In its recent article on homelessness during COVID-19 and lessons learned, the Chicago Tribune discussed how BEDS is raising money for the Summit Service Center, a fixed-site shelter modeled after college dorms. The 24-bed facility in a renovated bank is expected to handle 50 to 75 people per year, with an on-site registered nurse, mental health clinic and daytime resource center. The Cook County Department of Economic Development is investing $1.5 million in the facility, with $1.1 million being raised from private sources.
With common areas, but private rooms for individual, the facility aims to blend high-intensity care with the dignity of private space and some sense of community. Some people with mental health diagnoses found them exacerbated by isolation in hotel rooms. Read the Tribune article here.
