelessness and housing instability in Chicago.
How many people will be at this facility? What population will be housed at this facility?
The site opened on July 28th, 2023 with a little under 600 residents. The shelter increased to its full capacity of 1,300 residents over the winter in 2023 but the shelter population steadily decreased after the Spring of 2024. Resident numbers fluctuate week by week as people move out of the shelter to live in the community and as their 60 day stays in the shelter end and they report back to the landing zone. As of the week of November 3rd, there are 785 residents at the shelter. 240 people were moved into the AIC shelter over the weekend of November 2-3, and there have been 88 exits from the shelter in the previous two weeks. The decision was made by the Mayor’s office and DFSS that the shelter will become part of the One System Shelter which will combine the two shelter systems (new arrivals and existing houseless neighbors). We will continue to monitor the changing population at the shelter and will provide regular updates.
How long will the building be used for shelter?
The Mayor’s Office and DFSS made the decision to extend the AIC shelter contract through 2025 as part of the One System Shelter program. The One System Shelter will expand the shelter capacity of the city and will double the number of beds available to any experiencing homelessness on a given night by combining the two existing shelter systems (new arrivals and existing houseless neighbors). The decision to extend the shelter into 2025 was made solely at the discretion of the Mayor's Office in conjunction with DFSS. Our office is not consulted or included in these conversations and we are deeply disappointed that this decision was not made in collaboration with our office. We will continue to work alongside neighbors, new arrivals and shelter staff to make sure that our Ward residents and new neighbors are safe and have access to all of our City resources. Ensuring a safe and accessible ward for all has and will remain our top priority.
What does this mean for the planned development that was approved to be built on this site? Is the new development still going to be built?
The new migrant shelter site means that construction on the new development at this site will not break ground in 2025; however, it doesn't mean the new building will not be built. As long as the developer’s plans remain consistent with the plans approved by the former Alderman, City Council, and Plan Commission, the developer is still in full legal standing and has city approval to build on that site.
How does the City maintain security within the building? What is the Chicago Police Department (CPD) safety plan?
The site has 24/7 security provided by City contractors, posted at all entrances. They conduct regular safety checks inside and around the building. Every shelter for new arrivals has a fixed police camera facing the entrance of the shelter. This camera will remain in place until the shelter closes. This shelter has an 11pm curfew. In August, KLEO added two new security guards by the parking lot entrance on Bittersweet to keep the public way clear, to discourage loud noise and to keep residents and kids safe in the parking lot. Alderwoman Clay is in close communication with CPD and shelter staff related to safety measures. AIC Shelter also has bi-monthly safety coordination meetings with shelter security staff, CPD, the Mayor's Office, volunteer networks and Aldermanic staff.
How can the community remain involved moving forward?
We are grateful for the generosity of Chicagoans. We want the City’s new arrivals response to be a community-wide effort. Please visit chicago.gov/support to learn more about how to support new arrivals. There is also a robust mutual aid network that developed to support new arrivals staying temporarily at the 19th Police District and has since evolved to support many new arrivals on the Northside. For more information about how you can support those efforts, visit their website.
Can individuals stay at the shelter all day long? What do they do all day?
Shelters are open 24/7, with a curfew of 11 pm. Every shelter has onsite case managers that help connect new arrivals to the services they need, including: healthcare, mental health services, family reunification, and access to education. Many are building new support networks, often with help from case managers, and connect with local faith-based institutions to find community.
CDPH, Cook County Health, and CPS are often onsite connecting residents with healthcare and enrollment for local schools. Local organizations like the HANA Center, Southeast Asia Center, ICIRR, and Catholic Charities are also on-site to support migrant families with connections to social services.
Can new arrivals work?
Non U.S. citizens need authorization from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work. USCIS requires that each individual apply for an employment authorization document (i.e., work permit). New arrivals must wait 150 days to apply for a work permit from the time they have a pending immigration application, which then can take six months or longer to get approved. Eligible residents of the shelter have been working with local organizations to apply for work permits. The 46th Ward hosted a number of legal clinics for new arrivals in the Spring and continues to share legal resources with shelter staff and residents.
What rules and expectations are there for residents?
Rules include:
Upon leaving or entering the facility, new arrivals must sign in and out with front desk staff.
Residents must abide by the 11PM curfew. After curfew, clients may not leave the facility except for reasons approved by staff (e.g., employment) or in case of emergency.
Residents may not have visitors within the facility.
Drugs and alcohol are not allowed on the property. If alcohol, illicit drugs, and marijuana are found, items will be confiscated and discarded and persons found with said items will be removed from the shelter. If these items or drug paraphernalia are found in common areas, shelter staff have the right to conduct a search of all client belongings.
Residents must respect the entire property and treat it carefully.
Smoking is not permitted.
Residents may be discharged for violation of rules.
Unless the reason for discharge is violence or active threat toward others, residents may be placed at another shelter.
How much food are residents getting and what is the quality of the food?
Residents receive three meals a day, two meals are hot, delivered every day, one meal (breakfast) is cold and delivered once a week for the week.
Will this new shelter impact the paid onsite parking that neighbors currently utilize?
No, the new shelter should not impact access to the parking lot that neighbors in the area utilize. Shelter staff should not be parking in the lot on Bittersweet, and we are working with shelter staff to make sure this remains enforced. Cars and trucks with deliveries do enter the parking lot on Bittersweet and exit on Marine. They pull up right next to the shelter to unload and then exit as soon as the unloading is done. We are aware of the shortage of parking options on Bittersweet, and are working with shelter staff, the Department of Finance, and CPD on maintaining access to street and lot parking. The Department of Finance and Department of Transportation visited the shelter to share information about ticketing and fines for cars and information for how to register and get a license for motor vehicles. Most recently, the Department of Finance enforced parking on Bittersweet, resulting in over 90 citations.
What is being done about the increase in trash?
Our ward office is working with shelter staff and the Department of Streets and Sanitation to increase trash pick ups by the shelter. We have also asked shelter staff to discourage the use of the neighborhood trash cans for personal trash. Additionally, the Mayor’s Office has pledged to work with city departments to explore enhancement in security and maintenance near the shelter as we move into 2025.
Public Way Usage
The public way should be clear and accessible. CPD has discouraged people from vending or gathering on the sidewalk. The Business Affairs and Consumer Protections Department recently visited the shelter to share city laws related to vending and selling in the public way. The shelter does hourly perimeter walks where two shelter staff walk around the shelter and up Bittersweet St to disperse crowds blocking the sidewalk and encourage people to pick up trash. We will continue working with shelter staff to make sure the public way, specifically the sidewalks and streets, are clear and accessible.
Tents in the Public Way
Our office is very aware of the emerging issue of tents in the parkway across from the AIC shelter and by Bittersweet. In the Fall and Winter of 2023, our office worked with the Department of Family and Supportive Services (DFSS), Streets and Sanitation and the Park District to routinely clean the area, dispose of abandoned tents and items and work with new arrivals and houseless neighbors to get them into shelter or housing. Across the city, there has been a sharp increase in homelessness and tents in the parkway and our ward is feeling that impact. Shelter staff does routine outreach to the tents in the parkway by the shelter to ensure there are no new arrivals and if there are, to move them into shelter as soon as possible. The City informed our office that the 46th Ward is scheduled for an Accelerated Moving Event (AME) in the first quarter of 2025, which we will work closely with DFSS to coordinate.
Past communications
Friday July 21st, 2023 Community Meeting Recording here
July 18th Email from the Alderwoman
Dear Neighbors,
It’s been an honor to serve our diverse ward for nine weeks, learning more about the rich culture we share and meeting neighbors who simply want to help make our communities a home for all. Since coming into office, one of the growing challenges facing our city has been the ongoing crisis of neighbors coming from the southern border seeking refuge. Chicago continues to stand up to our sanctuary city values as we work together to offer them long term resources in the form of housing, education, and safe communities.
Our communities of Uptown, Buena Park, and Lakeview have been playing a vital role supporting new arrivals who have been temporarily staying in our 19th and 20th District police stations. Mutual aid networks and local faith-based organizations have ensured that neighbors have access to clothes, food, and a welcoming community.
Now, the city is asking that our ward step up to the plate further and continue to support new neighbors. Our office was recently notified of a temporary shelter opening in our ward, housed at the former site of the American Islamic College at Irving Park and Marine Drive, originally the building of Immaculata High School. This Department of Family and Social Services (DFSS)-run site will include case workers with wrap-around services, coordinated health care efforts with Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and partner organizations. They will also have a comprehensive safety plan with CPD and on-site security, and will provide 3 meals a day to asylum seekers staying at the shelter. As has been communicated to us by a cross department inter-agency city task force, the site is set to open on July 28th and will house between 500 and 600 new neighbors.
We know that this is new information for everyone in our community on a short timeline. Many of you will have important questions and insights, and our office wants to ensure that everyone has access to relevant information and is able to have questions and concerns answered. Transparent community engagement is a core pillar of our 46th Ward office, and we want to make sure everyone has as much information as possible. This is why our office, in coordination with the Mayor’s Office, Department of Family and Social Services (DFSS), Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), and Chicago Police Department (CPD), is hosting a community meeting on Friday July 21st at 6pm at St. Mary of the Lake (4220 N Sheridan). We want to ensure that everyone in our community is able to access clear information quickly and proactively, and this meeting is one important step in making sure that happens.
Please make sure to follow our social media for additional information about this community meeting, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our office if there are specific questions you want to make sure we address. An FAQ document answering questions will be shared in the coming days.
Warmest regards,
Alderwoman Angela Clay