ACT NOW: Demand Your Elected Officials Attend the Town Hall!
📅 Town Hall Meeting: March 31, 2025 | ⏰ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Nichols Park – 1355 E. 53rd Street
This 760-bed shelter decision was made without our input—now it's time to make our voices heard!
📞 Contact the Decision Makers TODAY! Call, email, and demand their presence at the town hall. They must hear our concerns and be held accountable for decisions that impact our community.
🔹 Step 1: Use the contact list below.
🔹 Step 2: Call, email, and request their attendance.
🔹 Step 3: Share this message—let’s flood their inboxes!
💬 Your voice matters, but only if you use it! Don’t wait—reach out now!
Official Invite to the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community:
📅 Date: March 31, 2025
🕒 Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
📍Location: Nichols Park – 1355 E. 53rd Street, Chicago, IL 60615 - Parking Available in the lot on the corner of 54th and Dorchester
📸 Media will be present
📧 Contact Us: PreservingHydePark@gmail.com
Who We Are:
We are Hyde Park residents committed to the well-being and future of our community. Our current focus is on the lack of transparency regarding the transformation of the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel into a permanent 760+ bed homeless shelter without sufficient community input.
Our Mission:
We advocate for transparency, accountability, and meaningful community input regarding this significant development. We believe Hyde Park residents deserve to have a say in whether this shelter is a realistic and desirable long-term addition to our densely populated neighborhood.
What You Need to Know:
- The failed Lake Shore and Best Western Hotels, privately owned by Tesh Patel, were originally presented as a temporary emergency shelter as early as the winter of 2022/23 and then again September of 2023 which was supposed to be limited to 6 months. Mr. Patel is profiting greatly from this venture with no benefit to our community.
- The facility was converted into a permanent shelter, as of the first week of January 2025, serving up to 760 unhoused individuals, affecting the equilibrium and resources of our Hyde Park/Kenwood neighborhood.
- The state funding will come to an end June 30, 2025, with transfer of the contract into the city’s possession. A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be made seeking a non-profit or for-profit agency to operate the shelter.
What This Means for Our Neighborhood:
The Indian Village neighborhood of Hyde Park/Kenwood and surrounding areas are already densely populated. The proposed shelter has and will continue to significantly impact our quality of life, safety, and property values.
Primary Community Concerns:
🚶♂️ Increase in neighborhood foot traffic and loitering
🏡 Safety concerns for residents and businesses
🗑️ Sanitation issues: more garbage-mostly food and food containers leading to increased rat infestations. Public urination/defecation.
🚨 Noise disturbances: More emergency calls leading to frequent sirens and disruptions. Loud music from cars.
🛠️ Unregulated activities: Haircuts, food vendors, and car repairs in parks and on side streets. Riding bikes, including motorized, on the sidewalks.
🍾 Public alcohol and drug use with empty and broken bottles and used drug paraphernalia left behind. Increased presence of drug dealers. And sex trafficking of young children.
🎨 Increase in graffiti and property damage
🚗 Parking struggles: Further reduction of already scarce spaces. Many vehicles without tags or plates.
📉 Potential property value decline up to 17%.
What You Can Do:
Your voice matters—and now is the time to take action!
- Share the link below to sign a petition opposing the plans for a permanent shelter: https://www.change.org/kenwood-760-bed-shelter
- Attend the upcoming Community Town Hall at Nichols Park March 31st, 2025, from 6:00pm-8:00pm to learn more and make your voice heard. There will be ample parking available in the lot on the corner of 54th and Dorchester. This meeting gives you, as a community member, the opportunity to tell your stories and voice your opinions.
- Call or email your elected officials and demand transparency and accountability. Ask the officials to attend the Town Hall Meeting March 31, 2025 at 6:00pm-8:00pm
Stay Engaged:
- Email us at PreservingHydePark@gmail.com to stay updated.
- Spread the word—talk to your neighbors, share this letter, and get involved!
- Together, we can ensure that Hyde Park remains a safe, thriving, and well-planned community.
Contact the Decision Makers Your Elected Officials Today, Ask the officials to attend the Town Hall Meeting March 31, 2025 at 6:00pm-8:00pm:
5th Ward Alderman Desmond Yancy
Call: 773-324-5555
Email: ward05@cityofchicago.org
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
Call: (312) 744-3300
Email: letterforthemayor@cityofchicago.org
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s
Call: (217) 782-6830 or (217) 782-6831 (Springfield)
Call: (312) 814-2121 (Chicago)
For hearing impaired: 888-340-1009
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
Call: (312) 603-6400
Email: info@tonipreckwinkle.org
13th District Senator Robert Peters
Call: (217) 782-5338
Text: (773) 830-2598
Email: info@senatorrobertpeters.com
25th District State Representative Curtis Tarver II
Call: (217) 782-8121
Call: (773) 363-8870
Email: office@repcurtisjtarverii.com
Appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson:
Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy L. Soto
Call: (312) 744-2796
Email: sendy.soto@cityofchicago.org