The Planning and Development Committee will discuss whether or not Connections for the Homeless can continue operating programs at 7 p.m. tonight at Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
The two programs, Hilda’s Place, a homeless shelter, and Entry Point, a street outreach program, have operated at the First Baptist Church, 607 Lake St., for 18 years under a city zoning exemption, said Jan Klingberg, development director for Connections. The hearings occur annually as a way for the city to determine whether or not Connections is still operating under the terms of its exemption, she said. Evanston City Council later will vote to approve another one-year exemption.
“The hearings are perfunctory,” Klingberg said. “It’s a way for the city to make sure that the exemption makes sense and that neighbors are still in agreement with our being there.”
Klingberg said that in her three years of working with Connections, she cannot recall a negative response from neighbors at the Lake Street and Chicago Avenue intersection. In fact, residents have backed the shelter by writing letters supporting the operation and attending hearings.
“People see it as a necessary operation,” Klingberg said. “Any compassionate person recognizes the need for a place like this.”
Klingberg said Connections, the only permanent shelter in a 300 square-mile area, offers a comprehensive program for the homeless. The shelter has a full-time nurse, substance abuse manager, caseworker and psychiatrist on staff.
Ald. Stephen Bernstein (4th), whose ward includes the First Baptist Church, said the hearing will give area residents a chance to voice their concerns about the shelter, although he said he never has been confronted with a problem.
“The people who run the shelter are in concert with me and the police, and (the shelter’s residents) are pretty respectful,” Bernstein said. “People don’t hang around outside like they used to.”
Katrina Walter, a Music senior, has lived in the apartment building at 602 Lake St., next door to the church, since September 2001. She said the Lake and Chicago area offers a haven for the underprivileged that she hopes will remain.
In other business, at the 8:30 p.m. City Council meeting, aldermen will vote on a second amendment to the redevelopment agreement between the city and developers of the Sherman Plaza project.
Developers James Klutznick & Co. are proposing a six-inch addition to the ceiling level of each residential unit, adding a total of 30 feet to the tower, said assistant city manager Judy Aiello.
