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 4/10/24

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 38,000 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. 

Why is this shelter necessary?

To date, over 38,000 asylum seekers have joined our city since the start of the year. On any given day, the homeless shelter system is at or near capacity with only 3,000 shelter beds. In order to serve both the Chicago homeless population and new arrival populations, the City needed to increase the capacity of our shelter system.

Specifics regarding the site at 640 W Irving Park

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 has since increased to its full capacity of 1,300 residents though resident numbers fluctuate week by week. As of the week of April 8th, a little over 900 residents are staying at the shelter. The shelter is the second largest family shelter in the city, half of the shelter residents are children, most are children under 6 years old.   

How long will the building be used for shelter?

Our office was notified that the contract for the temporary migrant family shelter at the American Islamic College (AIC) has been extended through December of 2024. The decision to extend the shelter was made solely at the discretion of the Mayor's Office in conjunction with the County and State. Our office was 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 AIC 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 a 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 this year; 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, and as of October 6th, there is also a security guard on premises doing hourly perimeter walks with shelter staff. Alderwoman Clay is in close communication with CPD and shelter staff related to safety measures.  

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 has developed to support new arrivals in our community.  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 is working with local organizations, the 47th Ward and the Resurrection Project to host monthly legal clinics to support new arrivals' connection to legal services. 

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. 

Is this mission taking away resources from homeless individuals?

The City has not diverted funding from the homeless shelter system to support the new arrival crisis. This new shelter does not impact other city efforts to continue investing in new, long-term solutions for our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness, including developing new non-congregate shelter spaces and increasing permanent supportive housing options.

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 and residents 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. Our office is also working on getting signage up in the area to dispose of garbage in proper cans and has recently created an AIC Trash Brigade which will begin bi-weekly trash pick up’s around the shelter area involving shelter residents, shelter staff and community members. 

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. From our outreach, we have come to understand that this is a combination of people who were experiencing houselessness before the migrant crisis, a few families who have opted to leave the shelter, and new arrivals from different parts of the city setting up tents to be close to family and friends at the shelter. Our office has expressed deep concern to DFSS, the city department who works to house houseless neighbors,  and as a result, DFSS has sent multiple outreach teams to connect with the families and work on alternate solutions. Our office will continue working closely with shelter staff, DFSS, and the Mayor's office on this issue.