Clearing of homeless camp near North and California avenues in Humboldt Park initiated by City of Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) — All Porfiro Elliott and his fiancée Melissa Johnson can do is comfort one another.

“I just feel sad and wow, scared. I just want us to be able to stay together,” Johnson said.

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The couple watched as the city made good on its promise to clear the Humboldt Park encampment for people experiencing homelessness.

They have lived here for the last six months after falling on hard times and did not want to give up their independence to live in a shelter.

I agreed to move out and even sent the necessary paperwork, but then the park district officials arrived and demolished my house, which was my final place of residence. I lost all my belongings, including my clothes and work boots,” shared Elliott.

Removal of the encampment near North and California avenues began Friday morning.

Several dozen people were living there. Community advocates helped them pack up their belongings to leave.

“It hurts. I’m heartbroken, but they need to be somewhere warm,” said Betty Laboy with New Life Covenant Church.

There was opposition from critics against the decision to remove the encampment. They argued that relocating the residents to shelters in different neighborhoods would have negative consequences for them.

However, Ald. Jessie Fuentes from the 26th Ward mentioned that all the affected individuals were presented with alternative housing options. As a result, more than 60 of them have successfully transitioned into permanent housing or are now staying in shelters.

“We know that the way to address homelessness is through housing. Not only are we committed to this particular process of housing individuals from Humboldt Park, but we are committed to the long term,” Fuentes said.

Friday’s effort came as Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to close migrant shelters by the end of the year to move toward a “one system initiative” for addressing homelessness in 2025.

“What happens next is the mayor is going to fight for more housing, more permanent housing, more affordable housing,” said Chicago Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto.

There was one encampment holdout. A woman named Mary refused to leave her tent or talk to anyone. Crews opted to wait her out for now.

Once the park is cleared, it is expected that Chicago police and the park district will begin to enforce the rules that say you cannot put a tent up in the park or stay overnight. This comes as city leaders say they are committed to addressing Chicago’s homelessness problem.