Outside the bustling migrant shelter at 23rd and Halsted, you’ll see a steady stream of strollers and mothers with babies. But many families here report a lack of basic baby supplies.
“Yes, diapers,” said one woman, speaking in Spanish outside the Halsted shelter. “There are so many babies that need to use them.”
The Chicago Tribune first reported some migrant parents were forced to re-use dirty diapers amid a shortage of hygiene supplies last week.
The City of Chicago blamed supply shortages, but said a recent shipment of 47 pallets arrived over the weekend, including more diapers.
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“Many of these families are very young. We have many young children and some newborns and small infants,” said Karina Ayala-Bermejo with Instituto del Progreso Latino, an organization that is accepting donations for migrant shelters.
“We’re needing the diapers, the formula, and the baby bottles they go through so quickly in a week,” she said. “We don’t want folks recycling their diapers for many reasons, but most importantly to provide them dignity and respect.”
Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management released a statement acknowledging the shortages.
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“Shelter staff can only distribute what they have in supply. If inventory levels of certain items get low, emergency deliveries of the items are made. The City of Chicago orders supplies from IEMA, FEMA and outside vendors. Supply shortages from IEMA and FEMA can result in temporary shortages of some supplies,” read a portion of the city’s statement.
But a FEMA spokesperson told NBC5 the federal agency has no involvement with distribution to shelters.
“The distribution of supplies is provided by nonprofits and in coordination with local and state agencies,” wrote a FEMA Region 5 spokesperson. “FEMA does not provide these supplies.”
It marks the latest bout of confusion and finger pointing about logistics, as the City of Chicago continues to operate multiple shelters serving thousands of migrants including a growing number of babies and young children.
