Chicago Suburb Councilman Proposes ‘Sign-up Sheet’ Volunteer Program to House Migrants
A city councilman from a Chicago suburb has proposed the idea of local families in the community signing up to voluntarily house migrants in their own homes.
In a recent city council meeting, Naperville Councilman Josh McBroom proposed a community-driven initiative where families could volunteer to house migrants in their homes. McBroom emphasized the “compassionate” nature of the community and suggested exploring this option before resorting to actions taken by other cities.
“I think we live in a compassionate community,” McBroom stated during the January 16 city council meeting.
“We hear from people that we should do more,” he added. “We do have a very affluent community, a lot of big homes.”
McBroom went on to recommend that his staff “create a sign-up sheet for individuals that would be willing to house migrant families.”
According to the City of Chicago’s official website, the city has welcomed over 30,000 migrants from the southern border since August 2022. As a result of this unprecedented increase in migrants entering the city, Chicago has created 27 temporary shelters and has relied on police station districts and airports to serve as “emergency staging areas” for people who are waiting for shelter placement.
This recent proposal aims to address the challenges posed by the large influx of migrants in high-populated urban areas like Chicago, echoing similar situations in cities such as Los Angeles and New York.
New York City is currently under fire also suggesting irrational responses to the current migrant crisis. The city recently decided to house migrants in temporary shelters within public schools, prompting widespread criticism from concerned parents. The state of New York also gained public scrutiny last year when it was reported that it was prioritizing illegal immigrants over homeless veterans, placing migrants in upstates New York hotels temporarily that were originally offered to homeless veterans for housing.
