DNC purge leaves positive mark in South Loop neighborhood – NBC Chicago

Last month, the Department of Family Support and Services cleared a tent camp off the Dan Ryan Expressway that had previously housed about 34 people.

It happened a month before the Democratic National Convention was in the city. DFSS Commissioner Brandie Knazze told NBC Chicago in July that it was a proactive measure in case the Secret Service requested the camp be cleared, even though no one from the DNC had ordered DFSS to clear the camp.

“We used to see tents and people sleeping there,” said UIC student Theresa Ezeani. “It’s cleaner, it looks tidy, like when people come to your house and you clean everything up, that’s what it looks like.”

The area is now surrounded by a three-meter-high fence to ensure that no more camps are built.

Gregg Fishman has owned Fishman Fabrics across the street since 1958.

“We did what we could. We gave them blankets and my wife and I helped them a lot … but it was very, very sad to see,” he said.

However, he says he has had several problems with the camp for ten years and has submitted numerous requests to several administrations for its cleanup.

“I know three mayors and several city councils have been involved with this,” he said. “A lot of crime, a lot of drugs, a lot of vandalism on my property, and we have voiced our complaints multiple times to get something done.”

Although he is happy with the change now, he wishes it could have been made sooner.

“It’s a little funny that when it was a problem for me, it wasn’t really a problem, but for the DNC, it was a problem,” he said. “Regardless of the politics that enforce it, I’m OK with it.”

DFSS has relocated nearly 30 people to the former Tremont Hotel, now a homeless shelter, on the Near North Side. Funding for the project was set to expire on August 31. DFSS officials say operations there will officially end on September 15.

DFSS spokespeople told NBC 5 on Wednesday:

“Expedited move-in events were held for encampment residents on July 23, July 24, and August 15. Thirty-one of 34 Roosevelt and DesPlaines residents are in the process of moving into housing as part of these events and other housing placement efforts, which includes signing their lease, picking up their keys, and having furniture delivered.”

Their statement added that many residents are on track to move into their units before operations at Tremont cease.

“Residents who are still waiting for a move-in date into their new housing will be assisted by DFSS and Tremont Homeless Shelter staff to find alternative housing where they can continue to work on their transition to the new housing,” they said.

According to DFSS, it was also part of a larger effort to clear encampments across the city and relocate residents to permanent housing.