New Homeless Shelter for Men to Open in Rogers Park
Chicago (Far Northside) Facility to Assist 70 Men
StreetSense is excited to announce a renovation project to prepare a facility serving 70 unroofed men and getting them indoors to provide shelter, food, medical services, and very importantly: counseling to move them toward stable housing.
North Side Housing and Supportive Services announces that its brand new facility will open in the Rogers Park (far northeast corner of the city) this summer and fall 2024. This organization is working with the City of Chicago to access funds for the renovation.
On their website, they discuss their “Two-year project to renovate an old building in the Rogers Park neighborhood, and convert it into a new, 70-bed homeless shelter… The need for more shelter beds in Chicago is more urgent than ever” (https://www.northsidehousing.org/).
Further, they explain that “Case managers will be assigned to every resident to create a plan to permanently end that man’s homelessness. The interior will be a safe, healing space, with a ‘trauma-conscious’ design, so residents will be more empowered to shift their focus from survival to obtaining stable housing…”
Of note is their understanding of “wrap-around services” so much needed by homeless persons who are moving indoors. These men will need much more than just a room and a bed.
Moving indoors is a huge lifestyle shift—residents will need help shifting gears to become roofed citizens. Many people do not understand the huge differences that come with getting housing. Counseling and support are essential.
In addition to dollars, there are items that can be donated also. Several new items are sought before they open the shelter to 70 homeless men in September. They ask, “Could you donate any of them? Maybe more than one?” For more information, please contact Pete Marchese, Board President at pmarch@comcast.net
The wish list of items is available in pdf format. It is also provided on this page: https://www.northsidehousing.org/item
StreetSense is happy to see this project and hopes for the best outcomes possible. This shelter renovation is a great step in the right direction!
We hope to share positive news about the move-in and daily processes upcoming… plus success stories down the road of unhoused men who move onward from where they recently started on the street. New chapters!