CHICAGO — In the 48th Ward, constituents often called Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth last summer and fall about what they saw from their high-rise windows.

Sometimes they reported fires in trees or tents. Other times, neighbors told her about violent encounters. But the root of their concerns was almost always the same: the people living in tents along Lake Shore Drive.

“People didn’t know what to do,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said in an interview. “Folks were calling us, asking us what we were going to do about it.”

The number of people in the encampment, in need of permanent housing or shelter, was reaching a crisis point, she said: “It’s just alarming.”

“We need a coordinated response across the city,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said. “Being reactive like that is not the way we want to live.”

Alderpe

See Full Page