CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT KICKED OFF EARLIER THIS YEAR HAD AN UNEXPECTED EFFECT ON SOME OF THE UNHOUSED RESIDENTS IN THE 33rd WAR.

THE SCOPE OF THE WORK ENDANGERED THOSE LIVING IN VIA DUCTS UNDER THE EXPRESSWAY.

WITH JUST A FEW WEEKS NOTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND LEADERS SAY THEY WERE ABLE TO MOVE THE MAJORITY OF THOSE RESIDENTS INTO TEMPORARY HOUSING AND GET THEM ON TRACK TO PERMANENT HOUSING.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT HOW THAT HAPPENED ARE 35th WARD ALDERMAN AND STREET OUTREACH ORGANIZER FOR THE CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS.

WELCOME, GENTLEMEN.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.

THE ENCAMPMENTS UNDER THE KENNEDY EXPRESSWAY WERE IN PLACE FOR A LONG TIME.

WE HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY THERE BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION WAS ANNOUNCED?

>> THE MAIN ENCAMPMENT HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR 15 PLUS YEARS.

DROP A TIME, THE POPULATION HAS FLUCTUATED.

PEOPLE HAVE MOVED IN.

IN SOME INSTANCES, THEY BEEN CONNECTED WITH HOUSING, IN SOME INSTANCES, THEY HAVE RECONNECTED WITH FAMILY.

SOMETIMES THERE HAS BEEN AS MANY AS 16 PEOPLE, SOMETIMES FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE LIVING THERE.

INITIALLY WHEN I CAME TO THE -- WHEN THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CAME TO MY OFFICE THEY SAID THEY ENCAMPMENT WOULD NOT BE IMPACTED.

KICK IN PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DOWN IS NOT THE SOLUTION.

MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM AND FINDING THEM THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO GET INTO HOUSING, THAT IS THE SOLUTION TO HOMELESSNESS.

INITIALLY, WHEN THEY TOLD US THE ENCAMPMENT WAS NOT GOING TO BE IMPACTED, WE SAID WE WOULD CONTINUE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECT PEOPLE WITH RESOURCES.

BUT IT WAS LAST MONTH THAT I -- THAT IDOT TOLD US THAT EVERYONE HAS TO MOVE.

THAT IS WHEN WE STARTED CALLING STATE OF ILLINOIS AND OTHERS TO HELP US FIND HOUSING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

>> THAT IS WHERE YOU GOT INVOLVED.

YOU WERE AMONG THE ORGANIZATIONS NOTIFIED BY IDOT THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT PROCESS?

HOW THAT BEGAN?

>> IDOT REACHED OUT TO US VIA EMAIL AND WANTED TO HAVE A LARGE MEETING WITH US AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS.

THEY WERE INFORMING US ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION WORK READY TO TAKE PLACE.

THEY WANTED US TO DO OUTREACH TO INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE FACT THEY WOULD HAVE TO MOVE FROM THAT AREA.

AND SO, CCH, ALONG WITH THE FSS AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS, WE ADVOCATED AND PUSHED BACK THAT IT WASN'T SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TIME FOR US TO GO OUT AND ENGAGE WITH THESE INDIVIDUALS, FIND OTHER PLACES FOR THEM TO GO.

WE ASKED IDOT TO GO BACK TO SOME OF ITS PARTNERS AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS AND SEE IF THEY COULD COME UP WITH RESOURCES SO WE CAN HOUSE THESE INDIVIDUALS INSTEAD OF JUST PUSHING THEM TO THE SIDE.

>> IT IS NOT JUST THEM.

PEOPLE WERE ALSO LIVING AT THE PARK.

THAT SIDE ALSO WAS CLEARED OF THOSE PEOPLE?

>> WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS CONSISTENTLY SOUGHT TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IS NEEDED TO GET PEOPLE INTO HOUSING.

IN SOME INSTANCES, THEY NEED HELP GETTING THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD.

AND OTHERS, THEY NEED HELP GETTING THEIR STATE IDEA.

IN SOME INSTANCES, THEY ARE ON A WAITING LIST.

WE WERE ABLE TO GET THEM INTO THE SYSTEM, AND NOW THEY ARE WAITING TO FIND THE RIGHT APARTMENT OR HOME.

IT IS WORKING AND BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS OF TRUST, FIGURING OUT NEEDS, AND THAT IS WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO AT FIREMAN SPARK, AT THE CORNER OF KIMBALL.

WE STARTED WORKING WITH RESIDENT THERE.

FORTUNATELY, A SLEEP HAD BEEN PLANNED BY SOME OFFICIALS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

THE COMMUNITY RALLIED.

WITH STOPS THAT IT DID THE ALTERNATIVE.

WE WORKED WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE AND CONNECTED THEM TO THE RESOURCES TO GET THEM INTO HOUSING.

>> SO NOT EVERYBODY HAS FOUND PERMANENT HOUSING YET.

>> IN SOME INSTANCES, WHEN PEOPLE LEARN THERE WILL BE AS WE.

THEY JUST GET UP AND LEAVE.

THAT IS NOT WHAT WE WANT.

WE WANT PEOPLE TO STAY WHERE THEY ARE SO WE CAN MEET THEM AND TALK TO THEM AND BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP AND HELP THEM.

BUT IN SOME INSTANCES, WHEN PEOPLE DO HERE THE CITY IS COMING OUT, THEY THINK, OH MY GOSH, THERE'S GOING TO BE ASLEEP, LET ME GET OUT OF HERE.

IN OTHER INSTANCES, PEOPLE MOVE.

THEY MOVED TO ANOTHER STATE, OR IN SOME INSTANCES, THEY JUST DISAPPEAR.

WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WENT.

BUT WE DO KNOW THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THAT WE MADE CONTACT WITH AS A RESULT OF THIS NEED TO RELOCATE PEOPLE, TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE FROM THE CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING , WE KNOW A MAJORITY WERE CONNECTED INTO SHELTERS.

>> HOW MUCH OF THIS PROCESS CAN BE DUPLICATED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY?

WHAT IS NECESSARY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN?

>> ALL OF IT CAN BE DUPLICATED IF THERE IS THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE AND APPLYING IT WHERE IT IS ACTUALLY NEEDED.

BRING CHICAGO HOME IS A CAMPAIGN THAT HAS BEEN OUT FOR YEARS NOW.

WE HAVE BEEN PUSHING SEVERAL ADMINISTRATIONS, TRYING TO GET THEM INTO PLACE.

THAT ALONE SEEKS TO CREATE A DEDICATED STREAM OF MONEY BY WHICH WE CAN ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS.

THAT RIGHT THERE IN ITSELF WILL ALLOW US TO DO A LOT IN TERMS OF CONNECTING FOLKS TO HOUSING AND OTHER RESOURCES THEY NEED TO STAY HOUSED.

>> IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE HAD FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF PEOPLE START MOVING BACK WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION IS DONE ?

>> THE HOPE WOULD BE THE PEOPLE THAT WERE LIVING THERE, THAT THEY ARE NOW IN SHELTERS .

SOME OF THEM ARE STAYING IN HOTELS.

OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO, THEY WILL GET PAIRED WITH AN APARTMENT.

WAS A MOVE INTO THAT APARTMENT, THEY WILL ALSO GET SUPPORT FROM THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

AND CASEWORKER.

THE HOPE WOULD BE THAT THEY WON'T NEED TO MOVE BACK TO LIVING UNDER A BRIDGE.

NO ONE WANTS TO LIVE UNDER A BRIDGE.

THAT IS WHY WE NEED MORE RESOURCES.

I AGREE 100%.

WE NEED TO PASS THE CHICAGO WHOLE PROPOSAL.

THE LIMITED SUCCESS WE HAVE HAD, AND I SAY LIMITED, BECAUSE THEY SHOULD BE THE BARE MINIMUM OF HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS.

BUT WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH HERE, BECAUSE GOT $500,000 FROM