Evanston City Council members are considering how to address homeless encampments, including one under the CTA tracks near Howard Station, but concerns remain about the cost and whether spending would be effective.
A funding source has not been determined for the proposal as of the May 28 meeting.
Councilmember Devon Reid put together the proposal, arguing that some camped there require housing assistance.
Reid said the goal is to make the space feel safer by deterring people from gathering by deploying cameras, which are already set to be installed. The video feed would be shared with the CTA and the Evanston and Chicago police departments. He also hopes to get new commercial tenants in the commercial spaces that have been vacant for decades.
Others say the issue isn’t one of homelessness but of drug use, stating those camping there are openly using and selling drugs.
Councilmember Krissie Harris, whose mother lives in the area, described the encampment as a “gauntlet” that those hoping to take the L have to walk through. She argued it’s a large amount of money that in the end won’t fix the core issues.
“I see people nodding, about to pass out in the street and almost get hit,” Harris said. “It’s not a good place to be. I don’t think it’s housing.”
She expressed concern about this being a gateway to Evanston and is often the first thing people see when arriving in south Evanston from the CTA Red Line.
“I try to take the train and it’s always a problem,” she said. “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about my mother. I’m worried about the kids that have to take the transportation to and from school.”
Reid conceded there may come a point where police intervention is needed to tackle the issue of drug use and selling in the area.
Evanston’s Director of Parks and Recreation Audrey Thompson said outreach workers are on the site twice a day, seven days a week.
“Based on several different definitions … if someone is living on someone’s couch, they are unhoused,” she said. “By those definitions, we would say they are unhoused.”
Those in the encampment are working to clean up the site, according to Thompson, in response to all the drug activity. Despite these efforts, Thompson said drug use is still being seen in the area.
“That is happening,” Thompson said. “My fear is that if we don’t resolve the biggest issue there, which is substance abuse disorder, then we’ve got other concerns. Even if we house them, then we have other issues because that means a landlord that is going to be very upset with the city that housed an individual in an apartment that is not ready to maintain an apartment.”
Reid said next steps would be to get documentation on those camping there to see what resources each person needs.
The proposal would provide $200,000 in funding to Evanston/Skokie School District 65 to address the needs of homeless students. According to district social worker Allie Harned, 389 students in D65 were considered eligible for McKinney-Vento services, meaning they were experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness.
Since her last report to council in August 2023, the district has lost 76 of those students, whether that be because they found housing elsewhere or moved away for other reasons. She stated some of those families could have been matched with a placement via a statewide referral network.
“There are zero places where people can move in a statewide referral network in Evanston,” Harned said. “If they get a match with a statewide referral network, it means that they’re leaving Evanston.”
The district requested the funding to replace funds received during the pandemic. It hopes to use it over the next year to pay emergency housing expenses, cover administrative costs and provide wraparound services including funding for transportation and tutoring for students beyond what is typically provided by the district.
The discussion will continue at the June 10 City Council meeting.
