Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first chief homelessness officer appears to be his last, with his inaugural appointee departing the position that the mayor’s team said was always meant to be a temporary one. [Chicago Tribune]

Sendy Soto will be exiting the administration after two years in the role, with no replacement planned because the position was funded via a philanthropic grant, Johnson’s spokesperson Griffin Krueger said in a Monday statement.

The city’s five-year blueprint on addressing homelessness, which Krueger said was the main priority of Soto’s job, will be publicly released on Tuesday.

“It was always the intention for this to be a temporary position,” Krueger wrote, adding that Soto did not resign. “Her position as Chief Homelessness Officer was philanthropically funded and has now come to an end.” 

Johnson unveiled Soto’s position in April 2024 after signing an executive order the previous year establishing the first-of-its-kind position to be “responsible for addressing the complexities of homelessness and housing insecurity in Chicago,” including coordinating across city departments. A news release stated that her salary came from a multiyear grant by the Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness coalition, which includes the Michael Reese Health Trust and other local charities.

However, a previous LinkedIn post from the group says the grant was meant to last three years, not two.

“We are making history in Chicago!” the coalition posted a year ago. “CFTEH is honored to be funding this position for three years, empowering Sendy and our community and government partners to create a citywide plan to prevent and end homelessness.”

Asked why the job apparently sunsetted a year early, Krueger reiterated that Soto’s “work has now concluded,” with the five-year plan on homelessness set to debut. Her last day will be Thursday.

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