By Mia Segura, Angela Szubra and Siena Stickney
@redlineproject
AI disclosure: AI was used to generate a basic outline and find sources.
Gompers Park, a beloved community center for youth sports just off Foster Avenue on the city’s Northwest side, is faced with a growing crisis.
A homeless encampment is continuing to spread in the park, and it has led to the Gompers Park Athletics Association canceling softball games on one of its busiest fields for the first time in decades. The balancing act of addressing the short-term needs of citizens and the long-term needs for the homeless is being identified across the city, where safety, security and fundamental human needs collide.
Hundreds of families gather at Gompers Park for the start of softball season. Kids lace up their cleats, parents unpack folding chairs, and the familiar sound of clinking bats mixed with audience cheers fills the air. But this year, Little Gompers, one of the busiest fields, will sit silent.
“There were problems,” said JJ Betts, secretary of the Gompers Park Athletics Association (GPAA).”There were interactions where people in the tents yelled at our players or coaches, saying, ‘What are you guys doing here? This is our park now.’”
The growing homeless encampment at Gompers Park has forced the GPAA to pull the field from its 2025 schedule for the first time in years. Betts said it wasn’t an easy decision, but families simply didn’t feel safe.
“We service 600 kids, about 400 families, and our families are uncomfortable. They do not want to play at Little Gompers field anymore,” he said. “We’ve lost people this year because of what’s going on. Some have flat-out said they’ll be going to Dunham or Welles Park instead.”
LISTEN: JJ Betts on the GPAA’s purpose and other main concerns caused by the encampment.
As Betts continues to call on city officials to restore safety in the area, he’s made one thing clear: No games will be played at Little Gompers until action is taken.
The threat of eviction for the unhoused hangs over the encampment, as city officials argue over clearing the site or allowing them to remain to ruin the safety levels of the area. A move that would force individuals into even more risky situations, tensions continue to rise.
Rising Trouble Across Chicago
The encampment at Gompers Park is not an isolated incident, as more encampments are popping up all over the city. According to the City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services’ 2024 Annual Report on Homelessness, the estimated number of people experiencing homelessness in the city has nearly tripled to 18,836 since 2023.
The city attributes this growth occurring over the past few years to the arrival of migrants from the US southern border. Chicago’s position as a sanctuary city makes it an ideal location for immigrants, and although the city has put measures into place to protect the new arrivals from federal agents, it can be argued that the city is not doing enough to protect its homeless population.
Desperate for security, homeless individuals are establishing encampments, and the city seems desperate to take them down. The removal of the Gompers Park encampment is just the latest in the city’s efforts to clear out “tent cities” located throughout Chicago, even some of which have provided shelter to homeless individuals for years on end.
StoryMap: Chicago homeless encampments that have been removed
While the encampments in the map above have been “officially” cleared out, many tents and man-made shelters are still present as former residents remain, whether they are reluctant to leave or simply do not have anywhere else to go.
The city government continues to grapple with the growing crisis of homelessness, its efforts struggling to deal with the consequences of their attempt to do so. For example, finding displaced individuals safe shelter to stay in. Many displaced individuals have found themselves without safe or stable alternatives.
One of those organizations is North Side Housing and Supportive Services, which has taken an active role in offering both shelter and long-term assistance to those affected by recent encampment sweeps.
“We understand that homelessness isn’t just about lacking shelter, it’s about lacking support,” said Adam Gianforte, a petition starter and advocate of North Side Housing. “Gompers Park’s issue with homelessness is a prime example of the urgent need for services that address not only housing but also the challenges our homeless neighbors face. Our trauma-informed approach aims to provide not just a bed, but more stability for all.”
This sentiment reflects a broader understanding that effective solutions to homelessness must go beyond temporary fixes. North Side Housing staff emphasize the need to address root causes such as trauma, mental health struggles, and family instability. Simply moving people from one location to another only deepens the crisis unless it is paired with support services.
The approach taken by North Side and similar nonprofits shows that true solutions come from providing people with more than just a house, but help and tools to get through day-to-day life.
City’s Response
The city’s prior response to this crisis has fueled heated debate over its priorities. In late February, the city held an “Accelerated Moving Event” at Gompers Park, uprooting dozens of unhoused individuals. While officials framed the effort as a way to connect people with services, advocates for the unhoused saw it differently. They criticized the sweep as yet another displacement, one that took people out of the little stability they had without offering meaningful long-term solutions.
In early March, city officials issued a code that banned unauthorized tents from all city parks, which was planned to be enforced on April 1, but there has been a delay in enforcement until June. This delay allows service providers to have more time to work with the residents and ensure restoration projects are conducted.
As the response from city officials continues to be delayed, more and more tents are popping back up within the park. There were reportedly 16 tents spotted along the park in March, but as of April, there were 23 tents. As long as there are delays for proper solutions, the issue is only going to grow, officials say.
Community Organizational Efforts
Mayfair neighborhood residents are actively working toward the betterment of the community and their space, as well as the fair treatment of the homeless individuals who reside in the Gompers Park encampment.
A community-organized group called the Restore Gompers Park Coalition has been quite vocal about their hopes for proper, stable housing for the unhoused currently in the park. While they’ve expressed concern over the encampment’s impact on public safety and accessibility, the group’s focus remains on pushing for long-term, humane solutions rather than simply removing tents.
“The safety of our neighborhood is extremely important to us,” said Sofia Simotas, a member of the Restore Gompers Park Coalition. “We, as a community, have a sense of responsibility to provide every member of our community with a safe space. There needs to be more resources provided for the homeless, whether that is shelter or asylum.”
An Earth Day cleanup is scheduled for the end of this month as group members share articles and reach out to House Representatives, calling for action.
Just last week, members of the organization presented at the Park District Board of Commissioners meeting in an attempt to update the city on issues residents are seeing happen daily. There was also an arranged meeting between the CEO of the Chicago Park District, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, and the Chief Homelessness Officer, Sendy Soto, to discuss next steps for Gompers.
The Bigger Picture
As Gompers Park sits at the crossroads of public safety and humanitarian crisis, it has also become a symbol of a broader issue in Chicago. The balance between preserving public spaces and supporting the city’s most vulnerable emphasizes the dire need for meaningful, long-term solutions to homelessness that go beyond enforcement and displacement.
Families are leaving behind fields where their children once played, and homeless residents are being relocated from one temporary camp to another. Neither is getting what they require. Community groups like the Restore Gompers Park Coalition, as well as nonprofits like North Side Housing, have shown that community and empathy can not only exist but thrive in the midst of crisis. Without consistent action from city officials, their efforts may not be enough to slow the expanding instability.
As tents reappear and children’s sports games refuse to be held in cleared parks, the growing demand for a solution is palpable. Representatives of the park and neighborhood organizations continue to work with determination to address the problem. It will take the joint effort of the community and the City of Chicago to bring the situation to a safe resolution.