(and then brought to Oak Park), because it’s confusing. This is my best understanding of a complex and rapidly-changing situation; I may get some details wrong. Please let me know, if so, and I’m happy to correct. There are a lot of news articles on the situation, if you’d like to investigate further.
There are a lot of people trying to help out, and if you’d like to be one of them, I’d encourage you to just jump into the mess and find the work that’s sustainable for you. Maybe that’s a one-time cash donation, maybe it’s a bit of driving, maybe it’s helping to clean a space or sort donations, maybe it’s helping serve food, or helping with childcare, or collecting coats on your porch. There are a lot of ways to help out!
If you’re bilingual in Spanish, there are urgent translation needs. (My high school Spanish is pretty terrible, but it was enough that with the help of my phone, I could manage well enough that one of the refugees named me a ‘traductora’ (translator). I was pleased.)
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OVERALL SITUATION RECAP:
NEW ARRIVALS: Texas started shipping migrants to northern states. Migrants started arriving in Chicago in August 2022 but the numbers ramped up to hundreds per day in August 2023. 30-50 of them ended up housed at police station 15, which is just a few blocks east of Austin on Madison, and a volunteer effort sprung up to help them get fed. Many, if not most, are families with children, often small children.
As shelter housing opened up, the refugees were placed in shelters (note: they can only take one bag with them, so they have limited ability to accept clothing / toy / book donations before being placed in housing), but Texas keeps sending more people, so this is an ongoing need.
They are receiving government work authorization, but it’s a process, so there are generally some weeks / months before the refugees are allowed to accept legal work. Everyone I’ve talked to has been eager to work.
Last week, when temperatures dropped below freezing overnight, more migrants arrived in Oak Park, bringing the total to close to 150, including infants.
CHURCH SHELTER: The Village reached out to churches, and Good Shepherd Lutheran opened its doors, bringing them into the warm basement. Many people helped with this effort in the middle of the night, including our village mayor, public health director Dr. Chapple, and a host of volunteers. There is now a secondary church location that I know of that’s being kept confidential for the migrants’ safety, but GSL’s action has been widely reported in the press. GSL has received threats of violence.
There have been some questions about why the migrants can’t be housed in various Village-owned buildings, and as far as I can tell, it mostly has to do with those buildings not being insured for that purpose; the churches are.
Some may want to open their homes to migrants; I know of some people who have. But right now, I believe the Village is not recommending that, as they want to be sure the migrants are being placed in safe and sustainable environments.
PERMANENT HOUSING: The church basements are crowded and stressful environments, and there’s a large need right now for helping with providing and serving food, as well as transport to laundromats and showers. The priority is to keep people safe and healthy until they can be placed in safe, family-centered housing, and receive work authorizations so they can effectively support themselves.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:
1) Facebook: Oak Park Supports / Apoya is most closely affiliated with the adhoc volunteer group that’s been around since spring/summer to support the migrants at Chicago Police District 15 in Austin. That group primarily relies on WhatsApp to organize itself, but Oak Park Supports / Apoyo helps connect with volunteers who might not be in the WhatsApp community. They have been doing food support all summer, with lots of us cooking for migrants at the police station
(I can’t handle WhatsApp notifications personally, so I’ve just used the FB group, dropping in when I have time and energy to see if there’s anything I can help with.)
Join group.
2) There is also an OP/RF/Chicago group supporting people at District 25 in Belmont-Cragin. Population there is around 100. 25 “houses” men between 18 and 40, so it’s a very different situation
3) Facebook: Activate Oak Park is most directly connected to official village efforts, which are currently supporting around 200 migrants—formerly at PD15, now at two different churches. This is not a refugee-specific group, so you may see posts about other community efforts.
Join group.
4) FB: The Refugee Network “is a grassroots organization that seeks to support those refugees and asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the Chicago area. We are a small, yet mighty, group originating from the west side and suburbs of Chicago that is made up of people from a number of communities and is independent of any particular political or religious affiliation. We work collaboratively with partner organizations, civic groups and volunteers to support the efforts of the various resettlement agencies.”
“Our primary aim is to organize and open a store space that would:
~allow volunteers and donors to have a drop off point for donations,
~provide a space to sort and organize items,
~serve as a central hub for distribution, and
~offer a store setting where refugees can shop for items to set up their homes and begin to rebuild their lives.”
Join group.
5) CHI-WELCOME is a broader Chicago-based group focused on new arrivals (I haven’t joined it, but if you’re interested in efforts in the city, this is the place).
Join group.
6) Refugee Community Connection is a broader Chicago-based group focused on RCC-registered families who are moving into more settled housing. (I joined this one for a while, but have pulled back to focus on more local efforts.)
Join group.
7) FINALLY, I’m hosting a women’s clothing swap this Friday, and you’re all invited. My plan is to have a fun event where you can bring clothes and take some away, and any extras, I’ll sort and then hold in my garage for distribution to refugees as they’re ready to receive them (possibly through the Refugee Network’s free store, if they can get that organized and open; if not, there are some already operating in Chicago).
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Whew. If you have questions, ask, and I’ll try to answer or find answers. Thank you.
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