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Hundreds of asylum seekers take shelter inside a waiting area for shuttles near O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 2, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023.

Hundreds of asylum seekers take shelter inside a waiting area for shuttles near O’Hare International Airport, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023.

Pat Nabong

Hundreds of asylum seekers take shelter inside a waiting area for shuttles near O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 2, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023.

Hundreds of asylum seekers take shelter inside a waiting area for shuttles near O’Hare International Airport, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023.

Pat Nabong

Volunteers blindsided by new 60-day limit on migrant stays in Chicago shelters

Advocates wonder where people will stay once their time in Chicago shelters runs out.

Hundreds of asylum seekers take shelter inside a waiting area for shuttles near O’Hare International Airport, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023.

Pat Nabong

   

The city unveiled the next phase of its migrant response and resettlement efforts, which imposes limits on how long people can stay in city-run shelters based on when they arrived. The city says this is meant to free up shelter space and fast track resettlement efforts. The state is investing $160 million to support migrants, but rental assistance when people leave shelters and move into rental housing is halved from six to three months and will not be available to new arrivals entering the shelter system.

Reset hears from volunteers about how they’re preparing to help people navigate these limits and how they want the new state money to be used.

GUESTS: Erika Villegas, volunteer lead for District 8, Police Station Response team

Debra Michaud, volunteer at O’Hare

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