Tent City Continues Along Dan Ryan

The Tent City alongside the Dan Ryan expressway at Ruble Street/ Roosevelt Road will remain until next spring, amid ongoing work on the Jane Byrne interchange -- and the pandemic, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“We are in communication with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless regarding concerns for the onset of winter, capacity of shelters in the region, along with pandemic related issues,” IDOT Public Information Officer Maria Castaneda said October 29. “Before any work occurs in that area, we will coordinate work with the City of Chicago along with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to ensure everyone’s safety.”

The encampment is home to roughly 30 people, and has access to a portapotty on Desplaines Street. Concerned that IDOT work would force them to move, Tent City residents and advocates chanted, “Give us a home or leave us alone,” at a rally on October 20.

The Roosevelt Road Tent City was among four encampments that met October 24 to form a Chicago chapter of the National Union of the Homeless. Others represented were at Lawrence Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, 51st Street and Wentworth Avenue and 43rd Street and Western Avenue.

- Photos and story by Suzanne Hanney