New winterized tents near Fulton Market bring shelter security for the unhoused, but spark questions of permanency

A potential showdown is looming in Fulton Market over the arrival of 10 winterized tents for unhoused individuals living under nearby Metra tracks, as the city quickly gave the tent dwellers notice that the shelters must be removed by the morning of Nov. 3 for “off-street cleaning.”

The bright orange heated tents — which include a foundation, heating and lighting — arrived Saturday, assembled by Andy Robledo, founder of the nonprofit Feeding People Through Plants, who said he’s built similar shelters in other homeless encampments around the city without issue this year. But by Tuesday, the city’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) slapped red notices on his newest tents, alerting people that they must remove the shelters from the premises before the cleaning.

Robledo believes officials are attempting to undo his work and push unhoused people out of the area. The city maintains that this is just a temporary move to carry out necessary cleaning.

Caught in the middle are the unhoused people who say they are grateful for the warmth and shelter the tents bring just as temperatures start to drop.

“It’s the best shelter,” Shawn Scott said outside his tent on Tuesday as rain pelted down between the tracks. “They’re perfect little pods.”

Scott has lived on Chicago’s streets for the past two years. He now shares one of Robledo’s tents with his brother, Stan.

Before the new set up, the pair lived in a “small, flimsy tent” filled with holes, Scott said. Since then, Robledo’s tents have significantly improved their quality of life on the street.

“You just feel more protected in there,” he said. “When the wind blows in the winter, it’s like a wind tunnel and the (old) tent would get blown to pieces.”

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development identified 5,390 people experiencing homelessness in Chicago. A report released in September by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless put the count at a much higher number — over 65,000.

Ryan Spangler, an outreach worker from the Heartland Alliance, said he has been familiar with Robledo’s efforts to build better tents around Chicago. He never heard of this work causing an issue like this until now.

He hopes community members think of the lives at risk if unhoused people are unable to access safe shelter in the upcoming winter months.

“Those tents could potentially save lives,” Spangler said. “That’s what the focus needs to be, not whether it’s an eyesore, whether it’s a little bit inconvenient for somebody walking their dog. This is about keeping people safe.”

Robledo said the tents assembly and supplies cost between $350 and $500. They’re not easy to take down, he said, and he’s advising people to remain in their tents.

”I don’t want people living in tents here as much as they do,” Robledo said. “I want them in housing, and that’s where we need to shift our energies, not to fighting the homeless, but in fighting homelessness together.”

A department spokesperson said in a statement that “no resident is being relocated” as part of the project and that “cleanings generally take 1 to 2 hours to complete. Once completed, individuals are welcome to return to their exact location.”

“A cleaning starts with DFSS professionals from the (Homeless Outreach and Prevention) team engaging with residents and providing details on the plan for the day,” the statement said. “They are then asked to move their items for a period of time. Residents will then move their property to a nearby location, oftentimes just outside of the encampment, and wait until (the Department of Streets and Sanitation) cleans any waste and unclaimed items. If there are unclaimed tents or items, city representatives will work with encampment neighbors to understand whether the owner is still a regular resident, if they have been around in recent weeks, and if there is any way to contact those individuals.”

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Robledo is still concerned that the disruption is a move to get rid of the tents he just built.

When he first built the shelters in the area over the weekend, he said the unhoused people living there were “surprised” and “grateful.” Just days after, Robledo said residents of the Fulton Market area took to the Nextdoor app to express disapproval of the new tents. Someone following those conversations tipped him off that city officials would be coming to the camp.

The night before DFSS delivered the notices, Robledo warned people that removal may be a possibility.

“Unfortunately, when you’re someone living on the streets and experiencing homelessness, I think deep down you’re used to getting pushed around,” Robledo said.

Scott said he is unclear about what prompted the city’s actions. The morning the department came in, he said they told him local business and residents had complained.

“They were just tired of looking at garbage,” Scott said. “I understand, but we keep this site pretty clean. We try hard.”

Scott is considering other living options and hopes to obtain more permanent housing through the city. He said one city worker told him he would try his best to help.

“He was like, if you’re here on the 3rd, I will do everything in my power to help you guys get in an apartment as soon as possible,” Scott said. “If you need help getting a Social Security card or a job, I will do everything in my power this time. I promise you.”

He said DFSS told him that they have a place where he can get three meals a day, a bed and a place to shower. They said the shelter will also help him obtain needed IDs and employment. He’s hopeful the city will see that promise through.

“They’re trying to get us an apartment,” Scott said. “It’s such a long waiting list that, you know, it just takes time.”

He has worked to find other shelters, but said there’s long lines just to get your name on a list or the place requires a special referral to get in.

In the meantime, each day proves to be a challenge for the brothers, whether in finding the next meal or just feeling safe. Those constant struggles weigh heavily on him, Scott said.

“I’m 43 years old. This is not a life to live,” Scott said. “I’m not living life, having to worry about food and water and showering. The anxiety about people trying to break your stuff and steal your stuff — it’s just too much.”

Scott said the reaction from the local community has been split between support and disapproval. While some people exclaim how “nice” the new tents were, he describes hearing passersby make comments about the tents being an “eyesore” and notices people walking on the street to avoid them altogether.

“They say, ‘This is insane. How can they do this? They can’t do it,’” Scott said.

While a dehumanizing feeling, he said he might feel the same way if he didn’t understand the issues firsthand.

Joseph Wisniewski, who has been unhoused since July, said he felt more secure in his new tent.

Wisniewski said he struggles with various health problems, and his medications have been stolen in the past. He goes to a local Veterans Affairs office to get health care but is still on waiting lists to find a place to stay.

In his old tent, Wisniewski said, he could barely move around or sit up. Robledo’s tent gives him more freedom to move, as well as increased protection from water that can build up on the street. His tent sits next to a growing puddle of water that trails down from the railway.

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Spangler said the needs of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents should come first.

“We need to have empathy and look at the world through the eyes of the people on the street and focus on their needs as they articulate them,” Spangler said. “Imagine yourself out there without a place to live in the middle of the winter when the temperatures are below zero.”

Robledo first started his nonprofit, Feeding People Through Plants, a year ago after seeing people living in camps around his home and plant shop in Pilsen. He began visiting other encampments around the city and found that tents built for summer were not well equipped for Chicago’s brutal storms. Storms often destroyed them, he said.

From there, Robledo felt compelled to help in any way he could.

“I went out and tried to see how I can help clean things up and improve living conditions and increase chances of survival,” Robledo said. “Seeing these camps just lay by the wayside — services just don’t seem to reach people.”

For Robledo, if people are left with few options other than sheltering in tents, he should help them stay as safe as possible.

“I didn’t create the camp. The camp was already there,” Robledo said. “I just improve living conditions and clean things up and provide uniformity.”

Robledo has now repurposed tents typically used for ice fishing to create a safer and warmer space for Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.

Since these tents are not fully enclosed with no built-in flooring, Robledo also added paneling on the bottom to help keep heat insulated in the tent. It also adds a layer of protection from the cold concrete.

“That insulation on the floor, oh my God, it helped so much,” Shawn Scott said.

For Robledo, the issues surrounding the tents is just another symptom of Chicago’s ongoing homelessness crisis.

In the statement to the Tribune, DFSS makes reference of its $35 million investment to launch the Expedited Housing Initiative. The department said the initiative has moved over 1,800 households into housing from shelters or encampments. But activists like Robledo still feel more has to be done.

“People come and say they’re gonna help,” Robledo said. “Nothing really ever happens. It’s just the status quo. Nothing ever changes.”

One of the main problems Robledo has encountered is lengthy waiting lists for housing, he said.

“Some of these people have been on the waitlist for a year, two years, three years, six years, 20 years, so the the administrative red tape is killing people out here,” Robledo said.

For many, there’s no other choice than to stay on the streets.

“There’s no alternative,” Robledo said. “We can do better, but it was the best we could do. They save lives, and that’s why we’re gonna continue to do it.”

As people await that call to get off the waiting list for housing or a recovery center, Robledo feels it’s important to do his part. Robledo described the close relationships he has developed with people experiencing homelessness. He said he visits encampments every day, even a couple of times a day, to check on people.

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“I just want to do my part to hopefully see them reach that day and send someone to recovery and not have to recover that body,” Robledo said.

With just about one week until the city’s deadline for the tents’ removal, Robledo remains undeterred in his mission to help vulnerable Chicagoans and plans to set up 10 more tents in an undisclosed location.

He hopes the newly installed tents in Fulton stay, but even more so, he doesn’t want people staying in tents at all. He calls on local policymakers to take action on creating a “clear, quick and easy” path to housing.

“I hope that we can actually reach some change,” Robledo said. “Stop meeting and planning and just get someone in power or someone with influence to take decisive action. In the meantime, people are going to be there, so why not try to help someone when we can?”

Facing uncertainty about his future living circumstances, Scott said he doesn’t want to see Robledo’s time and hard work go to waste. He remains hopeful that his situation will improve, whether that means keeping the tent or securing more permanent housing.

“It’ll come through,” Scott said. “We got blessed with this. There’s other blessings to come. I just hope and pray everything will be alright.”

joanderson@chicagotribune.com