Taft is pleased to have acted as pro bono legal counsel to North Side Housing & Supportive Services, Inc. in connection with securing land use approvals needed to support the conversion of a long vacant building in Chicago’s Rogers Park community for use as a 72-bed homeless shelter.

North Side is among five grantee finalists that were selected by the Chicago Department of Housing (DOH) and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) for a grant through the City’s Non-Congregate Shelter Acquisition Program, which, through funding from the Chicago Recovery Plan, provides support and technical assistance for existing shelters to move from high-density shared spaces or financially untenable environments into rehabilitated, non-congregate environments.

North Side Housing currently operates a temporary shelter out of a rented motel space. The land use approvals secured by the Taft land use team will allow for adult men experiencing homelessness to access shelter in a dormitory-style setting where they will have access to shared common space, three meals a day, bathing facilities, and wrap around services. The project will enable North Side to sustainably provide shelter beds with enhanced privacy and supportive services.

The development team undertook extensive community engagement efforts and secured unprecedented levels of support from numerous elected and appointed officials and community stakeholders. Read more about the project and process here. 

The Taft team representing North Side Housing included Braeden Lord and Liz Butler.