- Homeless encampments have overrun Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport
- Images of some of the thousands sleeping rough continue to emerge online
- It comes amid soaring crime rates as well as a citywide homelessness crisis
Homeless encampments have sprung up inside crime-riddled Chicago‘s O’Hare International Airport terminal leaving some concerned for their safety as images of people sleeping filthy makeshift shelters have emerged.
Thousands of people sleeping rough have sought refuge at the popular thoroughfare with many setting up shelters inside the terminal buildings.
Passengers were quick to snap the deteriorating situation with one Twitter user posting a photo of several people sleeping among a throng of belongings near Terminal 1 of the airport.
Other shocking photos show one man collapsed inside an entrance vestibule, another slumped over with no shoes on and a group of half a dozen people who have taken over an indoor area next to the escalators.
O’Hare’s growing problem is just a snapshot of a citywide homelessness crisis bubbling under the surface of city decaying from soaring crime rates.
With a picture of one such encampment, one Twitter user questioned the city’s leadership but was promptly responded to by airport officials.
O’Hare said: ‘We appreciate your feedback. Safety, security and an optimal passenger experience is top priority for the CDA, and we have forwarded your message along to our security team.
‘We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope your next visit to ORD is more enjoyable.’
One user called the scenes at the airport ‘dystopian’ detailing their uncomfortable experience.
‘I flew back to O’Hare, Terminal 3, last week. I had never seen such a homeless problem, in baggage, in the 50 years I have lived in Cook Co,’ they wrote.
‘It’s not even that cold out! Also, aggressively hit-up with ‘ya need a ride?’ in baggage. It was dystopian.’
In what appears to be a copy and pasted answer, O’Hare Airport responded with a similar mantra thanking the customer for their feedback – with no solutions offered.
Haymarket Center’s O’Hare outreach program which connects homeless people staying at the airport with substance abuse counseling, housing and other social services told Block Club Chicago that they’re seeing numbers soar.
The organization said they served 25 percent more people in 2022 than in the previous year, and that increased need has continued into 2023.
‘Our January at O’Hare was one of the busiest Januarys we ever had,’ Jessica Dubuar, director of health and specialty services, told the outlet.
‘We are seeing more individuals and more encounters [who are] new to our system.’
The nonprofit, funded by the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Department of Family Support Services, is open 24/7 but does not have sleeping capacity.
According to the city’s annual Point In Time count – which assesses sheltered and unsheltered people – recorded 3,875 people experiencing homelessness in 2022.
The majority of those identified as black, the data shows.
