>>Those who are thinking of applying to the city.
You will have to wait a little longer for your ID card.
The Chicago City Clerk’s Office has suspended neighborhood pop-ups where residents could obtain the cards for the remainder of 2023.
Due to high demand, city-issued ID cards provide residents and newly arrived migrants with access to resources such as public libraries and transportation.
Join us to discuss the future of the program in Valencia.
Mr. Kirk from the City of Chicago, thank you for joining us.
Thank you for inviting me.
If you don’t mind, could you briefly tell me what CityKey is and how it can help?
>> Indeed.
So it’s a city card that was actually founded by community advocates.
5 years ago.
We will help you with the implementation in July.
They are government ID, library card transportation protection card, and prescription discount card.
It’s free.
It’s also the first in Illinois to lie to identify sex and markings by late.
And it’s actually a supported card to help the community with things like domestic violence.
Survivors and homeless people are accustomed to re-entering communities and immigrant communities.
>> Mobile City Hall events are what we call neighborhood pop-ups.
Why those events were canceled.
>> I would like everyone to be aware of this.
They haven’t been cancelled.
24 events scheduled for this year have been canceled.
So what we’re confused about is we’re running a program with CITI that’s running mobile events and we’ve already held 280 events this year and we’re going to have 180 by the end of this year. We are planning to hold an event.
And then there’s the mobile city hall, which is closed on the 23rd.
Basically, many resource fairs where we hold other departments, our city, his and our city sticker programs, dog license resident parking passes to different areas of the city. It will be passed.
So it’s a separate program that runs from May to October.
And we have been doing that since 2019, and the city has also stood up as a community-based organization.
Our current shelter for new arrivals.
There are still 24 of these events scheduled this year.
>> And the 24 that are scheduled will be done specifically through community partner organizations, correct.
>> Yes, in our shelter.
So, since August last year, we have been receiving new arrivals.
We are working closely with the state Department of Family Support Services to move people into shelters so they don’t have to come to us.
We want to meet them where they are.
That’s the beauty of the City Key Card program.
And when we’re talking about cities of the future, you know, we’ve always been in demand even before our new rivals started the county.
We have done that in the past, and we have done so in the past, so this year’s budget will allow us to revamp this program, make it more accessible, build capacity through our reservation system, and also ensure that we use our online platform. We are seeking additional funding to make this possible. Available in the city. You can get it online and have it shipped directly to your home.
>> As you mentioned, your office’s report clearly shows that the number of people applying for CityKey IDs has increased over the past three years, from just under 8,900 in 2021.
This year, the number has already exceeded 22,000.
And you said that the increase was happening even before new arrivals started arriving.
What do you think is the reason for this increase?
>> First of all, let’s talk about what doesn’t have these numbers.
In 2018, there were 24,000 cities.
He’s what we did that year.
In other words, the demand was there even before it happened.
This humanitarian crisis.
And let me just say to people who are watching this, this is a humanitarian crisis that we’re facing.
I’m on the front lines on the ground.
I see other mothers with 3-year-old daughters, and last year I saw a family with a 3-year-old come here winding through the winter Moscow jungle, but I It breaks my heart that we have to do this.
Perhaps we need to get people to see this humanistic, human side. Yes, these are resources we can provide the city, but in Chicago, a welcoming city, we cannot portray them as anything else.
They are human beings here, just like they are looking for a service.
And as a mother, I just want to let them know that these are the families we need to help.
So since we only have an in-house team of five people and an in-house agency that is supporting this effort, we are able to do the best we can with limited resources rather than, frankly, exhausted team members. going.
>> Of course, these are done through your community partners, and you mentioned that through the shelters where some of the migrants are being sheltered, they also have access to the events that you’re holding.
>> Absolutely.
Again, since August, we have been working closely with the city and state to ensure all shelters are evacuated.
We currently cannot serve everyone tomorrow, but we plan to do so over the next few weeks.
And in the new year, I hope they can support the Mayor’s Office and the City Council’s budget team in building a new online platform that will allow people to make reservations and make reservations in the City for next year.
He is an online platform where people can apply and submit online. We will continue our community programs.
This year we held 181 events.
Therefore, we strive to meet demand as best we can.
But that is unsustainable as we face a humanitarian crisis.
So I hope this budget season can secure those bonds and build out this new technology that he’s used to make it more accessible and to help our production capacity.
>> You said the mayor’s proposed budget would increase funding for the city.
HE programs have declined by 40%.
Additionally, you mentioned technology support.
It lasts about 30 seconds.
But what more can you do to ensure your office continues to meet your needs?
>> The first fact you mentioned is that our budget is $1.2 million.
This year we’ve only seen a $1500 increase, so it’s only going to increase.
We are also happy with this number.
What we are looking for is additional investment in technology to build that form and additional revenue for a reservation system to store Citi cards.
We have exhausted our search for additional translators, and they are helpful.
We were able to add interpreters at the beginning of the crisis last year and then work with the mayor’s office to figure it out.
I know right now they’re trying to identify volunteers and homes and get volunteers locally, but this is also great for supporting larger events.
