$130,000 For Daybreak Shelter Up To City Council

JOLIET, IL — In November, interim city manager Steve Jones convinced Joliet's City Council, in a 7-1 vote, to raise the downtown parking rates come January. This week, Jones is recommending the council set aside $130,000 for building repairs at the Catholic Charities' Daybreak Center. The east-side property is the largest homeless shelter operated by Catholic Charities in a seven-county region, a memo from interim city manager Steve Jones states.

Joliet's Daybreak Center can provide overnight shelter for as many as 120 homeless people on a given night. Daybreak offers a soup kitchen, daily meals, emergency temporary shelter and weather-related shelter to more than 1,000 people every year, city documents reflect.

So why is Catholic Charities asking the city of Joliet for money at this time?

According to the resolution put on Tuesday's meeting agenda: "The Mayor and City Council find it in the best interest of the city of Joliet to allocate an amount of up to $130,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to Catholic Charities' Daybreak Center for facility improvements."

Jones notified the council that Catholic Charities of Joliet is requesting a grant from the city "to help with badly needed roof replacement and dorm bathroom exhaust replacement at the agency's Daybreak Center."

When reached for comment Sunday, Mayor Bob O'Dekirk told Patch he is not supportive of the $130,000 expenditure at this point. He said the proposal of giving Daybreak $130,000 does not make any sense given that Jones is proposing a numerous fee and tax increases upon the residents of Joliet in the 2020 budget.

Jones has suggested the city is facing a deficit and the infusion of extra funds from new fees and other rate increases are needed to generate more city revenue come 2020.

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O'Dekirk said he was not asked for his input from Jones on the proposed $130,000 Daybreak grant prior to the item being put on Tuesday's council agenda.

"Why tell the people of Joliet that we're in dire need of more revenue, then turn around and throw money at a project like this, to repair Daybreak's roof?" O'Dekirk told Patch. "If we really don't have the money, then you can't be talking out of both sides of your mouth."