4943 N Kenmore (Northmere) SRO Update
On December 12, the Northmere SRO at 4943 N Kenmore was officially vacated following a court order due to severe building code violations that made the building uninhabitable and unsafe. This action was the result of months of advocacy, coordination, and commitment from our office, City departments and agencies, and a wide network of City and community partners including ONE Northside, Uptown People’s Law Center (UPLC), and Voice of the People Chicago.
The conditions at the Northmere were deeply troubling—tenants were left in unlivable conditions with no accountability from ownership and a frigid winter was on the horizon. The 48th Ward office worked with City departments and agencies, service providers, and essential community partners to mobilize resources for shelter and support services for the Northmere residents.
The complexity of the Northmere’s situation meant that multiple City departments and agencies were involved, including: Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), Department of Housing (DOH), Department of Law (DOL), the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), Department of Buildings (DOB), Chicago Police Department (CPD), and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC).
We coordinated comprehensive care and assistance to tenants by:
Coordinating relocation for residents with complex housing needs.
Coordinating the provision of mental health services and crisis intervention with DFSS, CDPH Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE), Thresholds, and Trilogy.
Working with our community partners UPLC and Voice of the People to ensure that tenant rights were upheld.
Registering tenants for services and resources and ensuring access to shelter.
Conducting multiple building inspections and walk-throughs with DFSS Homeless Outreach & Prevention (HOP) to provide resources and housing assessments.
Hosting housing intake fairs at Bezazian Library with service providers.
Our existing housing and shelter systems were not designed to absorb a crisis of this scale. Our office is committed to proactively ensuring that no one lives in unsafe, unjust living conditions in our communities and that building owners are held accountable for the safety, health, and welfare of their residents.
We are committed to advancing policy conversations with advocates, legal aid partners, and city departments to make sure that future responses continue to be robust, trauma-informed, and equitable.
We remain deeply grateful to our community partners, housing advocates, mental health providers, and volunteers who stepped up in a very difficult situation.
