Nonprofit gets the OK to build shelter, living facility at new HQ in Palatine
Palatine village council members have approved a proposal for a nonprofit organization to operate an overnight homeless shelter and supportive living facility as part of a new 3-story headquarters building on Northwest Highway.
JOURNEYS-The Road Home - a nonprofit that provides shelter, services and housing to Northwest suburban residents who are homeless or at risk of losing shelter - is behind the plan for 1140 E. Northwest Hwy. JOURNEYS Executive Director Beth Nabors said the organization needs to secure more donations, likely from a capital campaign to launch "in the very near future," for construction to begin.
Palatine councilmen at a meeting Monday night voted 6-0 in favor of allowing the operation in an area designated for business uses just north of the current facility. The JOURNEYS building will be between a U.S. Postal Service facility and a self-storage business across the street from Arlington Park racecourse in Arlington Heights.
Under the plan, JOURNEYS will construct the 3-story, 27,000-square-foot facility on a 1-acre site, with the 7,000-square-foot building being demolished. The new structure will have first-floor offices, 42 beds for PADS clients to use overnight on the second level and 11 permanent, affordable supportive living apartments on the third story.
Nabors said outside the council chambers that the new facility will be a "massive" step for the organization celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
"I think what were going to be able to do is actually meet the capacity of the community - and that's powerful," she said. "We've had to pull in a lot of resources over the years to try to help us get the job done, but now I think we're going to be able to really be a one-stop shop and allow people to heal and gain back what they lost in homelessness."
Palatine Councilman Kollin Kozlowski asked several questions of JOURNEYS representatives during the meeting, which were provided to him by some residents. JOURNEYS is in Kozlowski's District 5.
Kozlowski said JOURNEYS provided satisfactory responses to the queries about issues including safety, the apartments and the organization's health care services.
"I'm strongly encouraged by this," Kozlowski said. "It's a great asset. We're going to be able to help some people who need help right now."
John Kenney, vice president of the JOURNEYS board of directors, said he expects large donors will anchor the capital campaign, supplemented by smaller contributions. JOURNEYS officials declined to say how much more money they need for the construction to start.
JOURNEYS has operated on Northwest Highway in Palatine since 2000.