Danita stood at the podium Thursday and told the crowd about the time she and her husband slept at Hilda's Place, 37 years ago, the Evanston Roundtable reported. She's retired now, after decades as a machine operator. The shelter that took her in hasn't changed much since.
That's about to be different.
Connections for the Homeless broke ground Thursday, Aug. 13, on a $6.7 million renovation of Hilda's Place, its congregate shelter in the lower level of Lake Street Church. The project will restore 30 overnight beds that have been offline since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the space into daytime-only drop-in service.
"Almost nothing has changed in that shelter space in the 40-plus years," said Nia Tavoularis, chief development officer at Connections for the Homeless, in an Evanston Now report published Aug. 10.
The renovation amounts to a complete gutting of the lower level. Workers will drop the floor two feet to raise the ceiling height, install an elevator for full accessibility and add new showers and bathroom facilities. Abatement and construction are scheduled to begin later in August, with the shelter slated to reopen by spring 2027.
During construction, Hilda's Place services have moved to the first and second floors of Lake Street Church.
Funding and federal support
The $6.7 million price tag is covered by a mix of federal and state grants, congressional earmarks and private donations. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represents Illinois' 9th Congressional District, wrote on X Aug. 13 that she helped secure $2 million in federal funds for the project.
Several speakers at the groundbreaking praised Lake Street Church for embracing what they called the "YIGBY" spirit, a play on the familiar "NIMBY" acronym. YIGBY stands for "Yes In God's Backyard," a nod to the church's four-decade commitment to hosting the shelter.
Connections for the Homeless has operated at Lake Street Church since 1984.
A new name in January
The organization also plans to rebrand as "Housing Connections" starting in January 2027. Tavoularis said the new name reflects a dual commitment to direct services for unhoused individuals and advocacy to address root causes of homelessness.
Tavoularis drew a parallel between current federal policy and the conditions of the 1980s that originally spawned the organization, pointing to cuts in SNAP and Medicaid as reasons both direct services and advocacy are increasingly critical.
The Hilda's Place renovation is one of two major capital projects for the nonprofit. Connections is also planning a separate, multi-year renovation of the Margarita Inn, a former hotel that has served as a long-term living shelter since March 2020. The first two phases of that project, focused on accessibility improvements including a new elevator and second entrance, will cost approximately $12 million.
