Woodlawn immigrant shelter sounds good, but give community the full story on city’s plan

Woodlawn residents have a bone to pick with city officials over plans to turn an unused elementary school into temporary housing for new immigrants and asylum seekers.

We can see why. Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration last October called off plans to turn the former Wadsworth School, 6420 S. University Ave., into a temporary shelter for up to 250 immigrants — but has now switched up and is going forward with the plan.

And the city did itself no favors by holding a community forum on the matter during the holiday season when fewer residents were likely to attend or even get word of the meeting.

The shelter could open as soon as next week, according to the city’s plans. And it should open, to provide much-needed housing for the new arrivals.

But before any opening, the Lightfoot administration should first schedule a community meeting that fully updates the neighborhood on what is happening — and what will happen — with the shelter.

We understand the concerns of Woodlawn residents about housing the immigrants in a neighborhood that lacks resources and networks for Spanish-speaking new arrivals.

“To put them in my part of the ward that doesn’t have that support for them, it doesn’t make sense,” Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) said last week. “It’s a big mess, and if we don’t do this the right way, we are doing more harm to the community on both sides. ...Are we really taking care of them?”

A city spokesperson tells us the facility will help the immigrants by connecting them with nonprofit service providers, legal seminars, city services, churches, immigration justice specialists and permanent housing.

The city has nine similar locations around Chicago, including in River North and on the North Side, the spokesperson said. One shelter operates in a former Chicago public school at 26th Street and Calumet Avenue.

“The goal is for this to be a temporary solution,” the spokesperson said. “A good portion of these individuals are gone within a couple of days, moving on to a different region, or with family.”

It all sounds promising, but the city should make the effort to ensure a smooth opening by presenting its case to Woodlawn and listening to feedback — and if necessary, taking suggestions for implementing the plan.

With Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Republicans, still sending immigrants by the busloads to northern Democratic-led cities, using Wadsworth as short-term housing and staffing it with people and resources to help immigrants get on their feet fills an urgent need.

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