CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A Chicago alderman has turned his ward office into a warming shelter, but he said the city needs to do more for people who do not have shelter during a winter that has rapidly become one for the record books.
Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, 25th Ward, said the basement of the ward office at 18th and Laflin in Pilsen can fit nine people due to COVID safety regulations. He added that Chicagoans have donated enough money to allow 20 homeless people to stay at a hotel during the cold snap.
Alderman Sigcho Lopez said he appreciates the generosity, but he believes the city should do more to ensure that vulnerable people have housing.
"It is unacceptable that the City of Chicago does not provide a critical safety net, such as housing and shelter for people who are, unfortunately, out there in these frigid conditions," Sigcho Lopez said.
"We have to make sure that we make key investments in the safety net and key social services like housing."
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He said the office will remain open as a warming shelter at least until next week, when temperatures are expected to rise above freezing.