The Department of Family and Support Services will not require the removal of new winterized tents recently built in the Fulton Market area, department officials told the Tribune Wednesday. The city previously tagged red notices on a group of 10 tents warning occupants that they must clear them by Thursday for street cleaning.
The bright orange heated tents, which include a foundation, heating and lighting, arrived under two weeks ago through the efforts of Andy Robledo, founder of the nonprofit Feeding People Through Plants. Robledo assembled about 10 tents for unhoused individuals living under the “L” near the Metra tracks off North Milwaukee Avenue.
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Several days later, the city slapped red notices on the new set of tents he built, alerting people that they must remove the shelters from the premises before the cleaning.
Brandie Knazze, commissioner of Homeless and Domestic Violence Programs at the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, now says that the tents will not need to be cleared for the scheduled cleaning and only be required to be moved for “deep cleanings.”
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“We often have people who are helping out in those circumstances to support people and then they can return to the location as soon as the cleaning is completed,” Knazze said. “That’s only for the deep power washing cleanings, typically.”
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According to Maura McCauley of DFSS’ Homeless and Domestic Violence Programs, the focus of these types of cleanings are abandoned tents and garbage. If tents are unattended at the time of cleanings, DFSS said it often works with residents to contact the individual living in the property.
“Usually, there’s people onsite who are able to speak to belongings being attached to somebody, and that’s why the outreach in advance and the relationships that are built are really important,” McCauley said.
Knazze said the goal of such cleanings is to keep public areas sanitary, remove trash and help unhoused people remove excess items they no longer need.
“A lot of good Samaritans drop off a lot of supplies for individuals,” Knazze said. “I think sometimes people misjudge or miscalculate how many people are there and how much supplies they need. The goal is really to keep sanitary locations to regularly pick up garbage and just make sure that people have a sanitary place where they’re residing.”
It’s also about keeping sidewalks and other public areas clear, she said.
“You just want to make sure that areas are passable,” Knazze said. “We don’t want to see garbage accumulate. We want to make sure that we’re working with streets and sanitation to prevent rodents and accumulation.”
The city is scheduled to carry out the street cleaning at 9:30 a.m.
