Lightfoot, Chicago's mayor, has vowed to remove unhoused people from O'Hare airport as more seek shelter there, saying it's a safety issue.
ABC7 first shared Norbert Pikula's story a few weeks ago, and now, thanks to support from the community, the 77-year-old now has a place of his own.Mayor Lori Lightfoot vowed to do everything she can to remove unhoused people at O'Hare Airport, calling it a safety issue, after the situation drew national attention - and criticism.
"We have taken and will continue to take the steps that are necessary to move people out of the airports," she said. "The airports are a very different place than on the street under an underpass." Haymarket Center's O'Hare Outreach program, which connects those experiencing homelessness and seeking shelter at the airport with resources, served 618 unhoused people at the airport in 2022 - up 58% from 2021, when it served 431. Haymarket had 14,000 interactions with the unhoused in 2022, which is up significantly from 2018, when 8,132 interactions were recorded with 392 people.
Koruba and his colleague saw 45 homeless people and treated 14 for wounds, parasites and substance abuse.
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