In the wake of two fires that destroyed eight structures, the city of Elgin is considering a plan in which the people living in an 8-mile “tent city” along the Fox River would be moved into hotel rooms for the winter.
Elgin City Council members will discuss a proposal Wednesday under which the city would secure a block of 50 rooms at a rate of $65 per day for single occupancy over a four-month period. A scaled rate would be available for couples and those with pets.
The estimated cost would be $390,000, which would come from the $614,400 the city has earmarked in the budget to help the homeless. Additionally, Elgin has $400,000 in Safe Spaces, Healthy Minds Affordable Housing grant money awarded through the Kane County Health Department, city officials said.
“The two recent tent city fires underscore the critical safety and environmental risks affecting people experiencing homelessness and the greater community,” Assistant City Manager Karina Nava said.
“The city is taking action to relocate tent city residents to safe housing and supportive services. This will eliminate the hazards presented by the encampment, ensuring safety around the Metra tracks and restoring the shoreline environment.”
The number of people living in tent city expanded following the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Police doing visits to the site found between 60 and 70 people living in the area.
Elgin police will start canvassing residents in the second week of January to let them know of the planned relocation expected to begin about Jan. 20. The city’s homelessness coordinator will work with the police department and social service providers to do outreach and assist people in retrieving and moving their belongings.
After the inhabitants are relocated, the city plans a “wholescale cleanup of the entire site,” according to city documents. Staff is meeting with potential vendors who specialize in remediating encampments and will be drafting a Request for Proposals (RFP) from qualified vendors for council approval, documents said.
Tent city, located off Route 31 near the Metra and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Southern Railroad lines, was the scene of two fires in less than two weeks. The first on Dec. 4 displaced five people and another three structures were destroyed Dec. 12, resulting in a dog’s death.
The Elgin Fire Department determined the fires show a “pervasive use of makeshift heating devices that pose a threat to the safety of the individuals residing in encampments and to the greater public by the spread of fire in this isolated and difficult to access area of the city,” according to city documents.
The encampment has been around for decades. The property was once owned by the Woodruff & Edwards Foundry but conveyed to the city in 1990 following its demolition, documents said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
