DuPage PADS is hoping to repurpose a hotel at 1113 Butterfield Rd. to give homeless residents access to interim shelter.

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Downers Grove hotel that became a temporary housing solution for DuPage PADS during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic may soon offer homeless residents shelter there on a more permanent basis. DuPage PADS plans to submit an application to the county for funds to purchase the Red Roof Inn at 1113 Butterfield Rd. to create an Interim Housing Center.

DuPage PADS has established a purchase agreement for the property and hopes to raise an additional $1.5 million to aid buying the hotel and converting it into an Interim Housing Center.

In late March 2020, the onset of coronavirus forced DuPage PADS to move from its shelters and into local hotels, which offered more space to allow for social distancing. Since then, 430 people have been temporarily housed at “several area hotels,” according to a news release from DuPage PADS. Among those, 130 were children.

Related: How DuPage PADS Is Caring For The Homeless Amid Coronavirus

“Our operations over the past 18 months prove this model of interim accommodation is an efficient and effective way to break the cycle of homelessness at its onset. Making this service offering permanent will allow us to continue in our goal that no child will have to live out of a car with their family in DuPage County,” DuPage PADS CEO and President April Redzic commented in the news release.

Access to temporary shelter that is private and secure has been beneficial to clients who may be reluctant to seek shelter in a “congregant setting,” DuPage PADS shared in the news release. DuPage PADS provided the following statistics that they say they’ve seen since the transition into the hotel housing model:

  • 80 percent fewer mental health incidents
  • 75 percent reduction in spread of respiratory issues, flu and other conditions
  • 500 percent increase in clients using support services.

The proposed Interim Housing Center would offer pre-qualified clients anywhere between 24 hours to several weeks of housing as they seek more permanent shelter. Clients will have access to DuPage PADS services onsite.

At the facility, rooms would be prioritized for:

  • Families with children
  • Residents with mobility issues
  • Residents fleeing domestic violence

“While we are excited about this transformational opportunity for our agency, we are most grateful for what this Interim Housing Center will mean for the clients and families we serve,” Redzic said in a statement.

She added, “This past fall, we began watching mothers with infants come to our doors with nowhere to go, needing a safe place during the most difficult moment in their lives. This model of interim housing not only facilitates better outcomes for clients at lower overall social and economic costs but will truly improve the quality of life for families in our care.”

Source: https://patch.com/illinois/downersgrove/downers-grove-hotel-could-become-interim-housing-homeless