Renovation work is expected to begin later this month on a 33,000-square-foot hotel in Waukegan that will be transformed into a permanent homeless shelter featuring 200 beds.
PADS Lake County is set to renovate the nearly 33,000-square-foot former Travelodge hotel located at 3633 North Lewis Avenue in Waukegan.
Officials say the new permanent shelter will create a safe space to help those who find themselves unhoused in Lake County by providing them with a place to sleep, eat and receive assistance.
The new facility, which was first announced in December, will offer over 60 rooms with 200 beds and communal areas for socializing.
“PADS Lake County is thrilled to share a bold step forward in our mission to end homelessness in our community. We are moving ahead with plans to establish the county’s first fixed shelter- an essential, dignified, and stable refuge for our most vulnerable neighbors,” PADS Lake County Executive Director Allen Swilley told Lake and McHenry County Scanner on Tuesday.
The Lake County Board allocated $7.06 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support the project.
An additional $2 million in funding was provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
“The lack of affordable housing is the leading cause of homelessness in our county, especially for families,” Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said in December.
“This has contributed to a dramatic rise in the number of families unable to find a place to live. This new shelter is going to be an essential and much-needed resource in our fight to combat family homelessness in our community,” Hart said.
The need for a permanent shelter in Lake County has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, county officials said.
Non-dedicated buildings, such as community centers and places of worship, were used to offer temporary shelters for the homeless but because of health and safety concerns, the buildings were removed as shelter options during the pandemic.
The new site will allow PADS Lake County to offer 24-hour operations with specialty-trained staff.
Swilley said the facility will have approximately 60 private rooms and provide reliable shelter to at least 240 parents and children each night, “keeping them off the streets and out of cars as they work toward lasting stability.”
County officials say creating a permanent shelter will increase available assistance to the homeless, with the aim of reducing the amount of time individuals and families experience homelessness.
The new shelter will also help increase the quality of assistance and services to be provided and create a better living situation for families and support moving into stable housing.
“Lake County has put our federal ARPA funds into impactful and purposeful projects that directly help people,” said Paul Frank, Chair of the Special Committee on ARPA and Board Member for District 11.
“Funding this PADS shelter is another important project which will help those in need of temporary housing support,” Frank said.
The facility will serve as a central resource center for PADS Lake County to provide housing, food and case management services.
Swilley said PADS has submitted construction permits to the City of Waukegan and anticipates breaking ground by the end of July.
Renovations are expected to be completed by this coming December or early January.
“This fixed shelter represents more than a building- it’s a transformational investment in human dignity, community resilience, and the future of hundreds of families across Lake County,” Swilley said.