Revamped DuPage center helps homeless build skills

Just in time for its 25th anniversary, DuPage PADS this month marked the opening of its newly renovated campus in Wheaton — a one-stop shop where the county's homeless can find support, education and job skills.

The nonprofit's revamped Client Service Center at 705 W. Liberty Drive is open five days a week and offers a wide range of services, from 12-step recovery meetings to computer classes and financial literacy courses.

“The whole goal is to provide hope in individuals' lives,” Executive Director Carol Simler said. “We know the solution to ending homelessness is housing, coupled with supportive services, education and employment.”

More than 1,100 homeless people in DuPage County seek help from PADS each year. In the last two years, the number of children served by the organization has increased 65 percent, Simler said.

At the Client Service Center, residents can use a computer lab to learn basic skills, build a resume or pursue jobs online. There also are meeting areas for courses on parenting, anger management and addiction recovery, and new lockers where regular visitors can store their belongings.

PADS officials said about $50,000 in donations, along with in-kind contributions, made the renovations possible. In addition, they worked in aesthetic updates meant to create a professional and uplifting environment.

“People walk in different, they sit different, they act different,” said Beth Epstein, director of programs. “Everyone here is really passionate about helping people change their lives.”

The campus, which opened about 16 years ago, also has laundry facilities, showers and, now, a remodeled kitchen.

The relocation of some administrative offices to make way for the renovations left the campus more room for privacy and one-on-one counseling.

Simler said the renovation project was an outgrowth of the organization's efforts over the years to expand its offerings beyond immediate shelter to tools that would help the homeless reach self-sufficiency.

Several staff members said they've already noticed a change in how clients perceive themselves and the work they're doing.

“It's a wonderful environment, it's professional environment, but it's also very warm,” said employment support specialist Jill Kimak. “Clients seem to put a different hat on when they're here. It makes a big difference.”

A PADS client, identified by the agency as “Dennis,” said the new computer lab, combined with job counseling, have come in especially handy.

“The employment group and new computer lab have given me the opportunity to create a good resume and generate new job leads,” he said in a news release. “I have learned positive ways to conduct job interviews, post my resume online and check email for job leads.”

The center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays. For more information, call (630) 682-3846 or visit www.dupagepads.org.