>> GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HAVE SCRAMBLED TO SUPPORT THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS WHO HAVE COME TO CHICAGO.

A YEAR LATER, RESOURCES ARE STRAINED AND FEW SYSTEMS ARE IN PLACE.

A COMMUNITY TRYING TO ASSIST MIGRANTS ROSE IN A WAREHOUSE .

ORGANIZERS SAY THEY HAVE POSTED 260 RESIDENTS AND HAVE FOUND PERMANENT HOUSING FOR MORE THAN 150 OF THEM.

THE SHELTER STOPPED OPERATIONS THIS WEEKEND.

JOINING US ARE TWO VOLUNTEERS FROM THE EFFORT, AND WE WELCOME YOU BOTH TO THE SHOW.

WHY DID THE SHELTER CLOSE ?

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU ARE BEING SUCCESSFUL.

>> WE WORKED BUT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REASONS, THE INSURANCE ON THE BUILDING WHICH WAS HELD BY THE DONOR OF THE WAREHOUSE HAD LAPSED.

WE FELT IT WOULD NO LONGER BE SAFE TO HOST PEOPLE IN THE SHELTER.

AND MANY OF OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS OR EDUCATORS OR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS AND THEY WENT BACK TO SCHOOL.

WE LOST A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS, INCLUDING MYSELF.

THIRD , WE FOUGHT REALLY HARD TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED AS A COMMUNITY SHELTER WITH THE CITY OF CHICAGO BUT COULD NOT GET IN WITHIN THE INFRASTRUCTURE.

>> NOT BEING UNAFFILIATED RESOURCE, WHAT DID THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH ASSISTANCE YOU COULD GIVE THE PEOPLE AT YOUR FACILITY ?

>> IT IS A SCARCITY.

WE DON'T HAVE THE STREAM OF MONEY, WE CANNOT MAINTAIN SAFETY.

WE CANNOT MAINTAIN OR SUPPORT PEOPLE TO GET THEIR OWN HOUSE.

THE CITY SHELTERS PROVIDE SIX MONTHS OF RENTAL ASSISTANCE, WE HAVE A WELCOMING CENTER FOR TWO OF THEM HELPING WITH $800 ONE-TIME EMERGENCY MONEY.

>> A VOLUNTEER EFFORT IS HAVING COMPARABLE RESOURCES TO THE CITY, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY HELP.

GIVE ME AN IDEA OF WHAT A TYPICAL DAY WAS LIKE AT WHAT WAS A WAREHOUSE AND WHAT BECAME HOME TO HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ?

>> I WOULD GO IN MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THE WEEK DURING THE SUMMER , WE SHARED TIME WITH CHILDREN AND MADE SURE PEOPLE WERE FED, HAD THREE MEALS A DAY , I DID THE LUNCH SHIFT AND MADE SURE EVERYBODY HAD A FUNCTIONING AIR MATTRESS, ESPECIALLY FOR PREGNANT WOMEN.

WE HELPED WITH EVERYDAY NEEDS , MAKING SURE PEOPLE HAVE HYGIENE PRODUCTS , TOILET PAPER .

ALSO , HELPING WITH THE SERVICE FOR THE SPANISH-SPEAKING VOLUNTEERS WHO WERE ON SITE.

TALKING ABOUT JOBS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, APARTMENT LISTINGS , ANYTHING THEY NEEDED .

>> ONE OF THE THINGS -- ONE OF THE PARTIES WAS KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE AND THE BIGGEST EXPENSE WAS SECURITY .

WHY WAS THAT ?

>> BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE ALL VOLUNTEERS.

AT FIRST, WE HAD COMMUNITY OUTREACH VOLUNTEERING.

WE HAD A SCARCITY OF FUNDS , SO WE HAD TO PRIORITIZE THE NIGHT SHIFT, THERE IS A STRAIN ON YOUR BODY, YOUR EMOTIONS , AND WE FELT LIKE, TAKE SOME OF THE DONATIONS AND GIVE SOME INCENTIVE FOR PEOPLE TO BE THERE ALL NIGHT AND KEEP PEOPLE SAFE.

THAT IS THE ONLY SHIFT WE COULD FUND.

>> THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THEFT , FIGHTING.

SOME RESIDENTS VOTED TO KICK SOME PEOPLE OUT.

WHY COULDN'T YOU?

>> SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE.

THEY WERE ENGAGED IN VIOLENT ACTIONS.

THERE WERE NOT MANY.

THERE WAS ONE FIGHT.

WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE KEEPING EVERYBODY SAFE.

ACCORDING TO OUR SAFETY TEAM WORKING IN THE OTHER SHELTER, IN COMPARISON , IT WAS BETTER.

THERE WERE ISSUES, IT WAS SOMETHING WE COULD NOT SUSTAIN OVER TIME BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES.

>> WHAT HELP DID YOU GET FROM THE CITY ?

ANYTHING ?

>> THE OFFICE OF THE ALDERMAN, WE HAD ACCESS TO SOME OF HIS STAFF MEMBERS ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS.

THEY WERE ASSISTING US WITH DONATIONS , WHETHER MATERIAL OR CASH, GETTING US CONNECTED WITH THE WAREHOUSE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THE DONOR OF THE BUILDING.

I BELIEVE HE WAS A PART OF THAT NEGOTIATION AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER MONTHS.

>> WHEN PEOPLE WOULD ASK YOU WHAT YOU WERE DOING THIS , WHAT DID YOU SAY?

>> THE SAME FOR US, WE ARE FROM IMMIGRANT PARENTS.

OUR FAMILIES HAVE DOCUMENTED OR UNDOCUMENTED STATUS.

FOR US , THIS IS OUR LEGACY .

THIS IS OUR FUTURE.

THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN BUILT AND EVOLVED AROUND IMMIGRANTS.

LONGEVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MIGRANTS HAVE SELF-DETERMINATIO N. >> LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE, FROM YOUR UNDERSTANDING , HOW MANY MIGRANTS CONTINUE TO LIVE IN POLICE STATIONS IN THE AIRPORT ?

WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ?

>> I BELIEVE THE NUMBERS ARE IN THE THOUSANDS IN THE POLICE STATION , PEOPLE PRETTY MUCH COMING IN DAILY.

>> 200 IS THE AVERAGE.

WHEN THEY DECOMPRESS A STATION , WE GET ANOTHER BUS.

>> HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE COME IN THE PAST YEAR?

>> ABOUT 13,500 NEWCOMERS AND THE NUMBER IS RISING.

>> MOST FROM WHAT STATES ?

>> VENEZUELA.

>> TEXAS AND FLORIDA.

>> TEXAS MOSTLY.

>> THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION, HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THEY ARE DOING IN DEALING WITH THE INFLUX OF PEOPLE ?

>> THEY ARE A NEW ADMINISTRATION AND HAVE HAD TO ACT QUICKLY THEY HAVE OPENED SHELTERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

THE MORE THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER , THE MORE EFFECTIVE THE POLICY WILL BE.

I HOPE THEY LOOK AT INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE FROM ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE UNHCR, UN HIGH COMMISSION ON REFUGEES, IT IS NOT THAT WE HAVE TO REINVENT THE WHEEL, WE HAVE TO LEARN BEST PRACTICES.

>> MOST PEOPLE MAY SEE IMAGES OF MIGRANTS AND MIGRANT FAMILIES, THEY THINK OF THEM AS A GROUP, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT SOME OF THE INDIVIDUALS?

>> GOODNESS .

HOW MANY ARE THERE?

ONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WE HAVE LAWYERS, DOCTORS , PEOPLE WHO TAKE CARE OF CHILDREN, MAINTENANCE PEOPLE , THEY ARE ALL OF EQUAL VALUE.

BECAUSE THEY ARE LOOKED AT IN THIS HOMOGENOUS WAY, IN A NEGATIVE WAY , IN TERMS OF CHARITY, OR PITY, THAT IS CREATING SOMETHING WE DON'T WANT IN THE LONG RUN.

WE THINK ABOUT THAT IN TERMS OF DIGNITY.

I WAS MOVING IN THE CAR , WE WERE TAKING SOMEBODY TO A TEMPORARY SHELTER , I AM SORRY, TEMPORARY HOUSING WHILE WAITING FOR HER PERMANENT HOUSING, SHE TOLD ME SHE CROSSED THE JUNGLE AND THOUGHT ABOUT THE CHILDREN ON THE JOURNEY WHO HAD TO LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE JUNGLE.

THEY USED THE WASHROOM IN THE JUNGLE.

IT IS A DIFFERENT WAY OF SURVIVING.

AT THE SHELTER , YOU NEEDED TO LEARN THOSE THINGS.

>> YOU HAVE MOVED 150 PEOPLE