Garbage, other concerns raised about homeless encampments at Eugene Field, but tents can remain under Chicago Park District policy

by BRIAN NADIG

While some residents are fed up with the mounds of garbage and other issues associated with the homeless encampments at Eugene Field Park near Pulaski Road and Foster Avenue, the conditions there do not meet the Chicago Park District’s criteria for tent removal, according to parks general superintendent Carlos Rosa-Ramirez.

“At this time (Eugene Field) has not been identified as a priority for enforcement,” Ramirez-Rosa said at a park board commissioners meeting in April. And the park district’s stance reportedly has not changed since the spring.

The criteria that can lead to tent removal and the closing of encampments includes threats to public safety, the use of propane tanks, the construction of living shelters (not tents) on park land, the obstruction of park programming and the proximity of tents to homes.

Earlier this year an encampment was closed at Legion Park, 3103 W. Peterson Ave., after a series of fires, and some of those living at Legion relocated to nearby Ronan Park, 3000 W. Argyle St., or accepted housing assistance from the city.

“Unfortunately … there are not the resources available to match the individuals (at Eugene Field) with housing,” Ramirez-Rosa said.
The Parks for All group blasted the closing of Legion encampments, calling it inhumane.

Some of the residents who live adjacent to Legion had expressed concerns that the fires were too close to their homes. There is no alley or street separating the homes from the park.

Also at the April meeting, commissioner Robert Castaneda expressed concerns about the overall condition of Eugene Field, after he and other commissioners were shown pictures.

Castaneda asked Ramirez-Rosa if there are any rules about the storage of materials outside tents, suggesting that personal items should be kept in the tents and debris outside tents should be thrown away by city or park crews.

“I have a hard time understanding, if we’re staying on top of keeping parks clean, how a pile of garbage can accrue,” Castaneda said, noting that larger items such as a bookshelf can be seen in pictures of the debris.

Periodic cleanups are scheduled for the encampments at Eugene Field, but that process can be “complicated and complex,” Ramirez-Rosa said.

Ramirez-Rosa added that what cleanup crews remove can involve a series of negotiations involving those living in the encampment and outreach workers, as efforts are made to ensure important items such as ID cards are not discarded. The loss of a social security card or other identification can slow the process of eventually getting someone into housing, he said.

Ramirez-Rosa noted that proposed legislation in the General Assembly is aimed at making sure municipalities don’t criminalize homelessness itself and that the park district’s current rules seem to adhere to the intent of that legislation. Currently the bill is stuck in committee.

According to residents, there are about 30 people living at Eugene Field, with some in the annex area south of Foster and some north of Foster. They said that finding bottles of urine in the area has become commonplace and that the lagoon in nearby Gompers Park, 4222 W. Foster Ave., is being used as a washroom, based on the used toilet paper found by the lagoon.

Eugene Field is one of about 60 encampments in city parks, and most of the encampments in Chicago can be found in parks, according to Ramirez-Rosa.

Housing advocates have complained that the Northwest Side lacks sufficient housing and shelters to accommodate the homeless.

State Representative Lindsey LaPointe (D-19) recently announced that she has secured a $13 million state grant to open a shelter at a undetermined location in the 30th Ward, which includes parts of Portage Park on the Northwest Side.

On the issue of Eugene Field, the Restore Gompers Park Coalition issued the following statement:

“The community is especially frustrated since significant public investment has been made at Eugene Field Park, just to see complete deterioration less than 10 years later. The city spent approximately $250,000 in TIF funds to remediate leaking underground storage tanks, and an additional $345,000 from the Foster and Pulaski TIF district for improvements, which were completed in 2018. The money spent adjusted for inflation is approximately $799,000.

“Plus, consider the cost of the monthly clean-ups. For an average sized encampment, each cleanup is approximately $8,410 in labor and equipment. Eugene Field has two clean-ups a month – one on Foster and one on Pulaski. For Eugene, that is $235,000 per year just in maintenance, not including restoration costs.”

The park district has been providing electrical access at Eugene Field for those living there, and there is a portable washroom, according to residents.

After an encampment at “Little Gompers” was shut down last year to accommodate planned construction at the park, some individuals relocated across Pulaski to the annex section of Eugene Field.

Editor’s note: the images of Eugene Field Park posted with this article were taken from a video taken at the park last month by a resident.

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