Fire struck Elgin’s homeless encampment Thursday night for the second time in a little more than a week, damaging three structures and leaving a dog dead, Elgin fire officials said.
Firefighters responded to the area known as “tent city” along the Fox River, just off of Route 31, about 11:50 p.m. to find three makeshift homes going up in flames, a news release said. Crews contained the blaze within 30 minutes.
No injuries were reported but a dog’s remains were found during a post-fire search of the area.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, initial findings suggest it was accidental in nature, the release said.
It occurred little more than a week after a fire in the same encampment Dec. 4 destroyed five temporary homes. That fire remains under investigation; generators and flammable items were found at the scene, officials have said.
Tent city has been a fixture in Elgin for years, tucked behind a tree bank near the Metra train tracks. The philosophy has been to leave its residents alone if no problems requiring city intervention occur.
But the recent fires have exposed the ramshackle nature of the structures there, spurring city officials to evaluate the area’s poor living conditions and potential safety issues, Assistant City Manager Karina Nava said.
“The city is actively working on an immediate intervention strategy that prioritizes moving individuals to safe, warm shelter, particularly given the significant public health and environmental risks identified at the site, including dangerous heating sources, carbon monoxide exposure and potential biohazards,” she said.
Nava has been working with social service agencies to help the homeless for several years. Elgin is “committed to a comprehensive and compassionate approach,” she said. “The city’s current priority is ensuring the immediate safety of those living in tent city, addressing the critical environmental and health risks.”
One step is to keep the city-sponsored warming shelter at First Congregational Church, 216 E Highland Ave., open from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily starting Sunday.
Even before the two fires, there had been a shift in Elgin officials’ thinking about the situation because of growing safety concerns spurred the camp’s conditions, Mayor Dave Kaptain said.
“We’re sitting down and making some plans on how to deal with that,” Kaptain said. “There are a number of issues there.”
Finding a solution to homelessness in the city has been an ongoing effort for which there’s been no easy answers.
In 2023, $940,000 was earmarked for an initiative through which the city planned to purchase land to serve a site for a cluster of tiny houses that would provide temporary housing. A common area would be a “hub” through which meals would be served and assistance provided to help people get back on their feet.
Kaptain said the idea had support from local homeless advocates and organizations, but there were hurdles, including who would be responsible for managing the property.
“(The idea’s) still out there. It’s not totally out of the question and still part of the mix of different options we’re looking at,” he said.
Elgin has used $325,600 of the originally budgeted $940,000 for the warming shelter over the past two winter seasons, Nava said. The remaining $614,400 is still available, she said.
Funding also has been requested through the Safe Spaces, Healthy Minds Affordable Housing Initiative offered through the Kane County Health Department, Nava said. If the city is awarded grant money, it would go to a medical outreach initiative to identify those who are most vulnerable, she said.
Finding the right solution is one thing, but making it happen is another, Kaptain said. Different ideas have been explored and many ultimately eliminated as not feasible, he said.
The efforts “gets you down the road, but not to the end of the road,” the mayor said.
Plus, there’s the issue of how to help people who may not want help, Kaptain said.
“We have people living down there who do not want to change how they live,” he said. “How do we deal with that? People say, why not knock it (tent city) down? My answer is where are those people going to go?”
Elgin’s chronic homeless count ranges from about 100 to 125 people. Those who choose to be homeless sometimes have mental health issues or substance abuse disorders.
There have been some successes in addressing those situations, Kaptain said. The newly opened Hanover Landing complex on East Chicago Street offers 40 units for people with mental health issues, he said. “It’s a place where they can get help,” he said.
The Association for Individual Development has a facility in the former Larkin Center that provides help for the homeless, Kaptain said. Its street outreach team assists the homeless on a daily basis.
Finding some sort of solution has become more imperative following the fires, he said.
“I think the momentum has shifted a little bit,” he said. “I think it’s not just about dealing with the definition of what a homeless person is, it’s become a safety issue for people.”
Anyone who wants to help with monetary donations can give money to Elgin Cooperative Ministries, which provides daily hot meals to those in need and funding to address specific needs as they arise.
Volunteers age 18 and older also are needed to work at the emergency warming shelter to assist with checking people in and out, implementing shelter guidelines, checking on guests, cleaning and other tasks. To sign up, go to signupgenius.com/go/10C0845ABAD22A2FFC70-51739902-20242025#/.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
