About 4,000 shelter beds in Chicago were at 98% capacity for the past two nights, including the night of the Feb. 1-2 blizzard, Mayor Daley’s administration said Thursday.
At a post-blizzard press conference, city officials reminded Chicagoans to call “311” if they need to request a well-being check for a neighbor or an apparently homeless person. Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Mary Ellen Caron also said more shelter beds could be accessed if they were needed.
Chicago Public libraries will reopen Friday, but six city-run warming centers are open across Chicago, including the 24-hour warming center at 10 South Kedzie. Other centers are located at 4740 North Sheridan Road; 4345-47 West Armitage Avenue; 4314 South Cottage Grove Avenue; 845 West 69th Street; and 8759 South Commercial Avenue.
Homeless outreach teams are reaching out to people who are chronically homeless, and the Salvation Army has assisted in serving people, city officials reported.
In the suburbs, residents should call their police department’s non-emergency phone number if a well-being check is needed.
– Anne Bowhay, Media