Elgin’s ‘Tent City’ residents move to hotel, cleanup begins at former homeless encampment
Forty-one residents of Elgin’s “Tent City” homeless encampment were relocated to a hotel this week as work to clean the property began.
Three recent fires at the roughly 8-acre site along the west side of the Fox River spurred the city to remove residents from the area that has served as a homeless encampment for 20 to 30 years.
“The fires highlighted all the safety and environmental risks impacting individuals experiencing homelessness at Tent City,” said Jeff Knox, Elgin’s director of communications and engagement. “Because of all the proactive work city officials had been doing prior to the fires, we were able to pivot quickly and work to rehouse the residents.”
After the second fire, the city allocated $425,000 to move Tent City residents to 50 rooms at the Lexington Inn & Suites until April 1, while the encampment site is cleared and remediated. Currently, 39 rooms are being used by individuals and couples.
The city has contracted with ATI Restoration to secure and clean up the site at a cost not to exceed $2.5 million.
After two weeks of conducting needs surveys with Tent City residents, the city and social service providers spent Tuesday and Wednesday moving people to the hotel on Dundee Avenue just north of I-90.
“Generally, the majority of people have been very appreciative and excited about the opportunity to have a room at the Lexington,” Knox said.
City staff and the Elgin Police Department worked with the residents and helped them gather their belongings, while Elgin Township and PADS provided transportation to the hotel.
Case managers from AID, Ecker Center and Community Crisis Center helped with check-ins and intake to ensure residents receive support and resources needed to move forward.
Knox said donations from the community allowed them to provide an “essentials” kit to every resident that checked in to the hotel.
The city is working with Elgin Cooperative Ministries to provide warm meals. Food for Greater Elgin has also provided nonperishable food items. Caseworkers will work on connecting residents with public food benefits.
Minor clean-up began at the site this week, with workers starting by clearing small trees and brush while the last remaining residents move out.
Fences will be installed, and the area will be closed and inaccessible beginning Feb. 15.
City officials have said that once the work clearing the site is complete, they will not allow its previous residents to move back there.
“There will be zero tolerance for encampments following the work that’s necessary to provide the relocation and remediation at Tent City,” City Manager Rick Kozal said during a December city council meeting.
The city has created a “Homelessness Response” webpage to provide a one-stop resource for information about Tent City and the city’s homelessness initiatives. It offers updates, ways to help, a timeline of recent efforts, a comprehensive resource guide, a list of community partners, and answers to frequently asked questions.