Evanston City Council approved of an application for Evanston to apply for $2 million in federal funding to help renovate and reopen Hilda’s Place, a 30-bed overnight homeless shelter operated by the nonprofit Connections for the Homeless.
Funding for the project would come from federal CARES Act money as part of Community Development Block Grants designed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Urban Shelter Program was put forth by the state to help fund the building, renovation or acquisition of space to be used as homeless shelters. A total of $15 million has been made available with an expectation of eight awards varying between $500,000 and $2 million being gifted.
No funding is being requested of the city at this time and if received, Connections plans to put in a new elevator, congregate sleeping rooms, shower rooms, and bathrooms, among other renovations.
“A municipality has to apply but the organizations who actually run the shelter aren’t necessarily going to be the applicants,” Evanston Community Development Director Sarah Flax said at Monday’s meeting.
Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma called his vote in favor of the application a no brainer.
“We are serving a need that exists in this community, whether we like it or not,” he said. “And doing so with federal money. That’s an awesome solution. I wish we had this opportunity pop up for everything else that came to council that costs money.”
Hilda’s Place, located in the basement of Lake Street Church, opened in 1984 and served as an emergency overnight shelter until the COVID-19 pandemic made it no longer safe for large groups to share the space.
Those who relied on Hilda’s Place for shelter were served throughout the pandemic by Interfaith Action of Evanston, a social services organization made up of local faith groups. The number of beds available through Interfaith Action has fluctuated over the years between 20 and 38, and they were only available for part of the year.
Instead of continuing to house people in faith spaces, Interfaith Action would partner with Connections to help operate Hilda’s Place if it were to reopen. This would also provide those in need with year-round beds, something that wasn’t possible with Interfaith Action.
The effort also received $2 million in other funding, which was provided in July 2023 when Rep. Jan Schakowsky pushed for it during the federal budgeting process.
Connections CEO Betty Bogg said if Connections doesn’t receive the funding, it would put a long hold on the organization’s ability to reopen Hilda’s Place. Despite that, she said Connections anticipates receiving the full amount requested due to the narrow eligibility requirements for the grants.
The full project is expected to cost about $4 million.
Councilmember Krissie Harris said the city cannot be Connection’s contingency plan if the full $2 million grant isn’t received. She went on to vote against the application.
Councilmember Clare Kelly, who also voted against the application, urged Connections to work with other area suburbs to open shelters there and address homelessness as a region instead of individually.
Connections is a part of the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County, the main coordinating agency for homelessness services in the area. The alliance recently put out a study showing a 58% increase in the unsheltered population in suburban Cook County since 2023, highlighting the need for more shelters. The study estimated about 1,188 homeless individuals are residing in suburban Cook County.
Director of Communications for Connections Eric Ruder said until more housing can be built to permanently house all those in need, cities across the country are going to need to invest in their shelter infrastructure. He went on to say it’s important that Evanston be on this forefront as it isn’t often that cities get the opportunity to use outside funding for these kind of projects.