Editorial: Frigid temperatures highlight the harshness of Chicago homeless experience -- and the need for new ideas

The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune on Feb 25, 2025

Published in Op Eds

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Bitter winds cut through Chicago streets last week, covering sidewalks with ice and driving people indoors. For thousands of unhoused Chicagoans, these conditions weren’t just uncomfortable — they were life-threatening.

Right now, Chicago activates warming areas at six community service centers across the city when temperatures drop below 32 degrees. The city also offers up to 190 other public spaces, including Park District facilities, libraries and more, and officials encourage anyone in need to dial 311 for assistance. Many hardworking private organizations are also helping meet the demand for beds and warmth.

But the people on the frontlines struggle to keep up with demand. In 2023, Chicago’s homeless population was 6,139, nearly the same as it was a decade earlier. As the migrant crisis deepened, Chicago data showed the homeless population rose to 18,836 last year.

Chicago has nearly tripled its homelessness budget in a decade, yet the crisis persists. This isn’t just about money — it’s about spending it effectively, with a clear, results-driven strategy.

We endorsed voting against the mayor’s “Bring Chicago Home” plan, which would’ve raised taxes on higher end property sales with the aim of funding programs to alleviate homelessness, not only because the ever-growing tax burden on Chicagoans motivates many to leave the city (which actually reduces city funding) but because we felt little confidence that there was a solid strategy behind how to invest any potential revenue to improve the city’s homelessness crisis. The mayor never laid out specific plans for how he’d spend the money. And the plan is the important part, because money isn’t always necessarily the answer.

The immediate need is for shelter during cold weather. The bigger solution to the homelessness problem is long-term housing that people can afford, and there has to be a partnership with the private sector.

Nearly 60% of low-income Chicagoans are severely rent burdened, meaning they spend half their income on housing, and officials estimate Chicago is short 120,000 affordable units. Chicago faces two major challenges on that front.

First, much of the city’s ill-conceived “affordable” housing has become unaffordable for Chicago, which we’ve decried on these pages. A recent project in East Garfield Park came with a $38 million projected cost for just 43 units, amounting to an eye-popping $884,000 per taxpayer-subsidized rental unit.

The second problem is restraints on building, such as zoning restrictions and a difficult permitting process, making it challenging to get private-sector developers to keep up with the demand for low-cost options. A full implementation of Johnson’s excellent “Cut the Tape” proposals could really help there.

In the absence of reform, this crisis will continue to plague the city. With a shortage of shelter beds after the pandemic and housing costs pricing people out of finding a home, and the arrival of thousands of migrants, Chicago has seen a rise in homeless encampments in parks and other public spaces.

The city cleared out one of those encampments in Humboldt Park in December. While some decried this move for displacing residents as winter deepened, there has been some good news on the city’s efforts – 106 people living in parks were matched with long-term housing since 2023, according to Ald. Jessie Fuentes, who said that “leaving individuals exposed to harsh winter conditions is not acceptable.” We agree.

Chicago’s troubles with homelessness are both acute and chronic, with the immediate need being to help everyone find safe housing and the long-term need being a real plan to reduce poverty. About 450,000 Chicagoans, or 17% of the city’s population, live in poverty — significantly higher than the national average of 11%.

The Brookings Institution, which studies homelessness and poverty, identified seven key factors that are strongly linked to success later in life, providing a useful roadmap for the areas upon which our elected officials should focus. Unsurprisingly, affordable housing was one. Another was education. As education goes up, poverty goes down. That doesn’t just mean passing kids along from grade to grade; it means ensuring they have the skills needed to thrive as adults.

As this board has said before, improving reading and other outcomes should be a point of emphasis not only in Chicago but across the state. In 2024, just 30% of fourth graders across Illinois were proficient in reading, according to the Nation’s Report Card. In 2019, 34% of Illinois fourth graders were proficient in reading. To reduce poverty, we need leaders to put forth a platform that boosts childhood literacy so today’s students are better armed against ending up on the streets later in life.

Chicago’s homelessness crisis reflects deeper inequities. Without a strategic plan that prioritizes affordable housing, streamlines development, and strengthens education, the cycle will persist.

_____