The City of Evanston announced Tuesday that it has been awarded a $1.8 million grant to support rehabilitation of the Hilda's Place homeless shelter at Lake Street Church downtown.
The 30-bed shelter, operated by Connections for the Homeless, has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money, from the state's allocation of federal Community Development Block Grant funds, is designed to support projects that build or rehab homeless shelters to restore shelter capacity to pre-pandemic levels.
Evanston actually expanded shelter capacity during the pandemic with the opening of the 70-bed shelter now owned by Connections at the Margarita Inn at 1566 Oak Ave.
The Hilda's Place project will upgrade plumbing and electrical facilities and improve fire safety and accessibility.
The city's application for the grant was approved on a 6-2 City Council vote in July.
In December 2022 Connections received a separate $2 million federal grant that's expected to cover the rest of the cost of the Hilda's Place rehab project.
Connections has greatly expanded its programs in Evanston since the start of the pandemic. Federal tax reports show that it went from having revenue of $4.8 million in 2019 to $16.9 million in revenue for its fiscal year ending in June 2023.