City of Chicago to hold moving event at homeless encampment in Gompers Park
The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services is holding an "accelerated moving event" this week to get people out of a homeless encampment in Gompers Park on the Northwest Side and into long-term housing.
No one in the encampment in the park, at 4222 W. Foster Ave. in the North Mayfair neighborhood, is being told to move. Instead, the people experiencing homelessness are being offered long-term apartments and support services.
"We want to make sure that they are receiving the services, and this that this does not feel like a displacement for them, but rather receiving a benefit and an opportunity for them to seek housing — and really self-determination in a lot of ways," said Chicago Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto.
People in the encampment will get a virtual tour of available apartments, and they can discuss further options and learn about other resources.
The moving event will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Concerns about the encampment have been making headlines for months, with some residents saying it is a safety concern and an eyesore. But people who live in the encampment have said they have nowhere else to go — and finding permanent housing is a long and difficult process.
Nearly two weeks ago, police and city workers carried out what they call a "typical cleanup effort" at the park. But some of the residents claimed they were taken by surprise, and some of their tents were thrown away.
The Department of Family and Support Services stressed that everyone will be allowed to return to the park once the accelerated moving event ends.
