
They're Building Tiny Houses To Tackle Homelessness, But The City Wants Them To Stop
03/11/24 • 19 min
For more than four decades, unhoused Chicagoans have called a small strip of land along the Dan Ryan Expressway in the South Loop home. While neighbors have gotten used to seeing tents, a tiny wooden home went up last week -- the first put up by volunteers with the Orange Tent Project, a local nonprofit that’s already drawn the ire of the city and backlash from some neighbors for bringing hundreds of orange tents to the unhoused at over 15 city sites.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporter - Mack Liederman
Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE
Who we are
Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to be covered in a meaningful way.
We amplify positive stories, cover development and local school council meetings and serve as watchdogs in neighborhoods often ostracized by traditional news media.
Ground-level coverage
Our neighborhood-based reporters don't parachute in once to cover a story. They are in the neighborhoods they cover every day building relationships over time with neighbors. We believe this ground-level approach not only builds community but leads to a more accurate portrayal of a neighborhood.
Stories that matter to you — every day
Since our launch five years ago, we've published more than 25,000 stories from the neighborhoods, covered hundreds of community meetings and send daily and neighborhood newsletters to more than 130,000 Chicagoans.
We've built this loyalty by proving to folks we are not only covering their neighborhoods, we are a part of them.
Some of us have internalized the national media's narrative of a broken Chicago. We aim to change that by celebrating our neighborhoods and chronicling the resilience of the people who fight every day to make Chicago a better place for all.
For more than four decades, unhoused Chicagoans have called a small strip of land along the Dan Ryan Expressway in the South Loop home. While neighbors have gotten used to seeing tents, a tiny wooden home went up last week -- the first put up by volunteers with the Orange Tent Project, a local nonprofit that’s already drawn the ire of the city and backlash from some neighbors for bringing hundreds of orange tents to the unhoused at over 15 city sites.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporter - Mack Liederman
Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE
Who we are
Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to be covered in a meaningful way.
We amplify positive stories, cover development and local school council meetings and serve as watchdogs in neighborhoods often ostracized by traditional news media.
Ground-level coverage
Our neighborhood-based reporters don't parachute in once to cover a story. They are in the neighborhoods they cover every day building relationships over time with neighbors. We believe this ground-level approach not only builds community but leads to a more accurate portrayal of a neighborhood.
Stories that matter to you — every day
Since our launch five years ago, we've published more than 25,000 stories from the neighborhoods, covered hundreds of community meetings and send daily and neighborhood newsletters to more than 130,000 Chicagoans.
We've built this loyalty by proving to folks we are not only covering their neighborhoods, we are a part of them.
Some of us have internalized the national media's narrative of a broken Chicago. We aim to change that by celebrating our neighborhoods and chronicling the resilience of the people who fight every day to make Chicago a better place for all.
Previous Episode

He Got Famous Filling Potholes. Now He Has A Gallery
A few years ago, Jim Bachor was hit by a “tsunami” of projects when he began filling city potholes with small mosaics. He’s since filled more than 100 potholes in Chicago with images of everything from hot sauce packets to tiny replicas of famous paintings to the Chicago flag. He just opened a gallery in Uptown.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporters - Iridian Fierro, Kayleigh Padar, Maxwell Evans, Shamus Toomey
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Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE
Who we are
Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to be covered in a meaningful way.
We amplify positive stories, cover development and local school council meetings and serve as watchdogs in neighborhoods often ostracized by traditional news media.
Ground-level coverage
Our neighborhood-based reporters don't parachute in once to cover a story. They are in the neighborhoods they cover every day building relationships over time with neighbors. We believe this ground-level approach not only builds community but leads to a more accurate portrayal of a neighborhood.
Stories that matter to you — every day
Since our launch five years ago, we've published more than 25,000 stories from the neighborhoods, covered hundreds of community meetings and send daily and neighborhood newsletters to more than 130,000 Chicagoans.
We've built this loyalty by proving to folks we are not only covering their neighborhoods, we are a part of them.
Some of us have internalized the national media's narrative of a broken Chicago. We aim to change that by celebrating our neighborhoods and chronicling the resilience of the people who fight every day to make Chicago a better place for all.
Next Episode

Will Mayor's Past As A Teacher Help CTU Get The Contract They Want?
The Chicago Teachers Union will push for teacher raises, plus more funding for special education, mental health services and sports programs as teachers negotiate the union’s first contract with Mayor Brandon Johnson -- who worked as a teacher and organizer for years.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporter - Mina Bloom
Watch Stacy Davis Gates' Full Remarks To The City Club
Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE
Who we are
Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to be covered in a meaningful way.
We amplify positive stories, cover development and local school council meetings and serve as watchdogs in neighborhoods often ostracized by traditional news media.
Ground-level coverage
Our neighborhood-based reporters don't parachute in once to cover a story. They are in the neighborhoods they cover every day building relationships over time with neighbors. We believe this ground-level approach not only builds community but leads to a more accurate portrayal of a neighborhood.
Stories that matter to you — every day
Since our launch five years ago, we've published more than 25,000 stories from the neighborhoods, covered hundreds of community meetings and send daily and neighborhood newsletters to more than 130,000 Chicagoans.
We've built this loyalty by proving to folks we are not only covering their neighborhoods, we are a part of them.
Some of us have internalized the national media's narrative of a broken Chicago. We aim to change that by celebrating our neighborhoods and chronicling the resilience of the people who fight every day to make Chicago a better place for all.
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