Hesed House opens up 101 more beds in Aurora

Converting a 7,000-square-foot warehouse space into a 101-bed shelter in less than two months was what Hesed House Executive Director Joe Jackson and his team would consider a "Hesed miracle."

Hesed House was working against the clock to complete the $1.8 million project before its grant funding - awarded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act - expired Dec. 30. But even without a hard deadline, the pressure was on to expand the Aurora homeless shelter's operations amid increased demand and reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson said.

"The last thing we want is for people who need our services and shelter to be out on the streets," he said.

The original shelter building at 659 S. River St. could house about 250 guests per night before social distancing regulations dropped that number to 103, Jackson said. Working with state health officials, Hesed House was eventually able to safely boost capacity to 165.

But the organization still had to turn away people last summer due to a lack of space, he said. And with an eviction moratorium expected to expire in the next few months, he feared a similar predicament would be on the horizon.

"That is so against our mission here at Hesed House," Jackson said. "We never want to be in that position again."

The new adult shelter started operating last month across the street at 680 S. River St., bringing the total bed count in both buildings to 266, he said. The build-out and winterization of the space began in November and was completed in less than 60 days.

The city of Aurora helped Hesed House acquire about $1 million in CARES Act funding through DuPage County, while the remaining project funding - nearly $800,000 - was awarded by the Kane County Board.

Hesed House leaders are developing plans for future project phases, which would include converting the rest of the warehouse into shelter space and relocating all adults under one roof with a total of about 315 beds, Jackson said. The front of that building also contains a comprehensive homeless resource center.

An 87-person shelter for families with children would stay in the original facility, with the remaining space available for offices, extra services or any other future needs, he said. "The sky is the limit."

While the idea has been floating around for a while, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic "hit the fast-forward button on a lot of different things." Organization officials are exploring costs and funding options for the future phases.

"To end their battle with homelessness, (people) do need a safe place for refuge where they don't have to worry about their next meal or where they'll sleep that night," Jackson said. "We want to make sure we always have the space needed to welcome anyone who needs us."