Filthy homeless encampment is set up INSIDE Beetlejuice's Chicago's O'Hare Airport, with vagrants now living next to baggage belts in crime-ridden Windy
CityImages of some of the thousands sleeping rough continue to emerge online
It comes amid soaring crime rates as well as a citywide homelessness crisis
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By ANEETA BHOLE
Homeless encampments have sprung up inside crime-riddled Chicago's O'Hare International Airport terminal leaving some concerned for their safety as images of people sleeping in filthy makeshift shelters have emerged.
Thousands of people sleeping rough have sought refuge at the popular airline hub, with many setting up shelters inside the terminal buildings.
Passengers were quick to snap the deteriorating situation with one Twitter user posting a photo of several people sleeping among a throng of belongings near Terminal 1 of the airport.
Other shocking photos show one man collapsed inside an entrance vestibule, another slumped over with no shoes on and a group of half a dozen people who have taken over an indoor area next to the escalators.
O'Hare's growing problem is just a snapshot of a citywide homelessness crisis bubbling under the surface of city decaying from soaring crime rates.
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Homeless encampments have overrun crime riddled Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, with some concerned for their safety as images of people sleeping in exits and filthy makeshift shelters continue to emerge
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Thousands of people sleeping rough have sought refuge at the popular airport hub, where an average of 2,520 passengers travel each day, according to a study between 2000 and 2020
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Passengers travelling through the terminal were quick to snap the deteriorating situation.
With a picture of one such encampment, one Twitter user questioned the city's leadership but was promptly responded to by airport officials.
O'Hare said: 'We appreciate your feedback. Safety, security and an optimal passenger experience is top priority for the CDA, and we have forwarded your message along to our security team.
'We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope your next visit to ORD is more enjoyable.'
One user called the scenes at the airport 'dystopian' detailing their uncomfortable experience.
'I flew back to O'Hare, Terminal 3, last week. I had never seen such a homeless problem, in baggage, in the 50 years I have lived in Cook Co,' they wrote.
'It's not even that cold out! Also, aggressively hit-up with 'ya need a ride?' in baggage. It was dystopian.'
In what appears to be a copy and pasted answer, O'Hare Airport responded with a similar mantra thanking the customer for their feedback - with no solutions offered.
Haymarket Center's O'Hare outreach program which connects homeless people staying at the airport with substance abuse counseling, housing and other social services told Block Club Chicago that they're seeing numbers soar.
The organization said they served 25 percent more people in 2022 than in the previous year, and that increased need has continued into 2023.
'Our January at O'Hare was one of the busiest Januarys we ever had,' Jessica Dubuar, director of health and specialty services, told the outlet.
'We are seeing more individuals and more encounters [who are] new to our system.'
The nonprofit, funded by the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Department of Family Support Services, is open 24/7 but does not have sleeping capacity.
According to the city's annual Point In Time count - which assesses sheltered and unsheltered people - it recorded 3,875 people experiencing homelessness in 2022.
The majority of those identified as black, the data shows.
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A man lays isolated on the floor of the airport earlier this month in pictures taken by commuters walking through O'Hare 
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One Twitter user from 2022 posted these pictures and said 'most of the cabins were closed and became a moving shelter CTA is a shelter for homeless. I guess the city didn't do their job well to provide enough shelters'
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The issue has been prolific for years, this photo from 2020 shows one homeless man lying by the front entrance - a passenger captioning the photo: 'Don't know if he's dead'
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Two employees who work overnight hours as custodians in Terminal 1 and 2 at O'Hare told CBS News that they are concerned for their safety
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According to the city's data collection which assesses sheltered and unsheltered people, 3,875 people were recorded experiencing homelessness in 2022
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There has also been a 12 percent increase in people living outside and a 20 percent increase in people temporarily staying with others since 2019
eeek wait till she is re-elected
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