FAQ #2 - Where do homeless people live?
What is a "tent city"? The real term is an encampment. There are sanctioned and unsanctioned encampments. Sanctioned ones are protected from local governments from being destroyed or cleared out by public works employees or police. These benefit from services like donations of food from local restaurants and more effective social work and medical services because followup is much easier. Since these last longer, the people who live in them develop a sense of community. People look out for each other. There isn't a constant fear of eviction hanging over their heads, so they feel more settled. Unsanctioned encampments are in somewhat secluded areas where people have been able to live undisturbed for some time. The vast majority of them are unsanctioned. The better they're camouflaged and the cleaner they're kept, the longer they are tolerated. Where are tent cities? Two sanctioned encampments in Chicago are located on Belmont and 90/94, and on DesPlaines Ave.