For two years, the western half of a beloved local park in my Rogers Park neighborhood was taken over by a homeless tent encampment, while the City and local authorities looked the other way. In time, reports surfaced of illicit criminal activity, mostly drug related, including many syringes found around the site, and neighborhood residents, including students from the high school across the street, voiced justifiable concerns regarding safety.
Soon, the Park District was forced to cancel their summer youth programs, and the high school, which had used the park for its outdoor sports activities, could no longer allow its students to safely recreate.
This experience highlighted the problem of homelessness, and the need for our government to devote resources to help people, like those occupying the tents, many of whom struggle with mental illness, drug addiction, or are simply undergoing hard times.
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