The village of Oak Park began earlier this week moving migrants housed at multiple shelters in the west suburb to a single location – a local Catholic church parish – wrapping up the transition Thursday.
Village spokesman Dan Yopchick told Pioneer Press that a few dozen asylum-seeking migrants were moved from the West Cook YMCA and Carleton Hotel – both in Oak Park – as well other local churches, to the vacated school building attached to St. Edmunds Catholic Church. The count, which included families, was down from the more than 100 the village has been housing since the fall because some have already moved into apartments, he said.
He explained that village staff began Tuesday to bus the migrants from the separate sites to the church, part of the village’s plan to close the other housing sites and have the migrants being aided all under one roof. The housing assistance is expected to last through June.
Oak Park first began helping migrants after the first snowfall of the season moved into the area on Halloween. Mostly Venezuelan nationals, the men, women and children, who were initially sent to Chicago from Texas by that state’s governor after crossing into the country at the Mexico border, had been housed in tents outside the 15th District Chicago Police Department station. Some were also given shelter on the floor inside the building, located in the city’s Austin neighborhood which borders Oak Park.
They didn’t have proper clothing or other essentials for the cold weather.
After giving emergency aid to the migrants, Oak Park officials approved providing assistance through the end of February. Early on, the village received a Supporting Municipalities for Asylum Seeker Services grant through the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and dug into its own coffers.
Then another SMASS grant was secured earlier this month, for $1.9 million, and village trustees approved a plan to move the migrants from the various shelter sites to St. Edmunds, and partnered with social service agencies to provide additional aid. St. Edmunds is owned by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Village officials said the additional funds help house the migrants through June.
