Elgin awards $200,000 grant to help PADS of Elgin get through June

PADS of Elgin is getting a lifeline through a $200,000 grant that will get them through June 30.

Elgin City Council members recently approved the one-time grant to support the organization, which provides support and transitional housing for those facing homelessness. The organization serves about 30 shelter guests and provides additional support to residents through its drop-in services.

“Without bridge funding, PADS has indicated it may be required to reduce or suspend services,” Elgin’s Assistant City Manager Karina Nava wrote in an April 22 memo to the city council.

“This action is intended to maintain continuity of services within the community’s homelessness response system during a defined funding gap while PADS continues implementing its longer-term sustainability strategy,” Nava added.

The city plans to use existing funds earmarked for homelessness response. Nava also noted the city has secured $400,000 from the Illinois Department of Human Services to help address homelessness response programs for the current fiscal year. Additional details on the funding will be presented at a future city council meeting, Nava said in her memo.

Kristal Thompson, a PADS of Elgin board member and former client, said the funding was “desperately” needed to continue providing critical services.

“We remain there for people like me,” Thompson said, noting that in 2018 she turned to PADS of Elgin after she lost her home in the midst of dealing with medical issues. “Trust and believe that you know people who are going through it, but you just don’t know it."

Thompson said PADS of Elgin helped her receive disability and secure housing. She now advocates for the homeless and travels the country to speak on the topic.

“As a great city of Elgin, I know none of us want to see our brothers and sisters continue to suffer,” she added.

Last fall, PADS of Elgin embarked on a fundraising campaign and sought to raise $500,000 to get through the winter months. At the time, officials said an end to COVID-era funding and no federal funding to replace it had left the organization short by about half of its annual budget.

In her memo, Nava wrote that the city’s grant is a short-term solution as the agency continues to work on a long-term plan, including expanded fundraising, to meet financial needs.

PADS of Elgin will host a garden party fundraiser on June 7. Information about the event can be found at padsofelgin.org.