DuPage PADS Gets $5M To Help Transform Hotel To Homeless Shelter

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A former Red Roof Inn in Downers Grove is on its way to becoming an interim housing center for homeless residents. The DuPage County Board unanimously approved a request to grant DuPage PADS $5 million to buy and remodel the former hotel located at 1113 Butterfield Rd.

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, 450 people have been temporarily housed at local hotels according to a news release from DuPage PADS. Among those, more than 150 were children.

"Thanks to the incredible support we have received from the DuPage County Board, hundreds of individuals and families—including mothers with young infants—who had nowhere else to go, were provided a private room and a secure space to call their own during the pandemic," April Redzic, President and CEO of DuPagePads said in the newsletter.

Redzic added, "Chairman Cronin and our county board members have provided resources so we can purchase and permanently operate an Interim Housing Center to meet our shared goal that no child will ever have to live out of a car with their family in DuPage County."

The decision to temporarily house homeless residents in hotels has proven to be beneficial, according to DuPage PADS The facility has seen an 80 percent dip in mental health incidents, 75 percent reduction in health issues, such as the flu and breathing problems.

Additionally, clients have increased their use of case support services.

The hotel's 130 rooms will be remodeled and prioritized to accommodate domestic abuse victims, children and residents with limited mobility.

The 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.

Redzic remarked, "By providing a secure space for our clients to call their own, we can help families and individuals have a warm, safe place to stay in the short term, and a path toward securing a stable housing option for themselves and their family."

DuPage PADS is aiming to raise $1.5 million more in funding for the project, which is set to open in the spring of 2022.

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