How We Are Assisting Residents of the Desplaines Encampment

Do you need help accessing housing, health care or other services? The Night Ministry and other Chicago-based organizations are here to help. Use this list of resources for assistance.

July 17, 2024

The Night Ministry is among the Chicago organizations that have been conducting outreach with the residents of the tent encampment at Roosevelt and Desplaines that the City of Chicago closed on July 17, 2024.

The City requested our help with this process as The Night Ministry has established relationships with many of the encampment residents through the services provided by our Street Medicine Team.

Our efforts have included:

Prior to this date, educating encampment residents about the closure and shelter/housing options available to them.
Completing Coordinated Entry Assessments with residents to connect them to stable housing opportunities.
Assisting residents with obtaining documents needed to access housing, such as IDs, Social Security Cards, and birth certificates.
Providing transportation from the encampment to the shelter provided by the City at the Tremont Hotel.

Encampment residents will continue to receive support to obtain permanent housing while living at the shelter. The City is planning an accelerated moving event next week to expedite the process of connecting individuals with stable housing.

“The Night Ministry supports efforts to coordinate housing services for our city’s unhoused neighbors and streamline pathways to permanent housing,” said Carol J. Sharp, President & CEO of The Night Ministry. “We understand there are questions about housing arrangements for unhoused individuals who had been staying at the Tremont before the arrival of the encampment residents. This underscores the urgent need for adequate funding for stable housing for all of Chicago’s residents and for us to come together as a community to end homelessness.”