A project to provide housing in La Grange for the homeless is getting a boost from Cook County in the form of a loan.
BEDS Plus Care, Inc. will receive a $1.3 million loan from Cook County to construct 20 units of permanent housing for chronically homeless individuals. The entire project, which will be built at 9601 Ogden Ave., is expected to cost $6.2 million.
The La Grange-based, nonprofit Beds Plus will build the housing units, along with space for its offices, counseling services and daytime support staff. Offices and support staff/counseling space will be on the first floor and there will be two floors above it with 10 units each.
Tina Rounds, executive director, said they expect to break ground on the project in late summer. The project received approval from the village of La Grange last April.
The agency is appreciative of the loan from Cook County.
“Sometimes you’re fortunate enough to get support from a county,” Rounds said.
Rounds said the agency has raised enough money and received the pledges of financial support it needs to complete the project, which was decried by some as it moved through the approval process.
Legal action that had sought to block the sale of the property for the homeless center was dismissed in Cook County Circuit Court in mid-February, Rounds said.
Though some in the community spoke out against the project, Rounds said the project was properly vetted.
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“There was a public zoning process it was decided it was a fit for the community,” she said.
Though it had opponents, the project also had community support. Rounds said 350 people signed a petition in favor of the project.
“Some of the opposition got attention,” she said. “But we can’t forget all the people who supported us.”
Rounds said having the new building will enable the agency to consolidate functions that are now completed in two different churches.
The loan, along with funding for several other housing projects, is being granted by the Cook County’s HOME Investment Partnership Program, which has a goal of developing affordable housing.
“The need for affordable housing in the region is great and far exceeds our current stock. I am very pleased to see these projects moving forward,” said Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle in a news release.
Rounds said individuals selected for the studio apartments will undergo a screening process by a committee that will include two individuals from the community.
Rounds said it is estimated there are 11 homeless persons per 10,000 people in Illinois.
She said housing the homeless provides them with the stability to conquer other challenges such as finding a job.
“We know the solution of homeless is housing,” she said.
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