Elgin to spend up to $2.5 million to clear homeless encampment
An initial survey of residents of the “Tent City” homeless encampment in Elgin found that 36 individuals are interested in moving to a hotel for the next four months while the site along the Fox River is cleared and remediated.
Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley told the city council on Wednesday that a needs survey conducted over two days by police, social service groups and community advocates found 40 unique sites in the encampment, making contact with dozens of people.
“Every person that we did have contact with said yes to the hotel room,” Lalley said.
Nine sites were unoccupied and will be revisited, Lalley said, though several are thought to be used only for storage.
Survey questions included whether they would be staying with a partner at the Lexington Inn & Suites and if they had pets. People were provided with information about what to expect and how transportation to the hotel would work.
The council also approved a contract not to exceed $2.5 million with ATI Restoration for cleanup of the roughly 8-acre site, which has served as a homeless encampment for 20 to 30 years.
Two recent fires in the area made it unsafe, leading to city action.
The cleanup process will involve trash removal, biohazard cleanup, including human waste and drug paraphernalia, demolition and removal of structures and brush clearing.
The contract calls for the work to be completed within 120 days from the start, weather permitting.
Before they’re able to clear the property of the roughly 70 structures, pallets and trash, ATI will create an access plan for the property and construct a gravel road from the Fox River Water Reclamation District site, as well as coordinate with Metra to install a temporary railroad crossing.
The plan also includes removing all brush and trees under 10 inches in diameter, tree pruning, river pollution protection, site security, cataloging and labeling of all salvageable and disposed material and permanent or temporary fence installation to protect the integrity of the site going forward.
Council member Steve Thoren said he was surprised at how vast the space was when he toured it this week.
“I knew it was big, but I couldn’t get over it,” he said. “It’s so much bigger than people feel. There’s so much property up there, and the topography of the land is (an) unbelievable area of challenge.”
City Manager Rick Kozal said if the number of Tent City residents interested in the hotel doesn’t fill the 50 rooms they’ve allocated, they’ll survey other known homeless sites.
“It is our intent to make as much progress as we can in finding suitable shelter for the people in these encampments,” he said.