Chicago funds about 4,100 shelter beds and can't shelter everyone on the street, the City told the Council
January's count found fewer homeless people overall but 25% more sleeping outside. At Friday's hearing, members split over whether the 2027 budget plays offense or defense on homelessness.
Chicago pays for about 4,100 shelter beds, and if every person sleeping outside today agreed to come in, the City could not shelter them all, the Department of Family and Support Services told the Council's budget committee Friday (watch).
Why it matters: winter is coming, and homeless services are one of the few parts of the Mayor's 2027 budget that grows. The Council can move money into or out of them before it votes in December.
The numbers
- January's count: on Jan. 22, the City's one-night count found 6,527 people experiencing homelessness, down 12% from the year before, the department said. But 1,614 were unsheltered, up 25%. About three-quarters of those counted were in a shelter.
- Beds and cost: about 4,100 shelter beds for 2027, the same as now. A bed in a group shelter costs the City about $29 a night; a private room costs much more, a deputy commissioner said, without giving that rate.
- Flexible Housing Pool: as of August, 173 people had been referred and 110 were housed.
- New money: the Mayor's plan adds $15 million for homeless services, $13 million for rental help and $2 million for the Flexible Housing Pool, as we reported when he introduced it.
During public comment, homeless-service providers asked the Council to keep a separate $15 million to cover expected federal housing cuts, warning that about 3,000 people could lose their housing without it (watch).
Offense or defense
Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th) asked the shelter questions and said the budget is "playing defense right now" on chronic homelessness when it should be "playing offense" (watch).
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Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), the Finance chair, answered him directly. "I would like to be on offense, too," she said, "but when you have a budget that is facing an $882 million deficit, and you have a lot of borrowing that is potentially on the table, we have to make sure that the dollars are spent in the most efficient way." Sometimes, she said, "you have to play defense in order to get back on offense again" (watch).
Other members:
- Ald. Jessica Fuentes (26th) called homeless services and the Flexible Housing Pool the line to protect in budget talks (watch), and raised payment delays to small nonprofits that can't float months of costs (watch). The department said accurate invoices are paid within 30 days.
- Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) asked about people sheltering in CTA bus shelters and unpermitted rooming houses in her ward (watch).
- Ald. Bill Conway (34th) asked about falling homeless-services staffing and state funding (watch).
- Budget chair Jason Ervin (28th) said services can't be forced on people and urged a compassionate response as unsheltered numbers grow (watch).
Youth jobs
The department said 33,018 young people got paid summer or year-round work this year out of about 56,000 applicants, 21,707 of them through City-funded programs and the rest through partners. All were part-time, it said in answer to Dowell. Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) asked how many went to corporate partners (watch).
What our records add
Friday's full notes, including the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, where members objected to a $231,000 cut to home modifications for disabled residents (watch), are on our meeting page.