Chicago officials broke ground on a South Side project this week that will convert a former motel into a non-congregate shelter for young adults experiencing homelessness. The $6.2 million redevelopment will create 26 units for people ages 18 to 24, each with a private bedroom and bathroom.
Johnson marked the groundbreaking with a post on X from his account, @chicagosmayor, writing that “experiencing homelessness at a young age should not determine the rest of your life.” He added that the city would keep “working to create pathways out of homelessness and into permanent housing, because our responsibility does not end when someone finds a shelter bed,” a message that tagged @ChicagoDOH and @ChiFamSupport.
. The mayor, who has described himself as a father, husband and mayor working to build Chicago into the safest and most affordable big city in America, is based in Chicago.
Financing for the South Side project draws from multiple public sources, according to regionalmedianews.com: $3.7 million from the Chicago Recovery Plan, $2 million in Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus funding, and a $500,000 federal earmark. The outlet reports the project will house 26 units serving people ages 18 to 24, with each resident getting a private bedroom and bathroom rather than a shared dormitory-style setup.
A Model Already Taking Shape Elsewhere in the City
Chicago has backed a similar non-congregate approach on the North Side through La Casa Norte's North Hotel project. The city's own announcement of support for that acquisition described it as serving youth ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness, with the shelter located in the Humboldt Park community area.
The North Hotel offers 40 rooms and functions as a short-term, non-congregate shelter for unhoused youth, according to the project's page on lacasanorte.org. The same account describes each client housed in their own unit with a private bedroom, en-suite bathroom and mini-kitchenette, alongside home-cooked meals, case management, educational opportunities, employment training and life-skills programs. The shelter operates 24/7 with services meant to help residents move toward stability, self-sufficiency and independence.
Early Signs From a Comparable Shelter
La Casa Norte moved 12 youth into the North Hotel's first floor in March, and the organization broke ground on the building's ground floor on August 12. By August, three of the youth who had stayed there had moved out and were living independently, the group reported.
No completion date, address or operating details have been released for the Brainerd shelter, and it is not yet clear how its outcomes might compare to those at the North Hotel. Unity Parenting and Counseling has not published additional specifics about staffing, eligibility or referral procedures for the new units beyond the funding and unit counts confirmed at the groundbreaking.
