12-May-20 – Chicago Loop Alliance says new portable toilets installed in the Loop will help the homeless and help keep the Loop clean.

“The root of what this organization does is keeping the Loop clean and safe for everyone here, and that includes people experiencing homelessness,” said Chicago Loop Alliance President/CEO Michael Edwards (left).

The toilets have been installed in the alley behind 7 West Madison Street and the alley behind 112-116 South Michigan Avenue. They will be there at least through May.

CLA says Chicago’s homeless are struggling to find safe, clean restrooms because Governor Pritzker’s stay-at-home order has closed most businesses to the public.

Edwards says homelessness is “an incredibly complex issue.”

“We hope to see it solved one day,” he said. “In the meantime, one thing we can do right now is provide public restrooms. It’s simple, but we think it’s impactful.”

The toilets – Basic Portable Restrooms from Service Sanitation – will be cleaned by CLA’s “Clean Team.” Helping with the cost of the project is the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Pandemic cancels summer art/music series

On April 27, CLA announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has canceled its 2020 season of ACTIVATE, a summer art and music event series that attracts thousands of people to the Loop.

Edwards says they will have “a new placemaking project more appropriate for the current climate” later in the year. (Right) An ACTIVATE event in 2014. (Click on image to view larger version.)

“While there are obvious public health concerns, we also believe this is an opportunity to try some new placemaking ideas and continue to find ways to make the Loop more engaging and fun, while working within the evolving public health guidelines,” he said.

CLA says since 2014 its ACTIVATE series has had $3.1 million of economic impact on businesses in the Loop.