Licensing

Resettlement

Resettlement -
Chicago became a major resettlement point because it was reputed to have less discrimination and more job opportunities than other cities. Nonetheless, most resettlers had to take menial jobs to support themselves, and they encountered a difficult housing situation.

Japanese Americans did not settle in a single area of Chicago because the War Relocation Authority did not allow large numbers of resettlers to gather in one place. They found homes in scattered neighborhoods of the South, West, and North Sides of the city.

Wartime housing shortages affected everyone, but the recently released Japanese Americans were new to the area and inevitably encountered discrimination. Liberal church groups such as the Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers) and The Church of the Brethren operated hostels for interim housing, and some former internees became apartment managers and offered housing to the other resettlers.