DuPage County helps families displaced by December fire
Families displaced by a December fire at an apartment complex in West Chicago are getting some help from DuPage County.
County board members this week ratified $79,800 in emergency funding provided to Outreach, a community service organization, shortly after the fire to assist families.
Two dozen families were displaced by the Dec. 13 fire that swept through a 24-unit apartment building on the 800 block of Burr Oaks Drive. No injuries were reported from the fire. The apartment building, however, remains uninhabitable.
Fire officials tracked the start of the fire to a second-floor bathroom ceiling vent fan. The fire spread through a common plumbing wall inside the building and eventually reached the roof.
DuPage County Board member Greg Schwarze said he and other members of District 6, which includes West Chicago, met shortly after the fire to secure funding to help families. The county provided the grant, using community development block grant funds, to Outreach on Dec. 19 to assist displaced families.
"People need a place to stay," said Schwarze, a retired firefighter who heads up the county board's human services committee.
So far, four of the 24 families displaced by the fire have found housing. Another eight families have applications pending to rent apartments, three families remain in hotels and nine families are staying with other relatives or friends, said Vanessa Roth, chief operating officer for Outreach.
Roth said the housing search has presented some challenges but is hopeful at least half of the families will have found housing by the end of January. She noted that rental units have been in short supply.
Several families also are trying to stay in the same area because it is closer to work or their children's school.
Roth said the grant from the county will be used to help cover the first month's rent and other expenses as families find housing.
People interested in assisting those displaced by the fire can contact Outreach at (630) 682-1910.