217 Today: How some Chicago migrants struggling to leave shelters are getting help

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Matt Joynt gets help from two passers-by as he tries to jumpstart a truck that volunteers share to deliver furniture to asylum seekers on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Volunteers like Joynt are teaming with a Chicago landlord to move more migrants out of shelters and into permanent homes.
  • Photo: Tessa Weinberg / WBEZ

October 4, 2023

Today’s headlines: 

  • Social services have been strained over the past couple of years – but a new state grant may be able to ease some of it in Champaign County.
  • A majority-black elementary school in Urbana is closing permanently.
  • The US House of Representatives has made history by voting to remove the Speaker of the House.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about how a trust fund is helping landlords provide rental assistance to the influx of migrants who have been bussed to Chicago.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting contributed by Mae Antar, Kristen Schorsch, Emily Hays, Linda Kenyon and Tessa Weinberg.

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Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.