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Tent City Residents Respond To Mayor’s Comments

The City of Chicago promised not to take tents from people living under viaducts in Uptown until mid-October. After that, no promises. When asked if he thought the tent city should be allowed to stay, Mayor Rahm Emanuel didn’t answer directly. But he did tout a program to “make sure people having housing options rather than a tent.” WBEZ’s Shannon Heffernan reports.

The City of Chicago promised not to take tents from people living under viaducts in Uptown until mid-October. After that, no promises.

When asked if he thought the tent city should be allowed to stay, Mayor Rahm Emanuel didn’t answer directly. But he did tout a program to “make sure people having housing options rather than a tent.”

Maria Murray said by the time she found out about that program all 75 slots were already filled, so she and her husband were stuck with the tent. She sees the program as more of a political move than a practical one.

“We feel it’s not really a true attempt to solve homeless but rather shuffle people out of areas that are gentrifying,” Murray said.

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