Extreme cold takes hold across Chicagoland, raising concerns about dangers for unhoused population

As a bitter cold settled in across the city Friday, volunteers handed out blankets, hand warmers, hot food and other necessities to people staying in winterized tents at a city homeless encampment. In one case, a shivering man in a T-shirt and other light clothes was restocked with heavier wear and two heaters.

Volunteers, outreach groups and city workers spread out across the city as extreme cold temperatures took hold, raising concerns about the danger to unsheltered people and other vulnerable populations. Gusting winds blew snow across roadways and brought the wind chill down to 35 to 40 degrees below zero Friday morning.

“For folks experiencing homelessness, it’s always a risky proposition to be living on the streets, regardless of the weather,” said Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. “But when you factor in what we are experiencing now … it makes it even more unsafe for them.”

People who opted to stay in their tent encampments were concerned about leaving their belongings behind, they told the Tribune, and also reported that some can’t access transportation to get to shelters.

“I went out yesterday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. giving everybody propane. Everybody should be OK. But they’re living in a tent and it’s negative-30-degree wind chills,” said Morgan McLuckie, a volunteer.

The extreme weather put the Midwest to the test Friday as the holiday Christmas weekend got underway. As advocates for the homeless rushed to bring heat to people living on the streets, firefighters in Oak Park battled an extra-alarm blaze that destroyed 36 units early Friday morning, and Indiana State Police responded to so many accidents on I-94 that police were concerned the delays would leave motorists stranded in arctic temperatures.

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Pipes froze across Chicago, plumbers said, and hundreds of flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport and Midway. Rail services saw delays across the board. And at least one man, a 54-year-old, died from the severe weather, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On the front lines of the freezing temperatures, at Roosevelt Road and Desplaines Street, strong wind swept an encampment along the road. One cat sought shelter inside an abandoned tent.

Conditions were slightly milder at another encampment in an underpass at Clinton and Lake streets. One tent with a mattress was covered in burn marks. It caught fire from a candle inside, said Andy Robledo, founder of the nonprofit, Feeding People Through Plants. A man living inside the tent is in a wheelchair.

“These are the hazardous conditions that the city create by not getting people housed, creating a situation that’s hazardous for people experiencing street homelessness because they have to subject themselves to these cold temperatures, but also they’re resorting to whatever they have to do to stay warm,” Robledo said.

Among those steeling themselves against the cold in encampments were Sarah Lyon and a friend. They’ve let people who don’t have shelter stay in their tent as the storm blows through. She’s been in the tent for about one to two months.

Lyon said her winterized tent made a major difference in her quality of life, saying she used to sleep on the street, hospitals and the stairwells of parking garages.

“It’s just really a blessing and we’re all really grateful,” Lyon said.

With Christmas coming, Lyon said she has been thinking about her daughter, who lives with other family in Arizona .

“She’s gonna be 5 in January,” Lyon said. “But she’s happy. She’s healthy. And that’s all that matters.”

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Schenkelberg said the city’s overnight shelters do not have the capacity on any given night to shelter every unhoused person, even if everyone on the street wanted to use a bed.

“Our biggest fear in these situations in the immediate sense is people who aren’t aware of where they can go … and they get lost in shuffle,” Schenkelberg said.

He also noted, though, that many unhoused people have rational reasons for not wanting to seek beds in shelters.

Ed Stellon, executive director of the Heartland Alliance, said people on the streets may decide not to seek shelter in warming centers due to concerns about leaving their belongings and community behind.

“The stakes are so dire for them,” Stellon said. “They do often fear that, you know, if they were to abandon the encampment that this is their home, they could lose everything. It’s a terrible, terrible Sophie’s choice, like, I could risk life and limb literally, but I can also risk losing what is home to me and community too, because these are people who are intensely committed to taking care of one another.”

Stephan Koruba, a senior nurse practitioner of the Night Ministry’s street medicine team, was out with his team for about six hours helping unhoused people get what they need before the storm came.

They handed out flyers with information about emergency resources, as well as winter coats, boots, socks, foot warmers and other items.

He said last winter, they found a man whose tent had leaked overnight.

“The wetness soaked through and froze him to the ground, and he didn’t wake up,” Koruba said. “This isn’t a joke. This is for real. This is life or death. We’re definitely worried about everybody we see. We just pray that everybody makes it through so we can keep trying to get them housed after the fact.”

The city has established warming centers throughout Chicago, and a number of overnight shelters cater to people experiencing homelessness. Outreach groups have mobilized to help connect people with resources.

The Chicago Park District opened park field house locations as warming centers Thursday and Friday. Holiday hours will begin Saturday and can be found online. The Department of Family and Support Services activates six warming centers at DFSS facilities when temperatures fall below 32 degrees. The center at the Garfield Community Service Center at 10 S. Kedzie Ave. will be open 24 hours a day to connect people to emergency shelter.

The Salvation Army Freedom Center, 825 N. Christiana Ave., and Mayfair Community Center, 5020 N. Pulaski Road, will operate as warming centers Saturday for residents needing a safe place to shelter during the storm, the Salvation Army said in a news release.

DFSS outreach teams began engaging with homeless encampments in the days ahead of the storm, said Joseph Dutra, a city spokesperson, in a statement. People can secure transport to shelters by calling 311, he said.

Schenkelberg advised people who see someone who may need help to call 311 so the city can dispatch someone to do a wellness check. People seeking help or information on the nearest shelters or other resources can also call 311.

“It’s important to have conversations (about homelessness) in extreme weather … and it’s important to continue to talk about it when the weather gets better,” he said. “We need to invest in long-term solutions, permanent housing.”

Snow began falling Thursday as part of a major winter storm and cold surge that enveloped the country, causing flight cancellations and mass closures, just as holiday travel began kicking into gear.

In Chicago, museums, courthouses and other facilities and events preemptively shut their doors Friday. Holiday attractions such as the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights, Christkindlmarket and the Chicago Transit Authority’s holiday bus were canceled.

Friday afternoon plumbers were flooded with calls from customers dealing with frozen pipes.

Jordan Blanton from J. Blanton Plumbers warned homeowners to get ahead of the problem, and call immediately before pipes unthaw leading to further damage if water pours into your property. Blanton was on a service call from Thursday night till 4 a.m. Friday because of the extreme temperatures, he said.

“This time is the busiest time of year for us, it’s really important to get out in front of this,” he said. “The phone starts ringing off the hook. By this time tomorrow we would have received 500 calls.”

National Weather Service meteorologist Brett Borchardt said the extreme weather conditions would continue at least into early Saturday. Temperatures will warm slightly on Christmas, with a predicted high of about 12s, though the sun, at least, is expected to be out, he said.

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Christmas is predicted to be dry during the day, but the area could see more snow late Sunday and early Monday, he said.

Winds were gusting at 40 to 45 mph, with blowing snow and low visibility, especially in open areas away from urban cores. Wind chills in Chicago were about 25 to 35 degrees below zero Friday afternoon.

“It’s nasty out there,” Borchardt said.