Latest news with #DesmonYancy
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: An uproar in Hyde Park and Kenwood over an old hotel turned into a homeless shelter
Homelessness in Chicago is a crisis. More housing is needed, and fast, which this page has addressed more than once. But there are few easy answers to the problem in the short run. On the border of Hyde Park and Kenwood, city officials have provided a stark example of what not to do. With next to no notice to the affected community, city and state officials decided late last year to make a former Best Western hotel, located amid lakefront high-rises, into a permanent shelter housing up to 750 people. The shuttered hotel previously was used on an emergency basis to house migrants during the surge that occurred as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was busing Venezuelan and other asylum seekers in large numbers to Chicago. At the time, the idea (or at least the neighborhood assumption) was that once the migrant crisis was past, the use of the hotel for a shelter would end. Instead, the state of Illinois, which has been operating the Best Western shelter, now plans to transfer it to the city on June 30. Since December, the city and state have worked together to convert this former migrant facility to a homeless shelter. In February, city officials acknowledged to irate neighbors of the facility that they'd failed to keep the community informed of those plans. It had taken 5th Ward Ald. Desmon Yancy's entreaties on behalf of constituents to make city officials realize 'there was a big, big problem, a big misstep here,' Chicago Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto said back then, according to Block Club Chicago. Yet another meeting took place March 31, this one attended by more than 200 people, most of them still irate about what they had thought was a temporary shelter apparently becoming permanent. Yancy promised then to try to close the facility; he suggested community members file a zoning challenge. State Rep. Curtis Tarver, who represents the area and also wants the facility closed, pinned the blame squarely on the mayor, describing the lack of communication and solicitation of community input as 'ineptitude on the fifth floor.' Where have we heard that before? We're two years into Mayor Brandon Johnson's term and city officials still make amateur mistakes like thinking a 750-person homeless shelter located without warning in a stable, densely populated neighborhood won't generate an uproar. As if to reinforce the community's view that the mayor doesn't care about them, Soto was invited but didn't attend the most recent meeting. These issues are emotional no matter what. They strike at deep-seated and valid concerns like property values, public safety and orderliness and cleanliness. But let's be real: They also surface prejudices. The people in the Best Western shelter all are families with young children — the most vulnerable homeless population we have. There's a real debate to be had about what responsibility better-off neighborhoods like Hyde Park have to help solve humanitarian problems that often are laid at the feet of poorer areas. But once you've sown such distrust by appearing to make such a momentous decision a fait accompli, as city officials have done here, engaging in productive dialogue with affected neighbors becomes almost impossible because of lack of trust. Will this administration ever learn? Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: An uproar in Hyde Park and Kenwood over an old hotel turned into a homeless shelter
Homelessness in Chicago is a crisis. More housing is needed, and fast, which this page has addressed more than once. But there are few easy answers to the problem in the short run. On the border of Hyde Park and Kenwood, city officials have provided a stark example of what not to do. With next to no notice to the affected community, city and state officials decided late last year to make a former Best Western hotel, located amid lakefront high-rises, into a permanent shelter housing up to 750 people. The shuttered hotel previously was used on an emergency basis to house migrants during the surge that occurred as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was busing Venezuelan and other asylum seekers in large numbers to Chicago. At the time, the idea (or at least the neighborhood assumption) was that once the migrant crisis was past, the use of the hotel for a shelter would end. Instead, the state of Illinois, which has been operating the Best Western shelter, now plans to transfer it to the city on June 30. Since December, the city and state have worked together to convert this former migrant facility to a homeless shelter. In February, city officials acknowledged to irate neighbors of the facility that they'd failed to keep the community informed of those plans. It had taken 5th Ward Ald. Desmon Yancy's entreaties on behalf of constituents to make city officials realize 'there was a big, big problem, a big misstep here,' Chicago Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto said back then, according to Block Club Chicago. Yet another meeting took place March 31, this one attended by more than 200 people, most of them still irate about what they had thought was a temporary shelter apparently becoming permanent. Yancy promised then to try to close the facility; he suggested community members file a zoning challenge. State Rep. Curtis Tarver, who represents the area and also wants the facility closed, pinned the blame squarely on the mayor, describing the lack of communication and solicitation of community input as 'ineptitude on the fifth floor.' Where have we heard that before? We're two years into Mayor Brandon Johnson's term and city officials still make amateur mistakes like thinking a 750-person homeless shelter located without warning in a stable, densely populated neighborhood won't generate an uproar. As if to reinforce the community's view that the mayor doesn't care about them, Soto was invited but didn't attend the most recent meeting. These issues are emotional no matter what. They strike at deep-seated and valid concerns like property values, public safety and orderliness and cleanliness. But let's be real: They also surface prejudices. The people in the Best Western shelter all are families with young children — the most vulnerable homeless population we have. There's a real debate to be had about what responsibility better-off neighborhoods like Hyde Park have to help solve humanitarian problems that often are laid at the feet of poorer areas. But once you've sown such distrust by appearing to make such a momentous decision a fait accompli, as city officials have done here, engaging in productive dialogue with affected neighbors becomes almost impossible because of lack of trust. Will this administration ever learn?
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Fight for the Black community': South Shore residents sound off about Walgreens store closing
The Brief The Walgreens at 71st and Jeffery is closing next week, leaving residents worried about what will replace it. Alderman Desmon Yancy is pushing to rezone the property to influence future development. Walgreens has agreed to work with the community but has not provided a timeline. CHICAGO - South Shore residents gathered Wednesday night at Bryn Mawr Community Church to voice their frustration and concerns over the upcoming closure of their neighborhood Walgreens. What we know The Walgreens at 71st and Jeffery, a longtime staple of the neighborhood, is set to close next week as part of a wave of five Chicago locations shutting down this month. Residents say the store has been a critical resource, and they are deeply concerned about what will replace it. The Jeffery Plaza Shopping Center, where the Walgreens is located, has long struggled with crime and violence. Alderman Desmon Yancy, who represents the area, said he receives calls about incidents at the plaza nearly every week. In response, he is proposing to rezone the lot from a "community shopping district" to a "multi-unit district," a move he describes as a strategic effort to push Walgreens to collaborate with the community on the site's future. The land is owned by seven Black families, but Walgreens still holds the lease to the building through 2031. While the company has committed in writing to working with the community, it has not given a timeline for discussions. What they're saying Some residents expressed concerns about the site being replaced with low-income housing. What's next At this point, it's unclear what the future of the site holds.
