Documents obtained by NBC 5 Investigates show that the city was aware that a “lack of space” within Chicago’s migrant shelter system provided “increased challenges” with both placing people and providing “initial healthcare.”Internal city documents obtained by NBC 5 Investigates show Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration was aware as far back as October that “overcrowding individuals” in the city’s migrant shelters put both migrants and shelter staff at “higher risk of contagious illnesses.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weeklyMigrants told NBC 5 Investigates that there wasn’t room to separate and people were sick. The medical examiner’s report does note that he had a “history of recent fevers” and that two days before his death, he had taken over-the-counter pain relievers, including Tylenol and what his family thought was Ibuprofen, provided by someone at the shelter.
NBC 5 Investigates reached out to the shelter operator, Favorite Healthcare Staffing, and the mayor’s spokesman for a response Monday. When NBC 5 Investigates asked Mayor Johnson about this in late December, Johnson said he was unaware that medically-trained volunteers were willing to help and questioned where we got that information.